Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable
August 7, 1861 - Hampton, Virginia is burned by Confederate troops under General John B. Magruder to keep it from Union occupation. Hampton was the location of Fortress Monroe where Union General Benjamin Butler was quartering runaway slaves.
August 7, 1861 - The U.S. Government authorizes construction of seven ironclad ships at
St. Louis. These became the fleet Grant used in western river operations.
August 8, 1861 - The Fugitive Slave Act is still in effect per Secretary of War Cameron but he orders Gen. Benjamin F. Butler not to return any escaped slaves to their former "owners" in Confederate held States. The Confederacy responds by recognizing Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware as part of the Confederacy.
August 9, 1861 - Southwest of Springfield, Missouri near Wilson Creek, Confederate troops numbering about 11,000 men stop prior to a planned attack on Springfield the next day. Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyons decides to attack with his 4,200 troops plus Colonel Fritz Sigel's 1,200 men.
August 10, 1861 - The Battle of Wilson Creek begins when Gen. Lyons attacks at 5:30 AM. The Confederate troops are driven back to high ground now known as "Bloody Ridge" (Bloody Hill in some histories) but quickly recover and, due to a series of miss-communications and Union blunders, take the initiative. Lyons is killed and becomes the first Union hero of the war. The South wins the second pitched battle of the war. The Federals lose 1,317 men; and the Confederates 1,230 men. Major Samuel Sturgis moves the Union troops to Rolla, Missouri.
August 10, 1861 - At Potosi, Missouri, General Ulysses S. Grant skirmishes with Confederate Forces.
August 11, 1861 - Confederate forces in the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia are placed under the command of General John B. Floyd.
August 11, 1861 - Confederate leaning Missouri State Guard troops come under the Command of Gen. Jeff Thompson. The unit suffered considerable losses at Wilson Creek and must re-group.
August 12, 1861 - At the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers at Cairo, Illinois, the wooden gunboats U.S.S. Tyler, Conestoga, and Lexington are positioned to restrict Confederate boat traffic while the new Federal ironclads are being built (see August 7th entry). Complete success was recorded as all southern traffic ceased.
August 13, 1861 - Lieutenant David D. Porter aboard the U.S.S. Powhatan recaptures the Union schooner Abby Bradford at the mouth of the Mississippi.
August 14, 1861 - General John C. Fremont declares martial law in St. Louis, Missouri. Confederate property is confiscated and newspapers closed.
August 14, 1861 - Volunteers from the New York 79th Regiment stage a mutiny near Washington, D. C. but are quickly suppressed. The mutiny was prompted by denied furloughs and the huge losses suffered by the 79th Highlander Brigade at Bull Run, including Col. James Cameron, brother of War Secretary Simon Cameron.
