Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable
May 5, 1863 - The 50th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Meigs in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio took place. This War of 1812 battle decided if the United States or the British would control Lake Erie. A British win might have caused Toledo, Vermillion, Sandusky, Cleveland, and other Ohio towns to be located in Canada. The U.S. won, 200 years ago today.
May 5, 1863 - US Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio is arrested by Union soldiers after opposing the war and urging Union soldiers to desert.
May 5, 1863 - General Hooker leads his recently humbled Army of the Potomac back over the Rappahannock River, amid protests of subordinates. General Abner Doubleday questioned Hooker about his behavior in battle. General Hooker responded, "Doubleday, I was not hurt by a shell, and I was not drunk. For once I lost confidence in Joe Hooker and that is all there is to it." General Hooker lasts less than two more months as Army of the Potomac commander.
May 5, 1863 - General Sedgwick moves his Union VI Corps back over the Rappahannock River at Bank's Ford, the last act of the Chancellorsville campaign.
May 6, 1863 - General Ambrose P. Hill recovers from his injuries and formally succeeds General Thomas J. Jackson as II Corps commander, Army of Northern Virginia.
May 6, 1863 - At Sherwood, Missouri, 30 Union soldiers, both black and white, are killed. The town is burned the following day.
May 7, 1863 - Union Cavalry crosses Raccoon Ford, Virginia, after a less than stellar raid by General John Stoneman.
May 7, 1863 - The Union XV Corps leaves Milliken's Bend, Mississippi and marches overland under General W.T. Sherman. General Grant moves to attack the state capital at Jackson.
May 7, 1863 - Confederate General Earl Van Dorn is murdered while in his tent at Spring Hill, Tennessee. The killer is the husband of an alleged suitor.
May 7, 1863 - Admiral Porter steps ashore to accept the surrender of Alexandria, Louisiana, located on the Red River. Admiral Porter then moves back to the Mississippi River below Vicksburg.
May 8, 1863 - All foreigners becoming citizens of the United States are eligible for the draft, per decree from President Lincoln.
May 8, 1863 - General Stoneman is transferred as a corps commander of cavalry after his ill-advised raid and lack of any impact on the battle at Chancellorsville.
May 8, 1863 - General Sherman's Corp joins with General Grant's main Army in Mississippi.
May 9, 1863 - Congress appoints Hugh McCulloch as comptroller of currency as the new national bank begins operation.
May 9, 1863 - General Joseph E. Johnston is ordered to Mississippi to command all defensive forces.
May 10, 1863 - General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guiney's Station, Virginia. This is about 30 miles from Chancellersville where he was accidentally shot on May 2, 1863.
May 11, 1863 - President Lincoln rejects Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase's offers to resign in a dispute over an appointment decision.
May 11, 1863 - Union Cavalry commanded by Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson cuts the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad at Crystal Springs, Mississippi.
May 11, 1863 - General Pemberton learns that Union forces led by General Grant are near Edwards Station, just 16 miles from Vicksburg. He instructs General John Gregg to move his 4,000 men to Raymond, slow Grant's advance, and protect the Jackson and Vicksburg Railroad.
