Today in the American Civil War

[Albany Rifles]

1862. The Right Grand Division under Bull Sumner closes on the Rappahanock River.

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1863 Longstreet begins the Siege of Knoxville.

In Washington, a special 4 car train is boarded by President Lincoln and several members and his cabinet and travels to the crossroads town of Gettysburg, PA to take part in a dedication ceremony the next day.

[JAD_333]

1863 Longstreet begins the Siege of Knoxville.

A rather tepid effort, wouldn't you say? As I recall Union forces rushed to Knoxville to relieve their 'besieged' forces there only to find the commanding general (forgot his name?) fat, cheery and having a nice feast of a dinner.

[Albany Rifles]

A rather tepid effort, wouldn't you say? As I recall Union forces rushed to Knoxville to relieve their 'besieged' forces there only to find the commanding general (forgot his name?) fat, cheery and having a nice feast of a dinner.

Hence my comments of 2 days ago.

And that Union general was Burnside!

[Albany Rifles]

1863 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have, thus far, so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

The President had not been the keynote speaker. In fact he was an afterthought. The date of 19 NOV was selected due to the calendar on the keynote speaker, Edward Everett of Massachusetts. Everett was the foremost speaker of his day and was considered a real catch by the burghers of the town.

After Lincoln gave the short speech above the next day everett penned a note to him: "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

I fully consider this one of the 3 best speeches in the English language (Churchill's We Will Never Give In & Kennedy's Innaugural are the other 2...in no particular order).

Lincoln's speech is panned across the Union and barely acknowledged in the Confederacy.

Elsewhere...

1861 Henry Halleck is appointed commander fo Union forces in Missouri.

[JAD_333]

1863

Lincoln's speech is panned across the Union and barely acknowledged in the Confederacy.

Finally, a retraction, after 150 years.

Living on the wrong side of history? The Harrisburg Patriot & Union's notorious 'review' of the Gettysburg Address | PennLive.com

"We pass over the silly remarks of the President. For the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall be no more repeated or thought of."

With those few belittling and dismissive words, Harrisburg's Patriot & Union newspaper - the Patriot-News's Civil War ancestor - earned itself an enduring place in history for having got Lincoln's Gettysburg Address utterly, jaw-droppingly wrong.

(2013) A Patriot-News editorial retraction: The Gettysburg Address
Full text of the Gettysburg Address
Nationwide reaction to the retraction

Just as the Gettysburg Address has become one of the most-read and most-quoted American political documents, the Patriot & Union "review" of it has become one of the most-quoted commentaries.

The quote lives on - as counterpoint to Lincoln's masterful rhetoric - not only in scholarly literature, but in popular histories, Internet discussions and even the resource materials for school teachers distributed by the Gettysburg National Military Park.

It also has lived on, of course, as fodder for generations of readers who disagree with Patriot-News editorials, who opine that the mental capacity and judgement of the newspaper's aspiring opinion makers has not improved considerably since the early days.

This infamous "review," which seems to imply the newspaper ignored the Gettysburg Address altogether, is also trotted out on occasion as evidence of how newspaper people sometimes miss history being made right in front of their notebooks.

But like Lincoln's speech itself, the Patriot & Union "review" has acquired accretions of myth and misunderstanding that obscure actual history.

The words about Lincoln's "silly remarks" have been divorced from their context and given more weight than they arguably deserve.

A thorough review of the Patriot & Union coverage of the Gettysburg ceremonies 150 years ago paints a different picture.

First, the famous quote is taken from an editorial that did not appear in the newspaper until Nov. 24, five days after the event. Prior to that, there was considerable news coverage of Lincoln's visit and speech in Gettysburg - and that news coverage would surprise many who have judged the newspaper solely on the editorial quote.

[Albany Rifles]

1862 The Army of Mississippi is renamed The Army of Tennessee (Confederate).

1863 Federals began heavy bombardment of Fort Sumter. It will continue, off and on, through December 4.

[Albany Rifles]

1861 Judah P. Benjamin named Confederate Secretary of War

1862 James A. Seddon replaces George W. Randolph as Confederate Secretary of War

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1863. Battle of Orchard Knob. The redemption of the XIth Corps and the Army of the Cumberland begins.

The Battle of Chattanooga Summary & Facts | Civilwar.org

[Albany Rifles]

1862. Joseph Johnston takes command of a reorganized Department of the West. Under his command would be the Armies of Tennessee (Bragg) and Mississippi (Pemberton).


1863 The Battle of Lookout Mountain....Joe Hooker's finest moment.

Battle of Lookout Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Albany Rifles]

1863 The Battle of Missionary Ridge. Chickamauga is avenged. Battle of Missionary Ridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1864 Confederates fail at attempt to set fire to New York City hotels and Barnum's Museum

[Albany Rifles]

1861 West Virginia Constitutional Convention convenes in Wheeling

1863 Battle of Ringgold Gap Patrick Cleburne's [CS] rear guard action against Joseph Hooker [US] following the defeat at Missionary Ridge gives Braxton Bragg time to establish a line in Dalton, GA.

George Meade crosses the Rapidan River attempting to turn Lee's right flank, starting the Mine Run Campaign.

[Albany Rifles]

1861 Passengers from the SS Trent arrive in London and report the ship had been boarded by the US Navy and the Confederate’s Sliddell and Mason forcibly removed.

1863 Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan escapes from the Ohio State Penitentiary

General William French’s 5th Corps is attacked by Edward Johnson and his Confederate division near Payne Farm in the first battle of the Mine Run Campaign.
The Battle of Mine Run Summary & Facts | Civilwar.org

[Albany Rifles]

1861 Though never leaving the Union a Confederate government of Missouri is recognized and admitted to the Confederacy.

1862. The Battle of Cane Hill, AR. Opening round of the Battle of the Boston Mountains which will culminate at the Battle of Prairie Grove.

1863 Grant orders Sherman to Knoxville with a relief column. Bragg offers his resignation.

1864 Rosser's Raid on Union forces at Keyser, WV.

[Albany Rifles]

1862 "Prince " John Magruder assumes command of Confederate forces in Texas. With no apologies to Lebron James, he brought his talents to the Southwest.

1863 Assault on Fort Sanders, Tennessee Battle of Fort Sanders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Burnside has his signature victory of the war.

1864 Battle of Spring Hill, Tennessee The Battle of Spring Hill Summary & Facts | Civilwar.org Hood decides to teach his army a lesson.

Col. J.M. Chivington leads Sand Creek Massacre in the Colorado Territory. Even with the American Civil War going on westerners still take time to to try to exterminate Native Americans and added a dark stain to the record of the US Army.