General Jefferson Davis shoots Bull Nelson

Jefferson C. Davis

There were two important Jefferson Davis's in the Civil War. The most famous one was Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, President of the Confederacy. However, there was another one, Jefferson C. Davis, a general in the Union army. Today he is known only for his name, and for an incident which took place 150 years ago today.

Nelson

Davis had been in the United States garrison at Fort Sumter during the battle which began the war. He was soon promoted to captain and then colonel. He fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek and was promoted to Brigadier General. However, he fell sick and went on sick leave. But when Bragg invaded Kentucky and there was a treat of an attack on Louisville and Cincinnati, he rose from his sick bed to help with the defenses. Davis had an ongoing feud with William “Bull” Nelson, commanding the Union forces preparing to meet the threat to Louisville, Kentucky. Nelson removed Davis from temporary command of a brigade of Home Guards, so Davis appealed to the governor of Indiana Oliver Morton, and Morton came with him to see Nelson.

At 8:00 am on September 29th Davis met Nelson in the lobby of the Galt house and confronted him, and harsh words were exchanged. The argument culminated with Nelson slapping Davis across the head. Embarrassed, Davis borrowed a revolver from a friend, and as Nelson turned to head down the stairs, he challenged him to a fight. Nelson was unarmed, but nonetheless Davis fired one shot, which killed him.

Davis was immediately placed under arrest for the murder of General Nelson. Incredibly, he was never prosecuted for his crime. He was released from prison and returned to his command, as at the time it seems that the need for experienced commanders was greater than their need to justice to be served to murderers.

Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln reads the Emancipation Proclamation

150 years ago today Abraham Lincoln issued he most important document of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation. When Lincoln was elected president he was clearly anti-slavery, but he said he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it existed, only choking it by stopping it's spread into the territories. When the war, came he said that it was only to save the Union, and “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it...." At this point, however, Lincoln's intentions are hard to know. He may have been saying this because he actually meant it, or he might have just being trying to gain popular support for emancipating the slaves. We don't know, because although he may be called Honest Abe, he was not actually honest when it came to politics.

Lincoln had been planning for some time to issue an emancipation proclamation, but he had been waiting for a Union victory so that it would not look like a last ditch attempt to win. Antietam, although not as great a victory has he hoped for, gave him the opportunity he was looking for.

Lincoln's proclamation said:

I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States of America, and commander-in-chief of the army and navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States and each of the states and the people thereof, in which states that relation is or may be suspended or disturbed.

That it is my purpose, upon the next meeting of Congress, to again recommend the adoption of a practical measure tendering pecuniary aid to the free acceptance or rejection of all slave states, so called, the people whereof may not then be in rebellion against the United States, and which states may then have voluntarily adopted, or thereafter may voluntarily adopt, immediate or gradual abolishment of slavery within their respective limits; and that the effort to colonize persons of African descent with their consent upon this continent or elsewhere....

That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the states and parts of states, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such state shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such state, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States.

Lincoln said he had authority to do this because it was a war measure. However, the whole war for the preservation of the Union was based upon the principle that the states attempting to secede were really part of the Union. If that is true the president did not have the right do emancipate the property of southerners if he could not do it in peace time.

The Emancipation Proclamation was not a humanitarian document. It only declared the slaves free in territory not under the control of the United States. Therefore, unless the Union army was victorious in the war, the slaves would remain in their servitude. It also gave the Confederates the chance to save their slaves by returning to the Union before January 1st, 1863. or receive compensation for them through an (unconstitutional) act of Congress.

Lincoln

This proclamation had vast impact. It changed the cause of the war in the mind of the world from preservation of the Union into a war to abolish slavery. Everyone was not happy that. Some soldiers, in fact, deserted because they did not want to fight to end slavery. In any event the Union army eventually supported it, as it gave them a higher motive to fight for than to coerce the southern states. The impact in foreign policy was also great. European nations had been considering recognizing the Confederate States. But with the proclamation Lincoln was able to change their perception of the war to one over slavery, and although they might have been willing to aid in the separation of the Union, they would not aid in the preservation of slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation destroyed the south's best hope for victory – foreign recognition. From then on they would have to look to their own armies for victory.

Battle of Boteler's Ford – Day 2

Fitz John Porter

On September 20th the Federals continued to push forward from Boteler's Ford. A bridgehead was established, but they were soon under attack. Lee countermarched A. P. Hill's “Light Division” and sent them forward. The Federals were under heavy attack, and word reached Fitz-John Porter, the Union Corps commander, that his men were outnumbered. He ordered them to withdraw back across the river. However, the colonel of the 118th Pennsylvania, an inexperienced regiment, refused to retire until the orders went through the proper chain of command. The rest of the Yankees were happy enough to retreat, and the 118th was left stranded. As the Confederates attacked, the outnumbered regiment panicked, and the men scattered, scrambling down the cliffs to the river and crossing the forward as fast as possible. The regiment suffered heavily, loosing 269 out of 737. Over these two days of skirmishing, the Yankees lost 363 men, the Rebels 291.

Battle of Iuka

Edward Ord

There were two Confederate armies in Northern Mississippi, 15,000 men under Stirling Price in Iuka, and another army under Earl Van Dorn marching to join him. 150 years ago today Price was under attack. Grant had planned to envelop him by two columns attack on separate roads, Ord in the North and Rosecrans in the South. Ord was to coordinate his movement with the sound of battle to the south. Rosecrans attacked as planned, and Price responded by ordering several charges against the Federal forces. The third attack was successful, and the rebels captured part of a battery of artillery. The battle was turning against the Federals, for Ord was not in position. He had been in his appointed position, but due to a phenomenon called an acoustic shadow he did not hear the sound of fighting. Therefore he did not attack, thinking Rosecrans was not in position. He had seen the smoke of the guns, but had thought it was Price burning his stores in his retreat.

William Rosecrans

Through this providential mishap Price was able by hard fighting to hold his own against Rosecrans. During the night he left Iuke via an unguarded road. He had already been planning to leave, and now well-nigh surrounded he had few other choices. The Federals attempted a pursuit, but the tired Yankee cavalry was outrun and gave up the pursuit. The Union lost 790 men, 144 killed, 598 wounded and 40 captured, the Confederacy 1,516: 263 killed, 692 wounded and 561 captured, as well as a large quantity of stores. However, Price had saved his army, and he would be able to join up with Van Dorn and fight again another day.

Price

Battle of Boteler's Ford – Day 1

Pendleton

When Lee fell back across the Potomac he left behind to guard Boteler's Ford two infantry brigades as a rearguard, as well as 45 cannon under Brigadier General William Pendleton, the army chief of artillery. Around dusk 2,000 Federals advanced across the Potomac at Boteler's Ford. They struck the Confederate rearguard, gaining some success, and capturing four of Pendleton's cannon. Pendleton was a very competent officer. He lost track of his forces and panicked. He woke up Lee at midnight and reported that all of the cannon had been captured. The next day, it was found that only four guns had actually been captured. This incident brought much criticism upon Pendleton, and many jokes about the incident were spread through the army.

Lee Retreats

Lee

In the Battle of Antietam Lee's lines had been pressed hard, but had held firm. He decided to remain on the battlefield the next day and hazard a renewal of the battle. However, there was no fighting the next day. Lee was in no condition to fight, and although McClellan had fresh troops available, he was convinced that Lee was planning to attack him. After the a truce to remove the wounded, Lee retreated that night across the river back into Virginia.

Lee's first invasion of the north was over. The campaign had started out with brilliant prospects, but the discovery of Lee's lost orders spurred the usually sluggish McClellan into quick action. Lee was able to capture Harper's Ferry and reunify his army. In the Battle of Sharpsburg or Antietam he beat off uncoordinated Union attacks and McClellan did not continue to press with his superior numbers. Lee retreated across the river, his invasion beaten back. The campaign had turned upon the providential discovery of Special Orders 191. If that event had not happened, the campaign, and perhaps even the war, may well have turned out very differently.

Fall of Munfordville

The Confederates in Kentucky, having begun a siege of Munfordville, again requested the Federals surrender. Union commander Colonel John T. Wilder did not now what to do. With three regiments he was facing an entire Confederate army. So he did something that might seem strange today, but he asked Confederate Major General Simon B. Buckner for advice. Buckner said that he could not advise him what to do, but he could show him around the Confederate works. This did the trick. Wilder, after viewing Confederate attack preparation, had no doubt that an attack would mean certain defeat for him, so he surrendered his garrison of over 4,000 men 150 years ago today.

Buckner