The American Civil War - Chronologically

March 30, 1863 - April 19, 1863 Siege of Washington (AKA The Siege of Little Washington; AKA the Battle of Washington; but NOT the "Defense of Washington," which is a smaller event in 1862) Beaufort County, NC Major General John G. Foster leading a Union garrison of 6 regiments (technically part of the XVIII Corps)> Brigadier General Richard B. Garnett >  Brigadier General Henry Prince sailed up the Tar River for relief vs. General D. H. Hill's Division  * Not to be confused with "the Burning of Washington," which could refer to either the British in 1812 or here again in 1864  * This is a Confederate initiative: Longstreet trying the Tidewater region out for much-needed supplies - and to distract US troops. He delegates to D. H. Hill for Washington.   * 'The Confederates sent a message to Foster demanding surrender. Foster replied saying "If the Confederates want Washington, come and get it."' * Nobody told me about the "the Battle ...

March 17, 1863 Battle of Kelly's Ford  Brandy Station, Virginia, in Culpeper County https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=154487 https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=154485 Battle of Kelly's Ford: The Chancellorsville Campaign & Union Cavalry Comes of Age On January 25, 1863, Union general Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker replaced Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside as the fifth commander of the demoralized eastern armies in less than two years. On taking charge of the Army of the Potomac, Hooker implemented organizational reforms to ensure that his soldiers stayed healthy, warm, and busy. Morale improved quickly, as did the army's offensive spirit. The dramatic reorganization of the cavalry was one of Hooker's initial priorities and signal accomplishments . Before Hooker assumed command, small squadrons of horsemen were scattered among the infantry, carelessly armed and consistently outmatched by their Confederate counterparts. Hooker reassembled his mounted forces into the single caval...

Spring 1863 Fort Mill Ridge Trenches Romney, West[ern] Virginia Colonel Jacob M. Campbell: 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the 1st (West) Virginia Volunteer Infantry, Battery E of the 1st (West) Virginia Light Artillery, and the Ringgold Cavalry (Co. A, 22nd PA Cav.) * Despite its relative obscurity, this site is repeatedly referenced as something like " the best preserved battle trenches dating from the Civil War in existence." https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=150658 I don't know who to complain to, but--according to some sources I read--that sign is wrong. The Confederates dug the trenches first, but then quickly lost them. The Union built up the fort, for sure, but much of the entrenchments were already there! https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=167998 Fort Mill Ridge is a Union fortification constructed between March and June, 1863, to defend the Mechanicsburg Gap and South Branch Potomac Valley. The remains of the fortification have been undisturbed over the past 135 yea...

Jan. 1863 Enlisting Colored Troops on Maryland's Eastern Shore Worcester County, MD There are three Civil War Trails sites on the Eastern Shore. Apparently I drove right past number 2 on the way to number 3 from number 1. Alas, I shall need to return downee Ocean, hon.   It's times like this that I just do not want to fight with the Historic Marker Databases. There are at least 6 markers with nearly identical language in the database: but they also say "Welcome to..." Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne's County. This maker clearly says, "Welcome to Worcester County." Worse - the tree in the upper-right matches that found in the picture of this historical marker in the database, but the language has changed. Like I said, I'm just not going to get into this right now. I've got two years of backlogged pics to document.... "Although isolated from Maryland's largest population centers, the Eastern Shore was important to the state's role in th...