Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

June 4.—Joseph A. Gilmore was inaugurated Governor of New-Hampshire. In his message he stated that over eighteen thousand troops had been furnished for the war, and continued: “In such a contest as that in which we are now involved, I am unable to discriminate between the support of the Government and the support of the National Administration. It is no time now to speculate upon the causes of the rebellion. The only facts which we need are that it exists, and that it is our duty to put it down. It was a remark made to me, by a former Governor of this State, the late venerable Isaac Hill, in which I fully concur, that ‘a man who will not stand by his Government is a coward and a traitor.'”

—Prince Gortchakoff, in a dispatch to Mr. Clay, the American Minister at St Petersburgh, after expressing the satisfaction of the Emperor at the reply of Secretary Seward to the proposal of France to join the diplomatic intervention in favor of Poland, remarks: “Such facts draw closer the bonds of sympathy between Russia and America. The Emperor knows how to appreciate the firmness with which Mr. Seward maintains the principle of non-intervention.”

—Major-General Stahl sent the following dispatch to the War Department, from his headquarters at Fairfax Court-House, Va.: “All is quiet along our lines and in front, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. This morning, when the relief passed, our pickets were attacked on Sawyer’s road by guerrillas. Colonel Gray at once started, with about one hundred and twenty men, in pursuit of them, but could find nothing of them in the woods. He then went on to scout the whole country, and when he passed Frying Pan, his rear-guard was attacked by about one hundred rebels, who were hidden in a thick wood. Colonel Gray turned his column, and charged the rebels, who fled in great haste through the woods. He followed them up to Aldie, and from there returned, via Drainesville. Our entire loss is three, and some horses wounded. We captured their surgeon, Dr. Alexander.”

—An expedition left Yorktown, Va., proceeding to West-Point, and thence to Walkerstown, by way of the Mattapony. Thence it proceeded to Aylette’s Warehouse, about ten miles from the point of landing. At this place, the iron foundry, machine-shops, cotton mills, lumberyard, and four government warehouses, containing large quantities of corn and grain, were burned; also a large mill owned by Colonel Aylette, of the rebel army, with six thousand bushels of grain. The Colonel made his escape, although in the vicinity. The surgeon of the Fourth Delaware captured his horse, which was ready, saddled and bridled. A great number of barns, containing stores for the rebels, such as grain, corn, whisky, cotton goods, etc., were destroyed.—(Doc. 56.)

— A large and enthusiastic Union meeting was held at Chicago, Ill., this evening, at which speeches were made by Senators Trumbull and Doolittle and others.—Colonel A. Baird, in command of the garrison at Franklin, Tenn., was attacked by a force of rebels under General Forrest, and driven into his intrenchments, but being reenforced by a brigade of infantry sent by General Granger, he succeeded in repulsing the enemy with a heavy loss. At the same time an attack was made on Triune, but the rebels were driven off with a loss of two hundred men, four hundred horses, and a large quantity of camp and garrison equipage.—(Doc. 4.)

—General Burnside’s order suppressing the circulation of the Chicago Times was revoked.— The Twenty-second regiment N. Y. S. V., under the command of Colonel Phelps, returned to Albany from the seat of war.

—A fight took place at Sartoria, Miss., between a body of National troops, under General Nathan Kimball, and two thousand rebels commanded by General Wirt Adams, resulting in the defeat and rout of the latter after a contest of half an hour. The National loss was one killed and seventeen wounded, while the rebels lost over one hundred taken prisoners, and a number killed and wounded.—Simmsport, on the Atchafalaya River, La., was destroyed by the Union ram Switzerland, under the command of Lieut-Colonel John A. Ellet—(Doc. 53.)

—The rebel General Wheeler, with a body of cavalry, made an attack upon the National troops on the Shelbyville road, near Murfreesboro, Tenn., and skirmishing was kept up the whole day. The Second Indiana cavalry, on picket-duty, was first attacked, but being reenforced by the Thirty-ninth Indiana, under the command of Colonel Thos. J. Harrison, they succeeded in putting the rebels to rout, with a loss of several killed and wounded. The National loss was one killed and a number wounded.

Previous post:

Next post: