Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable
Sept. 11, 1861 - The Kentucky neutrality violation by Confederates angers the Kentucky legislature and they demand the removal of all Southern troops. A legislative vote to demand the removal of all Northern troops is narrowly defeated by pro-Unionists.
Sept. 11, 1861 - President Lincoln orders the emancipation declaration put forth in Missouri by General Fremont be modified to conform to the Acts of Congress. (Note: Various histories list General Fremont as John C. Fremont or Charles C. Fremont. The more reputable histories use John Charles Fremont as the Pathfinder's actual name.)
Sept. 11, 1861 - General Robert E. Lee leads 15,000 Confederates in an overly intricate and unsuccessful attack on 2,000 Union troops at Cheat Mountain Summit near Elkwater, western Virginia. Heavy rainfall and rough terrain result in loss of the surprise attack Lee planned.
Sept. 12, 1861 - President Lincoln dispatches an envoy to St. Louis to instruct General John C. Fremont to modify his emancipation directive. Lincoln considers Fremont's order a threat to the continuing neutrality of Kentucky and other border states.
Sept. 12, 1861 - General Sterling Price leads 7,000 Confederate troops into Lexington, Missouri. This begins a weeklong siege.
Sept. 13, 1861 - President Jefferson Davis and General Joseph E. Johnston argue heatedly about seniority of Confederate Generals. The two men remain estranged throughout the war.
Sept. 13, 1861 - Colonel John A. Washington, Aide-de-camp to General Lee is killed at Cheat Mountain during a reconnaissance mission.
Sept. 13, 1861 - General Price continues the siege at Lexington, Missouri where his Missouri State Guardsmen skirmish with 23rd Illinois troops under Colonel James A. Mulligan. Mulligan requests reinforcements from General John C. Fremont in nearby St. Louis.
Sept. 14, 1861 - Simon B. Buckner becomes Brigadier General, C.S.A.
Sept. 15, 1861 - President Lincoln again confers with his cabinet about removing General Fremont from his post in St. Louis.
Sept. 15, 1861 - General Lee evacuates his Confederate troops from Cheat Mountain. His troops nickname General Lee, "Granny," and he is transferred to a quiet sector in South Carolina.
Sept. 16, 1861 - General Sterling Price is reinforced and tightens his grip at Lexington, Missouri. Expected Union reinforcements are never sent by Gen. Fremont.
Sept. 16, 1861 - The Ironclad Board authorizes three new ironclad warships. These are to have a new turret designed by Swedish Engineer John Ericsson. They will be named Monitor, Galena, and New Ironsides.
Sept. 17, 1861 - Confederate forces evacuate Ship Island, Mississippi as armed boats launched from the U.S.S. Massachusetts arrive. This is the first federal navy base of what will become the Gulf Blockade Squadron. Ship Island is midway between New Orleans and Mobile.
Sept. 17, 1861 - Judah Benjamin becomes Secretary of War for the Confederate Government, replacing Leroy Walker.
Sept. 18, 1861 - Kentucky legislature authorizes force to expel Confederate troops from the state.
Sept. 18, 1861 - Confederate troops under newly appointed Gen. Simon Buckner occupy Bowling Green, KY in defiance of the Kentucky State Legislature's expulsion orders.
