Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable
November 28, 1861 - Missouri is inducted into the Confederacy by the Confederate Congress as their 12th state. The Union does not recognize this move.
November 28, 1861 - General Benjamin M. Prentiss becomes commander of Union forces in the Department of North Missouri.
November 29, 1861 - Farmers near Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia burn cotton to avoid Union confiscation of the crop.
November 29, 1861 - General John Schofield takes command of Union militia in Missouri.
November 30, 1861 - The Trent Affair continues as British Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell demands a formal apology and the immediate release of Confederate agents James Mason and John Slidell. British Minister to the United States, Lord Lyons, is instructed to depart Washington D.C. in one week if demands are not met.
December 1, 1861 - Six thousand British troops are sent to Canada and Admiral Sir Alexander Milne moves 40 vessels (with 1,273 guns mounted) to Halifax, Nova Scotia as the British Cabinet prepares for war.
December 1, 1861 - U.S. Secretary of War Cameron and President Lincoln discuss what should be done with the thousands of slaves flocking to Union lines. Desperate to maintain loyalty of Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri, Lincoln orders all mention of emancipation or military service for former slaves to be struck from all government reports.
December 1, 1861 - President Lincoln contacts General George B. McClellan and inquires exactly when offensive operation would resume.
December 1, 1861 - Confederate authorities in Tennessee hang pro-Union guerrillas charged with burning railroad bridges.
December 2, 1861 - General Henry Halleck is authorized to suspend writs of habeas corpus in Missouri.
December 2, 1861 - The U.S. Congress convenes their 37th Session.
December 2, 1861 - Secretary of War Simon Cameron reports to Congress that the Union Army consists of 20,334 soldiers and 640,637 volunteers (3-years).
December 2, 1861 - Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells reports 22,000 men and 264 vessels make up the Union Navy. A total of 153 enemy vessels have been captured to date.
December 3, 1861 - President Lincoln addresses Congress and suggests slaves appropriated from Southern "owners" be allowed to emigrate.
December 3, 1861 - General Benjamin Butler's first two regiments reach Ship's Island, Mississippi and rapidly convert the area to a major staging area for operations against New Orleans.
December 4, 1861 - All British exports to the United States are stopped.
December 4, 1861 - The U.S. Senate votes to remove former Vice President John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky from their roles. Breckenridge has served as a Confederate general since November.
December 4, 1861 - General Henry Halleck arrives in Missouri and continues punitive measures against Confederate sympathizers, including death for anyone found guilty of aiding the rebel cause.
December 5, 1861 - Congress has a petition brought before the body that would mandate abolition of slavery if passed.
December 6, 1861 - Pro-Union newspaper editor William G. Brownlow is arrested in Knoxville and is charged with treason by the Confederate authorities.
December 7, 1861 - The United States ship "USS Santiago de Cuba" stops the British vessel "Eugenia Smith" and removes Confederate Purchasing Agent J. W. Zacharie of New Orleans. Tension continues to rise in light of the Trent affair.
December 8, 1861 - 7,000 Bibles are distributed to Union Troops by the American Bible Society.
December 9, 1861 - Congress votes 33-3 to establish an oversight committee to monitor the conduct of the war. This becomes infamous as the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War and was forever disliked by most Union Officers. The committee defended themselves claiming they would stop any further disasters such as Bull Run and Ball's Bluff.
December 10, 1861 - The Confederate Congress recognizes the Kentucky "government" and makes Kentucky their 13th state. Again, the United States never recognized this arrangement.
December 11, 1861 - Charleston, South Carolina is nearly destroyed by accidental fire. More than half of the city is consumed.
December 12, 1861 - As Union forces expand out from Port Royal Sound, U.S. Marine forces (Navy on land) take over a Confederate base on the Ashepoo River in South Carolina.
