Once again, Confederate forces are overwhelmed in battle in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Nothing seems to be going right for the South these days, and today’s Battle of Fisher’s Mill reflects the haplessness that has descended upon the Confederacy. Despite a superior defensive position on high ground near Strasburg, the Federals manage to wrest control of…
While many communities in the North finally receive confirmation of the Union’s triumph over Atlanta, this day, as decreed by President Abraham Lincoln two days earlier, is a national day of celebration in the United States, following the Union victories at Atlanta and Mobile Bay. Although Lincoln’s proclamation for this day’s celebratory cannon salutes in…
The Union Navy, in an effort to close Alabama’s Mobile Bay to blockade runners, on August 3 landed 1,500 troops on Dauphin Island and began a siege of Fort Gaines. Confederate defenders have been trying to hold off the Union forces in order to allow time for reinforcements to arrive. Today, however, the Union Navy…