West Virginia, officially formed last month as a state by popular vote (but yet to be formally admitted to the Union), is on the side of the Union. Yet, Union control over the former western region of Confederate Virginia is tenuous. This weekend, Confederate forces exploit the weak Union presence in the town of Guyandotte…
Freedom finally arrives today for some African slaves, including many Baptists, of Port Royal, South Carolina. Following a four-day coastal siege held in check by stormy weather, a Union Navy fleet accompanied by soldiers overwhelms the meager Confederate defense, sending Confederate soldiers and white civilians fleeing inland and/or northward to Charleston. The “Day of the…
On October 21, the 20th Illinois, fighting alongside other Union regiments, had defeated Missouri State Guard Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson’s 1500-man force in the Battle of Fredericktown, Missouri. A minor battle, the victory was nonetheless welcome for the United States, which is struggling to retain control of Missouri and, in the larger picture, has…