Today the Confederacy temporarily reverses Southern misfortunes on the Mississippi River, as the ironclad CSS Arkansas engages Union naval forces and damages some 19 ships before retreating. The days of the Arkansas are limited, however. Pursued by the Union ironclad Essex, the Southern vessel experiences mechanical trouble and runs aground. The crew blows up the…
Mississippi Baptist minister Mark P. Lowrey organizes the 32nd Mississippi regiment in north Mississippi and is elected Colonel of the regiment. This represents his second, and an unanticipated, stint of Confederate service. An excerpt from Lowrey’s autobiography speaks of his joining the army for the second time, as well as the days following: I had…
Today Union and Confederate forces clash in northern Arkansas in the Battle of Pea Ridge (or Elkhorn Tavern). In a battle for control of the border state of Missouri, Confederate Gen. Earl Van Dorn’s army attacks an encroaching Union army led by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis. Confederate forces temporarily gain the upper hand today, but divided…