Today Union Navy Admiral David Farragut manages to slip two of his ships back past the forts of Vicksburg, Mississippi in preparation for a campaign to attack the city. Having probed the city’s defenses, Farragut now prepares for an impending rendezvous with land forces. The Vicksburg campaign officially commences six days hence, when U. S.…
In addition to the advantage of manpower, the United States has at its disposal more financial resources and tools than does the Southern Confederacy. Today, the U.S. Congress enacts the Second Legal Tender Act, issuing $150,000,000 in paper currency not backed by gold or silver. The issuing of paper money grows dramatically as the war…
While the Confederate capital of Richmond is threatened by Union advances, the war in the Western theater is also going badly for the South. U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant, driving further southward, is now in Mississippi. The Confederates scramble to halt the Union advance, and today battle erupts in Farmington. Settled around the turn of…