Bested by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee‘s Army of Northern Virginia, Union Gen. Joseph Hooker orders his Army of the Potomac to retreat across the Rappahannock River. The withdrawal continues until the morrow, but the Battle of Chancellorsville is effectively over today. Hooker’s retreat takes Lee by surprise, as he had planned another assault upon the…
Memphis, Tennessee, citizens watch in horror as the United States Navy overwhelms Confederate naval forces on the Mississippi River. Although the number of vessels on each side is nearly even, many of the Confederate ships are converted commercial steamers manned by civilian captains, setting the stage for the Union rout of the Southern navy. Less…
Confederate citizens and soldiers watch in dismay as a Union naval squadron, led by Flag-Officer David G. Farragut, today sails up the mouth of the Mississippi past forts Jackson and St. Philip. The fall of New Orleans is inevitable; surrender takes place on April 28. Union occupancy of the Confederacy’s largest city begins May 1,…