In mid May, General William Tecumseh Sherman was picking his way down North Georgia. His counterpart, General Joseph E. Johnston had just reluctantly retreated from Cassville, Georgia to the Allatoona Gorge in the hopes of luring Sherman into a tight killing zone. Johnston's only worry was that the position at Allatoona was too good. Unbeknownst to Johnston, Sherman knew the position was too strong to attack head on. Sherman had spent a lot of time in the area as a young officer and had spent much time around the Etowah Indian burial mounds nearby. Sherman decided to swing west and go directly after the strategic crossroads around Dallas, Georgia.

After a few days rest, the Union forces moved south. General Joseph Hooker was in th van of the middle column and began a pursuit of a small band of Confederate cavalry which was acting as a screen for Johnston's forces to the south. "Fighting Joe" Hooker lived up to his name and went fast and hard at the Confederates under General John Bell Hood. Hooker had hoped to catch the Rebels off guard and press home and advantage. Hood had other ideas. Taking his cue from his cavalry screen, Hood had begun entrenchments and selecting defensive positions. The first of Hooker's assaults led by Brigadier General John W. Geary was thrown back when it encountered an undetected enfilade Confederate position which hit them hard. Hooker persisted with two more Divisions and the battle was enjoined.

Hood's middle was held by Major General Alexander P Stewart's Division and they bore the brunt of Hooker's onslaught for several hours in the afternoon. The battle raged with such ferocity that Johnston became worried that Stewart might relinquish the position. Stewart, a Tennessean, held firm even though some of Hooker's men got close. With a fierce thunderstorm brewing and setting in, Hooker made one last throw of the dice and pulled Geary out of reserve through dense wood to push through a perceived advantage. Stewart's artillery which had been so effective now opened up with even more canister rounds and caused the veteran Geary to claim that it was the hottest he had experienced with his command. The Union forces were praised for the courage and coolness, but the day was no to be theirs. With the drenching from the rain and the gloom of the stormy evening setting in, the Union forces settled down in their positions and awaited daylight. The battle has been called New Hope Church, but the soldiers knew it by "Hell's Hole."

The next day would bring probing for weakness all along the line, two days later, the fighting would continue near Pickett's Mill.

Ride Suggestion

Next time you are buzzing down I-75 from Chattanooga to Atlanta, jump off at Cartersville for a great little circular ride that takes in Allatoona Lake, The New Hope and Pickett's Mill Battlefields and a couple of mountainous switchback roads near Dallas, Georgia.

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Sources and Book Recommendations

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On November 19, 1863, a little over 4 months after the battle, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at what today is the cemetery across from the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.

The Kentucky monument to its native son's address at the cemetery at Gettysburg NMP

In my mind, this is still the most eloquent and forceful dedication to a cause that a leader has yet to deliver. Unbelievably, Lincoln left Gettysburg with the impression that the address had been a miserable failure and he had not risen to the occasion. Showing signs of his self-doubt that plagued him at times, Lincoln reminds us that brevity and directness, though seemingly incongruent with enormous endeavors, is often what history demands of its giants.

Ride Recommendation

The official GNMP map is the only resource you really need for a great day-long tour by motorcycle. If you want an end of day jaunt to loosen up the bike and your mind, head west up the Lincoln Highway to Tuscarora Summit.

View Larger Map

Book and Map Recommendations

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Nice post on the Civil War era Columbus, Kentucky chain across the Mississippi River by marvinsc over on the Open Road Journey Forum. Lots of good pictures.

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Before Gettysburg came the preparation of the route north.

After the win at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee decided to move north to secure provisions for his increasingly ragged troops. As well as this practical matter, Lee hoped the move would encourage the peace activists of the north by threatening, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia from the west. Whilst encamped in Culpeper, Virginia with his infantry (Ewell's and Longstreet's two Corps), Lee's cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart met a large Federal Cavalry force led by Alfred Pleasanton near Brandy Station on 9 June 1863. This ended up being the largest cavalry battle of the entire war. It ended in a tactical draw, but had two significant outcomes. First, Stuart was successful in screening Lee's force in Culpeper and the Union left the field not knowing where Lee was, but suspected he was amassing a large army on its doorstep. Second, the aggressive fighting of the Federal cavalry marked the end of Stuart's domination of the cavalry field in the eastern theatre. The legend of the southern cavalry had been broken by names such as John Buford. Regardless of who won at Brandy Station, Lee's army was still in Northern Virginia and on the move northward with extreme prejudice.

Lee sent Ewell's II Corps to clear the Winchester area of the Shenandoah Valley of known Union emplacements there. This was to be the route north and Lee wanted nothing slowing him down when he began his big gamble. The Union forces at Winchester were commanded by Robert Milroy and were significantly less than Ewell's numbers. The emplacements were made up of the the "Star" fort to the west of Winchester and the main fort in the town itself. Because of the general havoc created by the advancing Confederates and the Union's shallow numbers, Milroy had been ordered to withdrawal from Winchester to Harpers Ferry. However, after skirmishing all around Winchester on the 13th, Milroy decided to try to hold the town. This decision would later get him relieved of command, but the Confederates would relieve him of many of this troops before then.

On the 14th of June, Ewell began in earnest by sending Jubal Early's Division to take the Star Fort during the day and increasing pressure on the main fort into the evening. As the Confederates closed on Winchester, Milroy was starting to think better of his option of withdrawal. After as quick counsel of war, he decided to retreat to the north. However, Ewell had anticipated this and sent Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's division to cut him off. Johnson's forces met Milroy's retreat in the early morning hours of the 15th at Stephenson's Depot on the Harpers Ferry road to the north of Winchester. Johnson created havoc around the Federals and the Milroy's command collapsed in panic. Milroy and some of his cavalry got away, but virtually all of the remaining infantry were killed or captured along with a great number of artillery, horses and supplies. By the morning of the 15th, all was left was to mop up the stragglers.

The road was now clear from Lee to march northward with the mountains and Stuart's cavalry as a screen. Gettysburg and destiny awaited.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I'm writing about the Second Battle of Winchester, because I never miss a chance to recommend a ride in the Shenandoah Valley, especially any part of the Skyline Drive. I've also included some lesser known roads in West Virginia that are worth the ride. The Skyline Drive ends near Front Royal which is where Ewell staged from before attacking Winchester.

Book Recommendation: The Gateway to Gettysburg: The Second Battle of Winchester from Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Virginia & West Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Winchester, Virginia area

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By the end of 1861, the Union forces had secured Missouri by routing the Missouri militia that favored secession. In early 1862, the Union commander, General Samuel Curtis moved his Army of the Southwest into northwest Arkansas to take the fight to the Confedrates and secure Missouri from Rebel cross border incursions.

Newly appointed Confederate Army of the West commander, General Earl Van Dorn decided to take his numerically superior, but logistically inferior forces to the northwest of Arkansas and push the Union back onto the back foot in both Arkansas and Missouri.

After several skirmishes in February and early March, 1862, Curtis settled on favorable ground to the east of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Van Dorn knew it was a good position, so decided to split his forces in an attempt to draw Curtis into a weaker position.

On day one of the battle, Curtis took the north and west of the position by heading off a flanking movement. The day was carried by the quick movement of the Union forces, the loss of two Confedrate Genrals and the capture of a Colonel. Van Dorn led the other Confederate column to take the south and east near Elkhorn Tavern. On day two, Curtis regrouped and attacked Elkhorn tavern with heavy artillery support. Van Dorn held the position but at a tremendous cost in casualties and ammunition and eventually had to retreat and leave the position to Curtis.

The Union continued to hold the area and the strategically important state of Missouri for most of the rest of the war.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Begin or end your ride with the tour of the battlefield(also available as an online tour). Outside of the Pea Ridge Battlefield National Military Parkpark take a through the loop ride through the Hobbs State Park and around Beaver Lake.

Book Recommendation: Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Rogers area

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By early 1864, Lincoln was despairing that he could find no General to prosecute the Union's war against the South in the eastern theatre. All of his leaders around the Potomac seemed to be frozen with indecision and a fear of failure. Much to his delight, a plan from a junior Cavalry General, H. Judson Kilpatrick, came into his view through Secretary of War Stanton. Kilpatrick knew that his immediate superiors would either poo-poo the idea or steal it as their own, so he approached Lincoln's adminstration directly through back channels. Kilpatrick was proposing a daring raid into the mouth of the lion to snatch Federal prisoners held in deplorable conditions in Confederate held Richmond. Kilpatrick's plan suggested more as well. Stanton and Lincoln were attracted by the idea that a raid into Richmond, apart from freeing prisoners, would also serve as a huge propaganda victory. Kilpatrick was summoned to Washington for a private meeting with Stanton and given the go ahead. Kilpatrick's superior's were not amused, although had no choice but to support him as he had the direct support of Lincoln.

Kilpatrick, like many Cavalry officers from the North and South, had dreams of great daring-do, but was known to some peers and subordinates as "KillCavalry" for his reckless behaviour. However, many, including Lincoln, believed that more of this type of risk taking was necessary to dislodge a stubborn foe in Virginia. Kilpatrick had no problem attracting another officer of similar ideals, named Colonel Ulric Dahlgren. Dahlgren, the son of a Union Admiral, had made his name in previous engagements, including chasing Lee's forces out of Maryland after Gettysburg, and lost a leg for his work. Having recovered and sporting a prosthetic, Dahlgren was ready for more grandiose riding.

The operation started just before midnight on the night of the 28th of February 1864. They were aided by a diversionary attack further west by General Sedgewick and a Cavalry Brigade commander by the name of George Armstrong Custer. The diversion drew the Rebels west and cleared a path for Kilpatrick and Dahlgren. Custer was especially effective in drawing the Confederates on a wild goose chase as far away as Charlottesville. Leaving Elys Ford at the Rapidan River, north of Chancellorsville, Kilpatrick and Dahlgren set out at a good cavalry pace and reached Spotsylvania courthouse by leap day, 1864. Here, they split forces with Kilpatrick heading straight into Richmond from the north with 7/8ths of the force. Dahlgren took a wide, westerly path to enter Richmond from the southwest with a force of apprximately 500. The idea was to give the impression that the city was being attacked from multiple sides and cause panic long enough to get the prisoners out. If they could destroy a few things in Richmond, all the better.

Kilpatrick continued well through appalling weather of sleet and high winds. Dahlgren met a slave boy to guide him over a ford-able point on the James River and was on time, so was feeling pretty high at this point. Kilpatrick fired flares to see if Dahlgen would respond, but the weather was so bad that the flares could only be seen locally. Both drove on, but Dahlgren soon came to grief as the guide led him to a point at the rain swollen James that they could not ford. Dahlgren was thrown off track and was furious. The boy probably just did not know that the river was that high, but this did not appease Dahlgren. In a fit of rage, Dahlgren hung the boy for treachery. Unable to find a fording point, Dahlgren was stuck and could not complete his mission. Kilpatrick had entered north Richmond by now and encountered a force of old men and clerks, but misread the situation as regular troops. In an uncharacteristic delay, Kilpatrick hesitated whilst he waited for the signal from Dahlgren that the southwest attack was on. The "Dad's Army" force held on well and long enough for re-enforcements to arrive and drive Kilpatrick off. Kilpatrick now decided to avoid the fate of the prisoners he had come to save, but left Dahlgren in a bind by pulling back. Kilpatrick was harried all the way back to Union lines, but Dahlgren and many of his 500 were to die trying to elude the Confederates.

The mission was a failure on the tactical as well as strategic front, but it was to get worse. The Rebels searched Dahlgren's body and allegedly found orders to destroy Richmond and kill Jefferson Davis and his cabinet. The Union denied the existence of such orders, but the outrage in the South had the opposite effect of the propaganda coup Lincoln had hoped for.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I call this ride the "Rapidan Return." It covers the path Kilpatrick took to Richmond and then passes over the James River near Goochland where Dalgren had hoped to cross. It continues on the beautiful VA state routes 6 and 20 to Charlottesville where Custer worked the area. the ride finishes near the battlefield parks of Wilderness, Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania.

Book Recommendation: The Dahlgren Affair from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Richmond area

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On 13 February 1862, Union commanding General U.S. Grant's positioning was complete and the time had come to attack Fort Donelson. The Union forces had spent the 12th of February closing in from Fort Henry and exchanging picket fire with the Confederates manning the earthen works of Fort Donelson. The gunboats had also spent the 12th testing the river batteries and found them tough, but assumed they could be taken as Fort Henry's had been.

On the morning of 13 February 1862, Grant meant to have a simultaneous push along the right and left, but General John A. McClernand had jumped the gun and got manhandled by the Confederates, led by General Gideon Pillow. A push on the other side by General C.F. Smith was more disciplined and originally successful, but met with the same fate at the hands of General Simon Bolivar Buckner's troops. Overnight, a snow and ice storm befell the area and the lines woke on the 14th to a white landscape, ice laden trees and wounded who had died from exposure overnight.

On 14 February 1862, Foote was to unleash his gunboats on the Fort Donelson river batteries just like he had at Fort Henry. However, Donelson was not Henry. Fort Donelson's batteries were on tiered bluffs overlooking the Cumberland River, which gave them great range and an enviable angle of fire up close. This was to prove decisive. Foote was to preclude the ground assault with a show of force and hopefully take out the batteries. Foote came on and made considerable progress, until the flotilla got close enough for the Confederate gunners to zero in. When very close, the Donelson guns were firing right down on the Yankee ships, delivering devastating blows. Virtually the entire flotilla lost navigation capabilities due to direct hits and were floating helplessly down stream. Foote was seriously injured and many were dead. Donelson would not be another Henry. The overall Rebel commander, General John B. Floyd, was ecstatic, because his original mission was to slow down the Yankee advance long enough to let Rebel troops in Bowling Green, Kentucky retreat to Nashville unhindered and this he had accomplished. His follow-on mission would drive the course of the battle, though.

Grant now had to face the very real possibility that his confidence in taking Donelson was misplaced. The next day would be critical, but not in the way Grant expected. On 15 December 1862, Grant had to go meet Foote as the Navy man was too injured to travel to Grant. As Grant left, he left explicit instructions not to engage with the Confederates in the belief that the Confederates would not dream of attacking. Grant met with Foote and asked for whatever force Foote could give the following day to keep the batteries busy, whilst he attacked on land. As Grant rode back on the icy roads, he got news that McClernand was under pressure on the right. The fight was on, but not at Grant's bidding.
The Confederate leadership of Floyd, Buckner and Pillow had querulously decided to attempt a breakout around Dover. Buckner was to provide a rear guard, Pillow, with the help of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry, would push McClernand out of the way, then Floyd would lead the vanguard to Nashville. Pillow and Buckner would then retreat under fire and provide cover for Floyd.

Pillow's and Forrest's push on McClernand was what the reports Grant was receiving were all about. Grant made his way forward and heard that the Rebels were carrying 3 days of rations on them. This told him that they were trying to breakout. Grant immediately ordered re-enforcements to McClernand and also told Smith to attack Buckner's rear guard with force. Smith put such pressure on Buckner that Pillow had to send some help to stave off a collapse of the rear. Pillow thought this was OK, because he and Forrest had opend the road near Dover for a retreat. However, as the Rebels settled back into their positions after opening the road, a stasis developed. As the intitative ebbed away, Floyd, Pillow and Buckner traded turns in being optimistic, pessimistic and openly hostile to each other.

Floyd was a deer in the headlights now. Finally, Pillow wanted to hold the position and Buckner wanted to ram the forces through the hole created during the day. Floyd lost nerve and decided to hold the position. The day ended in much the same position as it had began with the notable exception of some of Smith's unit occupying some of the ridge line near the fort, putting artillery in range of the main fort. It might have continued that way had Pillow and Floyd stuck around, but both were former Federal officials and feared being tried for treason if caught. So, under the cover of darkness, they caught the first thing steaming to Nashville. A small number of Confederate troops also got up river that night. Forrest, who was disgusted by the trio of Generals, stomped out and took his cavalry command across a swollen stream and into the Tennessee darkness. Buckner was left in charge and immediately drafted a request for terms to send to his old friend, Grant. Buckner was probably hoping for some leniency based on his previous relationship with Grant.

The request reached Grant in the early morning and he responded with what was to make him famous, "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." Buckner called him "unchivalrous," but accepted the terms anyway.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

This is my home ride and I recommend it as one of the most beautiful rides anywhere. It splits the the Land Between the Lakes from North to South.

Book Recommendation: Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Tennessee Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the western Tennessee area

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On 6 February 1862, Union forces descended on the hapless Forts Heiman and Henry on the Tennessee River near the Kentucky / Tennessee border. If there was the one action that precipitated the fall of the Confederacy militarily, this was it. With control of the Tennessee River from Illinois through western Kentucky and western Tennessee all the way down to North Alabama, the Union changed the war with one stroke.

Fort Henry was under the Confederate command of General Lloyd Tilghman, but little could any general do about a poor position and a rising river. If Grant and Foote had not taken him, the river would have. Torrential rains had made the fort almost untenable for river guns. The heights across the river at Fort Heiman were to have been improved and might have made a difference, but the lack of men and equipment meant that the construction was not complete.

A few days previous, Tilghman actually thought the Rebels might inflict a terrible loss on the Yankees, if reserves could be brought down from Columbus and over from Bowling Green. In the end, Tilghman saw he had a losing hand when no re-enforcements came to his call. Tilghman decided to save the infantry and personally join a small artillery detachment to hold off the Yankees long enough to let the infantry escape to Fort Donelson. He succeeded and surrendered to Foote on a gunboat at the entrance to the fort. Grant's infantry divisions were bogged down in mud on either side of the river after alighting from Foote's troop transports, so they didn't even get in place before the surrender.

Commodore Foote's ironclads had taken a significant beating in the battle with the Confederate river guns, but Foote had a few fast timberclads continue up the Tennessee River to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to wreak havoc with Confederate shipping and railway river bridges.

An excellent anecdote from Shelby Foote's The Civil War: Fort Sumter to Perryville pages, 184-185;
"At fifty-six he [Foote] had spent forty years as a career officer fighting two things he hated most, slavery and whiskey. It was perhaps a quirk of fate to have placed him thus alongside Grant, who could scarcely be said to have shown an aversion for either." But both men got along, because they both believed in combined operations fervently. Foote was quoted as saying the Army and Navy "were like blades of shears--united, invincible; separated, almost useless."



with kind permission from
Hal Jespersen's Wikipedia Civil War Maps.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

If you're in Memphis, try this ride through beautiful far west Tennessee going through the Reelfoot Lake State Park area and on to the Fort Henry area in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

Book Recommendation: Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Tennessee Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the western Tennessee area

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On 5 February 1865, the Union Army moved on the Confederate line at Petersburg. After 3 days of vicious fighting, no one had won, but the Union had succeeded in stretching the already overstretched Rebel line. The battle has been called the Battle of Hatcher's Run / Dabney's Mill / Armstrong's Mill / Rowanty Creek / Vaughan Road / Boydton Plank Road. Each name had a significance in the battle.

Background

By early February 1865, General Grant had besieged Petersburg for 8 months. Further south, Sherman had completed his march to the sea and was now heading north. Schofield was moving inland from Fort Fisher. Lee knew that Grant would not wait for a full encirclement. Grant wanted to prove he could take Lee without help. The actions from 5-7 Febuary 1865 were the opening moves to make Lee's hold on Petersburg unsustainable.

The Battle

Grant was trying to cut what he thought was Lee's primary supply route into Petersburg. To this end, Grant sent General David Gregg's cavalry division to conduct the operation on Boydton Plank Road to Burgess Mill, near where it crossed the Hatcher's Run (creek). In support, he sent two divisions each of General G.K. Warren's V Corps and General A.A. Humphreys' II Corps. Warren set up a blocking position for Gregg on the Confederate side of Hatcher's Run and Humphreys protected Warren's flank.
As the action commenced on a cold morning, Gregg seized little in the way of supplies on the Boydton Plank Road. Lee was not using it heavily for supplies, partly because he suspected such an attack and partly because little supply was reaching his bedraggled troops anyway. Warren and Humphreys dug in for protection from long range artillery. Late in the day, the General John Gordon's Rebels tried an attack on Humphreys, but it didn't amount to much and was thrown back. Overnight, the Yankees re-enforced with two divisions from Meade.
On 6 February, Warren probed forward, but was hit hard by Gordon and pulled back sloppily until reaching the line with Humphreys. In the 6th's fierce fighting, Gordon lost one of the Rebel's best division commanders, General John Pegram, to a shot through the chest. The 7th brought entrenchment and stalemate.
In the end, the Yankees had to settle for extending their line to the Vaughan Road crossing of Hatcher's Run. The Union took heavy losses, but made Lee extend his line and killed one of the south's best leaders in Pegram. This was bad for Lee, but the worst was to come.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Check out the Petersburg battlefield tour.
If you want a longer ride, try VA-SR-10 and 31 from Petersburg to Williamsburg. You can stop off at the first English settlement in America at Jamestown Island.

Book Recommendation: The Civil War Boxed Set from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Richmond/Petersburg Area

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Commander of the Union's Army of the Tennessee, U.S. Grant, begins the action that would lead to his being recognized by Lincoln as a General with a bias for action. On 2 February 1862, Grant launches his forces from Cairo, Illinois, through far western Kentucky towards Forts Heiman, Henry (on the Tennessee River) and Donelson (on the Cumberland River).
Grant had a sizeable force consisting of three infantry divisions, led by John A. McCLernand, Charles F. Smith and Lew Wallace. There were also two regiments of cavalry and eight batteries of artillery. Grant also had Captain Andrew Foote's squadron of seven gunboats. (troop numbers are from the excellent book, The Longest Night by David J. Eicher)
The force, although reasonable, was not huge, so Grant had to make a decision to attack or wait for the initiative to be sent to him. However, the western theatre was frozen by indecision on how to attack the south, so Grant might have waited forever to get his chance to attack. The known forces were unclear to both sides, as proven by the still debatable troop numbers present at Fort Donelson 2 weeks later. Grant chose the warrior's path of seizing the intitiative whilst others debated strategy. He proposed to his Commander, General Halleck, that he proceed to take Fort Henry and open up Tennessee via the Tennessee River. The rest as they say is history. Grant's star was on the rise.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Take US-62 out of Paducah, KY and US-68 down to Kenlake State Resort Park on the Cumberland River (now Kentucky Lake) pretty much following the path that Grant followed to get to the Fort Henry area. Continue on KY-SR-94 down to Paris Landing State Park in Tennessee and then into the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. In the southwest corner of LBL, near the Piney Bay Campground, you can find the remains of Fort Henry. A map of the ride is here.

Book Recommendation: The Longest Night from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

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After the defeat at Middle Creek / Big Sandy on 10 January 1862, the Confederates were definitely on the defensive in eastern / central Kentucky. Kentucky was a key area for the Union to establish dominance, both politically and logistically. The long hoped for push into Tennnessee would be happening in Febuary 1862, so the importance of clearing Kentucky of any serious Confederate forces was paramount to the Union. Not only would Tennessee be open to attack, but the Union would have direct access to the Cumberland Gap through eastern Kentucky and Tennessee to western Virginia. This area was critical for supplies for the Confederacy with such staples as salt and lead mines for ammunition.

Confederate General Felix Zolicoffer was to defend the Cumberland Gap and in the winter of 1861/62, he decided to occupy the area south of present day Nancy, Kentucky for winter quarters. Zollicoffer built defenses along both sides of the Cumberland River. Union General George Thomas wanted to break the remainder of the eastern Kentucky forces under General Goerge Crittenden, Zolicoffer's commander. When Crittenden determined that Thomas was to attack the area, he took personal command of the position.

As Thomas moved into the area in heavy rain, Zollicoffer and Crittenden thought they might be able to split Thomas's forces by catching them off guard with the swollen Fishing Creek separating Union camps. Zollicoffer took his troops out of their defensive positions in the middle of the night for a forced march through appalling conditions to attack. The forces met at Logan's Crossroads, near Nancy, KY.

The Confederates achieved some level of surprise in the attack, but Union pickets and a cavalry patrol provided enough alert for Thomas to get his men moving. Crittenden had some early success, but three factors meant the battle was soon to sway in the Union's favor. First, at least a regiment of Rebels had old flintlock rifles that would not fire in the deluge, so at least 1/8th of the force had to be sent to the rear. Second, Fishing Creek, although swollen, was not impassable, so Thomas was able to bring full force to bear. Finally, the Yankees had a further forces advancing to join the fray.

As if all of this was not enough, Zollicoffer got lost whilst working the lines and met up with Union Colonel Speed Fry. It is not clear as to whether both confused each other intially as friend or foe, but Fry was on the uptick quicker and realised Zollicoffer for who he was and got him in the chest. The loss of Zollicoffer threw panic into the closest Rebel brigade which took flight. Their panic sparked the other brigade and soon the Union rout was on. Crittenden was to get his troops across the Cumberland in a ragged retreat, but was to later be reprimanded on charges of drunkedness at the battle with aspersions being cast about his committment to the southern cause. His daddy would not have been proud.

The Union was now successful in pushing the line across eastern and south-central Kentucky much further south to near the Tennessee line. The stage was now set for attacking down the western end of the Cumberland in western Kentucky and Tennessee at Forts Henry and Donelson in Febuary 1862.

Books from Amazon.co.uk

Motorcycle Ride

Check out the Cumberland Cultural Cultural Heritage Highway for beautiful ride around the area of the battle.

Maps

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John Jordan Crittenden, one of Kentucky's most prolific politicians, attempted to broker a compromise to save the Union in the U.S. Senate. The Crittenden Compromise failed on 16 January 1861 and virtually guaranteed civil war.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed the southern states and new states south of the 36'30" latitude to continue slavery, whilst the northern states and new states north of that line couldn't. The Compromise of 1850 changed this and allowed the new territories' residents to vote on the issue regardless if south of the 36'30". The Crittenden Compromise tried to mitigate the Compromise of 1850 in favor of the South. However, the Crittenden Compromise was a step too far in reverse for the Republican party which had formed specifically to oppose the expansion of slavery.
Crittenden was especially torn over the issue, as he had one son (Thomas L. Crittenden) and a nephew (Thomas Turpin Crittenden) who fought for the North and one son who fought for the South (George B. Crittenden). In the end, the gulf was just too wide for even a despairing father to stop. J.J. Crittenden died in the middle of the Civil War.

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If you find yourself traversing western Kentucky on I-24, get off near Eddyville, KY and try the backroads through Crittenden County, Kentucky, named after J.J. Crittenden. . It also gives me a good reason to recommend another ferry. Try the free (well the KY taxpayer is paying)Cave-in-Rock ferry over the Ohio. This is Battlefield Biker's ancestral homeland and are the roads that Battlefield Biker learned to ride on as a young boy. Enjoy a little slice of rural Kentucky.

Maps

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The Union Navy under Porter continued a relentless bombardment from 13 January to the early afternoon of 15 January. When the bombardment stopped, a force of sailors and marines landed and attacked with pistols and cutlasses. This attacked was repulsed by the Confederates who had re-occupied the earthen works. However, the focus on the amphibious landings caused the Confederates to leave too little on the up river side where General Terry had landed on the 13th of January.
Terry's force worked its way into the landside walls and turned the position one pit at a time. The Confederates of Colonel Lamb fought valiantly, but the "Gibraltor of the South" was lost and the last port for large scale re-supply of the southern cause was now in Union hands.

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Motorcycle Ride

Start at the Fort Fisher, NC Historic Site on the north side of the Cape Fear. Take the ferry to Southport. Follow North Carolina State Route 211 to US 17 and follow the coast south to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Maps

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By the end of 1864, the Confederacy had only one major port remaining to run goods in and out to the Bahamas, Bermuda and Nova Scotia for much needed supplies. That port was Wilmington, North Carolina and it was protected by Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher sat at the mouth of the Cape Fear River's entrance into the Atlantic. Fort Fisher was a formidable obstacle, not just for its position, but for the extended earthen works as well. Such was its strength that it was often referred to as the "Gibralter of the South." Naturally, it became a prime objective for the North as they tried to choke of the remaining supply lines to the South.

On Christmas Day 1864, General Benjamin Butler and Admiral David Porter led a combined force that was to attempt an amphibious assault on Fort Fisher. Porter played his part with one of the fiercest bombardments that the Union Navy had conducted to date. However, Butler lost his nerve after his initial attack was rebuffed and cancelled the ground attack and departed. Porter and Union commander, U.S. Grant were disgusted with the lack of Butler's resolve. Grant relieved Butler, replacing him with Alfred H. Terry (who was later to become one of the best known Indian fighters of the West). Porter was to give a reprise of his successful bombardment. Terry had previously been in charge of the Siege of Charleston and knew that he had to co-ordinate heavily with Porter for the complex mission to succeed.

On January 13th, 1865, under covering fire by Porter, Terry landed a force up river from the fort to block a Confederate re-enforcement of the fort once the amphibious assault began. Union forces probed the fort's defenses and Terry decided that the fort was vulnerable from the river side. In the mean time, Porter continued his bombardment and prepared an amphibious assault of sailors and marines on the ocean side. With the fort now cut off from land side support and no naval protection to speak of, the Confederate forces, under General Whiting and Colonel Lamb, hunkered down under a remorseless bombardment by Porter over the next two days. The damage to the earthen works could not be repaired due to the ceaseless nature of the fire.

The stage was now set for the final assault on the 15th of January.

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Motorcycle Ride

Start in Southport, North Carolina on the south side of the Cape Fear. Take the ferry to Fort Fisher. Then follow the coast from Fort Fisher to Camp Lejeune, NC. Check out Fort Fisher, NC Historic Site and the Camp Lejeune self guided tour on the other end.

Maps

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This article from the New York Herald of 11 January 1861 gives a feel for what it must have felt like to see the terrible events of pre-Civil War America unfolding to display the bloody outbreak of war. This article focuses on the gravity of the situation when federal troops aboard the The Star of the West were denied landing at Ft Sumter.

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Try the ride from Myrtle Beach, SC to Ft Sumter National Park along US Highway 17/701 which takes in the length of Francis Marion (the legendary "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War) National Forest.

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Technorati Tags: 11 11th 1800s 1860s 1861 American Civil War American Civil War Charleston Fort Sumter January Myrtle Beach Star of the West US Civil War US-17 US-701 motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

One of the major problems that Union forces had with capturing Vicksburg and all of the lower Mississippi was that they faced almost continual harrassment of supply lines, both on land and rivers. In Fort Hindman, near Arkansas Post and overlooking the Arkansas River, the Confederates had a strong position to harry any Union boats trying to make their way up to Little Rock. Additionally, it was a safe haven and replenishing point for Confederate gunboats working the Mississippi River. Before the Union forces could secure the lower Mississippi river area, they needed to secure their supply lines throughout Missouri, Arkansas and along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Hence, on 9 January, Union General John McClernand led a combined graund and naval force with Admiral David Porter to shut down Fort Hindman starting on 9 January 1863. Union troops, led by General William Sherman landed on the 9th and began assaulting the outlying trenches of the fort immediately, eventually over-running them and forcing the Confederates to retreat to the fort itself. On 10 January 1863, Porter laid into the fort with naval fire. By 11 January 1863, McClernand had tightened the noose with infantry preparing for a full attack on the fort and Porter's guns both bombarding the fort and cutting off retreat lines. Eventually, Confederate commander General Thomas Churchill saw the futility of further resistance and surrendered the fort. One more secure post along the Mississippi was secured for future Union operations.

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Check out this biography of John A. McClernand, who was a congressman before becoming a general. McClernand did well at first, but went head on with Grant, shortly after Arkansas Post, and lost over the conduct of the Vicksburg campaign. McClernand was one of the main sources that reported back to Washington about Grant's drinking. To which, Abraham Lincoln was to have said, "I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals."

Motorcycle Ride

Try this circular route from Pine Bluff to Stuttgart to Gillett to Dumas and back to Pine Bluff which passes by Arkansas Post National Memorial. It also includes the long stretch of scenic highwy US 65.

Maps

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For every Gettysburg and Vicksburg in the American Civil War, there were hundreds of smaller actions that did not involve the great Generals and large numbers of troops. However, these small actions often had real strategic consequences. On 8 January 1863, a Confederate advance led by General John Marmaduke made an attempt to capture the important Union supply point at Springfield, Missouri. The Supply point, led by General Egbert Brown, was important to supplying the Union Army of the West. The battle is unusual in the fact that it involved a substantial amount of urban combat..something fairly uncommon in the Civil War.
The Union garrison was warned of the advance with a few hours to spare. The defense was short on experienced soldiers, but had the advantage of high ground in the form of four earthen forts around the town. Marmaduke was short of one of his three columns, which had been delayed by skirmishing near Hartville, but decided to attack on the morning of 8 January anyway. Marmaduke made several attempts, but failed in each. Most of the fighting occured around fort number four with Marmaduke trying frontal assaluts and flanking movements with little success. As night fell, Marmaduke realized he had lost and retreated back to Arkansas.
The Second Battle of Springfield will never be called a turning point in the war, but one could imagine that Vicksburg and the final Mississippi River stronghold of Port Hudson, LA, might not have fallen in July 1863, if Springfield had been lost to the Confederates in January.

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Check out this book about a young Union logistician in the Western theatre;

Motorcycle Ride

Follow the general direction that Marmaduke took from Harrison, Arkansas to Springfield, Missouri, through Ozark on US Highway 65.

Maps

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On 1 January 1862, Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson began his spectacular Shenandoah Campaign from Winchester, Virginia. Most of the serious fighting would not occur until the Spring, but on 3 January, near the town of Bath in present day West Virginia, Jackson set the tone of his legend to come. When some of the troops under General Loring complained to the Confederate leadership about the hard nature of Jackson's command, Jackson resigned in disgust that the charges were taken seriously. Luckily for the Confederacy, calmer heads prevailed and Jackson wasn't questioned further. Jackson was a hard, puritannical man, but only asked of his men what he himself would endure. One story tells of Confederate soldiers waking up near Bath with snow on their blankets. They began to complain about Jackson, but they were startled to find Jackson stand up amongst them and shake the snow off his blanket as well. This kind of leadership was what allowed Jackson to literally walk his men's shoes off and run circles around the Federals during the Shenandoah Campaign througout the first half of 1862.

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For a good feel for the northern part of the Shenandoah and the early part of the campaign, thry this ride from Winchester, VA to Bath, WV to Romney, WV and back to Winchester.

Maps

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Before Sherman made his name by marching to the sea in Georgia, he was one of Grant's cammanders in the west early in the war. On 29 December 1862, after 2 days of prpearations, Sherman attacked the Confederate positions at Chickasaw Bluffs as part of the attempt to take Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was a total failure for the Union and one of very few for Sherman. Sherman's was to have been a diversionary attack for Grant's main force to the east, but Grant was held up by Confederate cavalry cutting off his supplies.

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Try US 61 from Leland, Mississippi to Vicksburg to get a feel for the lowlands on the east side of the Mississippi River. This swampy low area is what made Vicksburg such a hard nut to crack.

Maps

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By 1862, the Union army had pentrated deep into the south in Tennessee. The Rebel army seemed incapable of stopping the southern push with force, so they decided to try to disrupt the Union's supply lines from Kentucky, namely the L&N railroad. The Confederates sent native Kentuckian General John Hunt Morgan.
Morgan launched a raid over the Christmas holidays and evaded capture and destruction from determined Union forces to destroy a critical bridge of the L&N.

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Motorcycle Ride

Try US 31E from Glasgow to Bardstown to follow some of the route Morgan took. Also Check out Lincoln's boyhood home and birthplace near Hodgenville.

Maps

Technorati Tags: 1800s 1860s 1862 22 22th American Civil War American Civil War Bardstown December Galsgow Hodgenville Kentucky Lincoln military history military-history motorcycle touring motorcycle-touring US Civil War US-31E

On 20 December 1860, South Carolina seceded from the USA and set in motion the events that would tear the USA apart for 5 years.

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To get a feel for South Carolina, try the Savannah River Scenic Byway and follow along the S.C. and Georgia border.

Maps

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The Battle of Nashville* concluded on 16 December 1864. Hood had pulled back to shorter lines overnight after the drubbing recieved on the 15th. The shorter lines and angle of defense may have made things tougher for Union General Thomas, but the Union was to prevail after persisting with the attack along the whole Confederate line.
Bell was forced into a retreat all the way out of Tennessee and eventually resigned his command.
*Rickard, J (24 August 2006), Battle of Nashville, 15-16 December 1864 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_nashville.html

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Motorcycle Ride

Follow Nolensville Road south out of Nashville to pass through Hood's lines. To follow the general line of retreat, take US 41A south to Shelbyville, then Tennessee State Routes 82 and 55 down to Lynchburg where a young Jack Daniels was perfecting his recipe as the Confederates were retreating through the area.

Maps

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As the Confederate field forces were growing more desperate, CSA General John Bell Hood was trying to remove the Union forces from Tennessee soil. Hood had already taken heavy losses at Murphreesboro on 30 November. Hood decide to take on the numerically superior forces of Union General George H. Thomas in Nashville. Thomas was also ready for a fight and was determined to destroy Hood's force right there in Nashville. On the morning of the 15th of December, Thomas enveloped Hood first on the Confederate's right and then the left with both succeeding. Hood wasn't completely beaten this day, but he was bloodied and had to shorten his lines that night to prepare for the next day's onslaught.

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Motorcycle Ride

Check out the map and site guide by the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society.
If you are just planning (or wishing to do) the ride, check out the virtual tour.

Maps

Technorati Tags: 15 15th 1800s 1860s 1864 American Civil War American-Civil-War CSA December Hood Nashville Thomas US Civil War

The early morning of 15th of December 1862 saw terrible weather, which intensified the winter darkness and allowed a Union retreat. This weather along with preparations such as covering wagon wheels with straw and lashing down tin cups provided the Union forces the cover need to retreat back across the Rappahannock undetected. Lee, who was expecting another assault, was none the wiser.

All that was left now was to bury the dead, a sickening tasks for both sides.

The battle had been a decisive victory for Lee, but a lost opportunity to inflict a much more devastating blow to the Union cause. It may well have been his best, last chance.

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Technorati Tags: 15 15th 1800s 1860s 1862 American Civil War Burial Burnside CSA Dead December Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Lee Northern-Virginia retreat South Union US Civil War VA Virginia Virginia

By the 14th of December, Union forces had been soundly defeated. The only question was whether the Union forces would be decimated by a further assault by a distraught Burnside or a counter-attack by Lee on the Union army who was trapped between Rebel lines and the Rappahannock. It was looking like the Union army might take a mortal blow. However, Lee missed his chance.
Lee had intercepted a courier that led him to believe that Burnside was planning another assault, so a couter-attack under the gaze of the Union guns on the opposing heights was discounted. It will be an eternal question of the outcome of the war had Lee taken the opportunity to destroy the Union field army that fateful day.
In the end, the 14th was a day of scrounging for food and tending the wounded.

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Motorcycle Ride

Try Rapidan Road from Culpeper to Orange for some quiet, reflective riding off the beaten paths.

Technorati Tags: 14 14th 1800s 1860s 1862 American Civil War CSA Culpeper December Fredericksburg Lee Orange Rapidan Rapidan-Road Rebel Union US Civil War USA USA-Civil-War Virginia Virginia

On the morning of 13 December 1862, the preparations were done and the day of reckoning was at hand.

Burnside had decided on taking the nearest hills, but had sent ill-defined orders to his left which resulted in a weak effort to roll up Lee's right flank.
As the morning progressed, A federal bombardment of the Rebel positions on Prospect Hill preceded the push from Union General Meade. Meade was delayed by the "gallant Pelham," for a critical half hour. Finally, the main assault was underway and repulsed once, but Meade was determined and found a way to defeat Confederate A.P. Hill through a marshy area. Once Meade was through, he found that the promised left flank movement was far too weak to support his breakthrough. Seeing Meade exposed, Stonewall Jackson threw Jubal Early's division into couter-attack and drove Meade out. A Union opportunity of great importance had been lost.
Over on Marye's Heights, it was a turkey shoot as the Confederate's repelled wave after wave of Union assult.
Burnside had been critisized for not being aggressive enough previous to Fredericksburg, so he decided that this would not be the case here. He renewed his attack on Marye's Heights and on Lee's right flank. This turned a defeat into a bloodbath.
The day was lost to Burnside due to weak orders and dithering in his preparation, not his lack of aggressiveness.

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Motorcycle Ride

For a motorcycle ride that also takes in the Spottsylvania battlefield, head west out of Fredricksburg on VA State Route 3, then head southest on Virginia State Route 20 at Wilderness and follow VA SR 20 for approximately 50 miles to Charlottesville.

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On 12 December 1862 Union General Burnside's troops had crossed the Rappahannock and secured Fredericksburg and another major crossing down river. Burnside and Lee spent the day riding their lines, but with different tasks.
Lee, knowing that he had superior ground, was riding to check his lines and trying to second guess Burnside's intentions. Would Burnside attack elswhere due to the South's superior positioning or was Burnside so confident of his numbers that he would attack Lee's formidable position?
Burnside also spent the day with his troops. He mainly found them trashing Fredericksburg. However, Burnside was futilely looking for weak points in Lee's poition, but could find none. He finally settled on two hills, Prospect and Marye's Heights, that had the sole advantage of being close, reducing the ground needed to be covered.

The stage was now set and the the 13th would bring battle. Log on tomorrow for part 3.

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Motorcycle Ride

Check out the ride along Virginia State roads 218 and 205 from Fredricksburg to Colonial Beach.

Technorati Tags: 12 12th 1800s 1860s 1862 American Civil War American-Civil-War Colonial-Beach December Fredericksburg Fredericksburg hills Potomac ransack Rappahannock tactics US Civil War USA VA-SR-205 VA-SR-218 Virginia Virginia

From the late 1840s to the early 1890s, the USA fought many of the disparate Native-American, or Indian, tribes throughout the USA frontier states. Many of the battles are well known, such as Little Bighorn, but many more have fallen into obscurity.

• The Fetterman Massacre 21 December 1866
• Baker-Marias-River-Piegan-Massacre-23-January-1870
• Battle of Wolf Mountain Battle of the Butte 8 January 1877
• Sitting Bull Killed on Indian Reservation 15 December 1890
• Wounded Knee 29 December 1890
Technorati Tags: 1800s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s Apache AZ CA CO frontier ID Indian Kiowa KS MN MT Native-American ND NE NM NV OK OR SD Shoshone Sioux TX US Cavalry USA USA USA Indian Wars of the West UT WA west west WY motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

From 1861 to 1865, the armed forces of the USA fought to re-integrate the Confederate States of America back into the Union. The conflict famously pitted brother against brother and nearly tore the USA apart.

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• South Carolina Secedes From the Union 20 December 1860
• New York Herald Story on Events Leading to Civil War 11 January 1861
• The Crittenden Compromise Fails in Senate 16 January 1861
• T J "Stonewall" Jackson Begins Shenandoah Campaign Near Bath, West Virginia 3 January 1862
• Battle of Big Sandy River / Middle Creek, Kentucky 10 January 1862
• Battle of Logan's Crossroads / Middle Springs / Fishing Creek 19 January 1862
• U.S. Grant Begins the Advance on Western Tennessee 2 February 1862
• Grant Takes Forts Heiman and Henry on the Tennessee River 6 February 1862
• Unconditional Surrender Grant Takes Fort Donelson 12-16 February 1862
• Battle of Pea Ridge / Elkhorn Tavern 6-8 March 1862
• American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Part 1 11 December 1862
• American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Part 2 12 December 1862
• American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Part 3 13 December 1862
• American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Part 4 14 December 1862
• American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Part 5 15 December 1862
• John Hunt Morgans Christmas Raid in Kentucky Begins 22 December 1862
• Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs Bayou 29 December 1862
• The Second Battle of Springfield Missouri 8 January 1863
• The Battle of Arkansas Post / Fort Hindman 9-11 January 1863
• The Kilpatrick and Dahlgren Raid on Richmond 28 February to 1 March 1864
• 10 December 1864 Sherman Reaches Savannah
• Battle of Nashville Part 1 15 December 1864
• Battle of Nashville Part 2 16 December 1864
• Battle of Fort Fisher Part 1 The Landings 13 January 1865
• Battle of Fort Fisher Part 2 The Assault 15 January 1865
• Battle of Hatcher's Run / Dabney's Mill / Armstrong's Mill / Rowanty Creek / Vaughan Road / Boydton Plank Road 5 February 1865

Book Recommendation: The Civil War Boxed Set from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

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On 11 December 1862, the long build up to the Battle of Fredricksburg was over and the fighting began in earnest. The week of 11-15 December 1862 was to be a bloody one, especially for the Union forces of Ambrose Burnside. Given the almost limitless time to fortify and prepare positions, the Rebels, under Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson and James Longstreet, were in a superior position and they took full advantage of it.

In the early hours of 11 December, Burnside sent his engineers to erect pontoon bridges over the Rappahannock and Rebel General William Barksdale's Mississippi brigade began a hellacious sniper attack from the town. Union forces tried to protect the engineers with heavy artillery fire that left Fredricksburg a smoking pile.

By mid afternoon of the 11th, Union forces, in an action of remarkable bravery, were able to cross the Rappahannock on pontoons, but then faced house to house fighting with Barksdale's slowly and methodically retreating brigade. Slowly, the Yankees cleared the the town. By evening, Barksdale was pulling back to the Rebel lines above the town. Burnside had his crossing, but at a terrible price. Worse was to follow. Tune in tomorrow for more.

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Motorcycle Ride

To get a feel for the great river Rappahannock, take US 17 from Fredericksburg southeast to Gloucester. At Tappahannock, you can get another good view of the river as it widens on its way into Chesapeake Bay. From Gloucester, you can go another 15 miles to cross the York river and into Yorktown.

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