Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1913 — The CIVIL WAR FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK [ARTICLE]

The CIVIL WAR FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

' 'December 16, 1862. The Army of the Potomac, which, «ince the battle of Fredericksburg, had been lying between the Confederate entrenchments on the hill and the Rappahannock river in its rear, was Withdrawn during the night to the north side of the river, General Burnside at last realizing the hopelessness of endeavoring again, to carry the Confederate line, and the danger of remaining where he was. A repulse of another attack, or an attack from the enemy, would have been fatal to the army. A detachment of Union troops, while on a reconnoissance, entered the village of Wardensville and captured the entire Confederate mail, consisting of several hundred letters and newspapers, from the postmaster. Major-General Banks issued a proclamation assuming command of the Department of the Gulf. A large body of Confederate troops, encamped in the vicinity of New Haven, Ky., were surprised and captured by the First Kentucky Union cavalry. ...... ' ' General Foster’s Union column invading North Carolina was brought to a stand at the Neuse by the Confederates under General Evans. The Confederate artillery made good practice during the day. I " December 17, 1862. Four hundred and sixty Union soldiers, taken prisoners at Fredericksburg, reached Richmond, Va. Baton Rouge, La., was occupied by a portion of General Bank’s Union command. Major-General Grant, commanding the Department of the Tennessee, is-

sued an order from his headquarters at Oxford, Miss., expelling every Jew within his department within twentyfour hours from the issuance of the order.

General Foster’s expeditionary force in North Carolina came to a stop' at Goldsboro, N. C., in front of the Confederate force of General Evans. He succeeded in destroying the Goldsboro bridge, but was compelled to retire, after two hours’ fighting. December 18, 1862. The Confederate cavalry leader Forrest entered and occupied Lexington, Ky., with a large force; a body of Union troops, under Col. R. G. Ingersoll, of the Eleventh Illinois cavalry, resisted for three hours, but was finally driven off, leaving prisoners and two pieces of artillery. , The i town of Commerce, Miss., was burned by a Union expedition consisting of the gunboat Juliet and transport City Belle, carrying detachments of the Eleventh and Forty-seventh Indiana. On the previous day the steamer Mill Boy, lying in the river in front of the town, had been fired into by a casual band of Confederate cavalry. When the Mill Boy reported the incident at Helena, Ark., the expedition was sent to destroy the town in punishment for the thing that had been done by the passing troopers. Not satisfied with that vegeance, the Union troops proceeded to destroy the plantations for a distance of five miles about the town.

December 19, 1862. Colonel Dickey, in command of a detachment of Union cavalry, returned to the Union lines at Oxford, Miss., from a raid on the railroads, in which his force marched two hundred miles in six days, destroyed forty miles of the Mobile and Ohio, captured one hundred and fifty prisoners, a large amount of stores, and escaped from a Confederate force outnumbering them nine to one. Twelve wagons of a train of twentysix that had been captured by a detachment of General Stuart’s Confederate cavalry the day before at Occocquan, Va., were recovered by a squadron of Union cavalry after a hard fight The remaining fourteen wagons were destroyed by the Confederates during the Rev. Dr. McPheters, of St, Louis, Mo., was ordered by the provost marhal to leave the state within ten days for "encouraging the rebellion and sustaining disloyalty in his church.” A general dissolution of President Lincoln’s cabinet was announced. The legislature of Connecticut adopted a resolution declaring its confidence in the president of the United States, and pledging itself to support him in the prosecution of all measures which might be found necessary to suppress the rebellion. December 20, 1862.

Holly Springs, Miss., was entered and captured by the Confederate cavalry under General Forrest An immense amount of public and priv* ate property was canned off or destroyed. The garrison surrendered after a very short resistance. In a skirmish between Union troops and Confederate irregulars near Halltown, Va., the retired after doing, much mischief. Three of their number were captured. General Forrest entered Trenton and Humboldt, Tenn., with his force of Confederate cavalry. They burned the depots and ail the government stores they could not carry off.

Twenty-seven wagons loaded with provisions for the Army of the Po-

■ ■ ■. : - - tomac, and 178 National soldiers acting as guard, were captured by Confederate cavalry under Gen. Wad* Hampton at Occocquan, Va. The expeditionary army under the command of Gen. W. T. Sherman embarked at Memphis, Team, in over one hundred transports, for Vicksburg. - ' ■ Ar • • . December 21, 1862. “ . A skirmish occured near Nashville, Tenn., between a party of Nationals belonging to General Van Clever’s division of the Army of the Tennessee, and a reconnoitering party of Confederates supported by four pieces of artillery, in which the Confederates retired. Secretaries Seward and Chase having sent in their resignations as members of President Lincoln’s cabinet, the president acknowledged their reception, and informed the secretaries that the acceptance of them would be "incompatible with the public welfare.” They accordingly resumed their respective portfolios. The expeditionary foroe that left Newbern, under command of the Union General Foster, to break up the. railroads in North Carolina, returned to headquarters after a brief but eventful journey of ten days. They found the {state of defense beyond their expectations. One bridge was burned. The Federal garrison at Davis’s Mills, Wolf River, Miss., offered a desperate resistance to an attack made by the Confederates under General Van Dorn, in which the defenders were heavily outnumbered. After a fierce struggle of several hours, the Confederates withdrew. December 22, 1862.

General Pryor, with a .detachment of the Confederate troops, attacked a body of New York Mounted Rifles, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Onderdonk, who were stationed at Isle of Wight Court House, va., to protect the election of representatives to congress,, under a late order of General Dix. The Nationals were compelled to retreat after a short skirmish.

Governor Shorter of Alabama issued an appeal to the people of his state, calling on the men and youths exempt from service in the Confederate armies, by reason of their age or other cause, but who were capable of bearing arms, to organize themselves into companies to constitute a reserve force, subject to service in the state on call from the governor. After reading the commanding general’s report of the battle of Fredericksburg, the president issued a proclamation tendering the officers and soldiers of the Army of the Potomac “the thanks of the nation.” ‘

Maj.-Gen. Robert C. Schenck assumed command of the Middle department of the Eight Army corps of the United States, and issued orders to that effect from his headquarters at Baltimore.