January
10: Battle of Middle Creek
11: 12th Wisconsin Infantry leaves Wisconsin headed for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
14: Simon Cameron resigns as U. S. Secretary of War; he is replaced by Edwin M. Stanton
18: Former President John Tyler dies
19: Battle of Mill Springs—secures eastern Kentucky for the Union
31: 16th Wisconsin Infantry mustered in (including the Chippewa Valley Guards, as Company G) at Camp Randall in Madison
February
1: Julia Ward Howe’s famous Battle Hymn of the Republic published for the first time in the Atlantic Monthly
3: President Abraham Lincoln writes to the King of Siam thanking him for his offer of elephants
5: Jesse D. Bright expelled from the U.S. Senate for being a Confederate sympathizer
6: Battle of Fort Henry on the Tennessee River—successful Union army-navy attack by Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote
7-8: Battle of Roanoke Island off the Virginia/North Carolina coast—Union victory, first fight of the Burnside Expedition
10: Battle of Elizabeth City, part of the Burnside Expedition, in North Carolina—Union victory
11-16: Battle of Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River—Union victory; Ulysses S. Grant is promoted to major general
19: 4th Wisconsin Infantry leaves Baltimore
20-21: Battle of Valverde in New Mexico—Confederate victory
22: Jefferson Davis inaugurated as the permanent president of the Confederacy
25: Confederates abandon Nashville, Tennessee
28-April 8: Battle/Siege of Island No. 10 begins on the Mississippi River near New Madrid, Missouri, it will continue until April 8—a victory for the Union by John Pope and Andrew H. Foote
March
2: Confederate General Leonidas Polk abandons Columbus, Kentucky
3: Lincoln appoints Andrew Johnson the military governor of Tennessee
6: Lincoln proposes to Congress a gradual, and compensated, emancipation of border-state slaves
6-8: Battle of Pea Ridge (Ozark Mountains), in northwest Arkansas—ensures Union control of Missouri
8-9: Battle of Hampton Roads, off Sewell’s Point in Virginia, also known as the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack (CSS Virginia), the first two ironclad ships
10: 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry mustered in (including Company D, the Saint Croix Rangers, and Company L, the Eau Claire Rangers)
11: George B. McClellan is removed a the Union general-in-chief, but retains command of the Army of the Potomac; Henry W. Hallack is given command of all Union forces in the West
13: 16th Wisconsin Infantry leaves Wisconsin headed for Saint Louis, Missouri
13: U.S. federal government forbids Union officers from returning fugitive slaves, thereby effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
13-14: Union siege guns begin firing on Confederate positions new New Madrid, Missouri; during the night, the Confederate forces abandon the town and its two forts
14: Battle of New Bern, part of the Burnside Expedition, in North Carolina (Union victory)
15: Union gunboats and mortars arrive at Island No. 10 and the siege begins
17: Ulysses S. Grant assumes command of the Union army at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee
23: First Battle of Kernstown, in Virginia, is the first battle of Stonewall Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
23-April 26: Siege of Fort Macon in North Carolina, part of the Burnside Expedition—Union victory
24: 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry leaves Wisconsin headed for Saint Louis, Missouri
26-28: Battle of Glorieta Pass—Confederate invasion of New Mexico is halted
April
5: Siege of Yorktown begins, part of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign (ends May 4)
6-7: Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) in Tennesse—a Union victory; the 14th, 16th, and 18th Wisconsin Infantry regiments fought at the Battle of Shiloh
8: Battle of Island No. 10 ends with Union capture of the Island
10-11: Battle of Fort Pulaski gave the Union command of the entrance to Savannah, Georgia,
15: 4th Wisconsin Infantry leaves Ship Island
18-29: Battle of Forts St. Phillip and Jackson
19: Battle of South Mills in North Carolina, part of the Burnside Expedition (inconclusive)
25-30: Battle for New Orleans
26: Siege of Fort Macon ends with a Confederate surrender of the fort; the Union held Fort Macon for the remainder of the war
29-May 30: Siege of Corinth (First Battle of Corinth) in Corinth, Mississippi—Union victory
May
1: Union General Benjamin Butler occupies New Orleans
4: Siege of Yorktown ends / evacuation of Yorktown
5: Battle of Williamsburg / aka Fort Magruder in Virginia, part of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign—Confederates withdrew before most of the Union troops arrived and occupied Fort Magruder
7: Battle of West Point / aka Eltham’s Landing / aka Barhamsville
8: Battle of McDowell, in Virginia, Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Confederate victory
9: Confederates under Gen. Benjamin Huger withdraw from Norfolk and Portsmouth, destroying both naval yards as they leave
11: Deliberate destruction of the CSS Virginia (USS Merrimack) near Norfolk, Virginia
19: Skirmish at Warrenton (May 19, 1862) – participation by 4th Wisconsin – first casualties of the regiment
23: Battle of Front Royal, in Virginia, part of Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Confederate victory
23: Battle of Lewisburg
25: First Battle of Winchester, in Virginia, part of Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Confederate victory
27: Battle of Hanover Court House / aka Slash Church
30: Confederates evacuate Corinth
31-June 1: Battle of Seven Pines
June
1: Battle of Fair Oaks—both sides claim victory
4: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River near Memphis
5: Battle of Tranter’s Creek in North Carolina, part of the Burnside Expedition—Union victory
6: Battle of Good’s Farm, near Harrisburg, Virginia, part of Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Union victory
6: First Battle of Memphis, a naval battle on the Mississippi River above the city of Memphis—Union captures Memphis
7-8: First Battle of Chattanooga, a minor artillery battle, was the opening of the Confederate Heartland Offensive in eastern Tennessee and Kentucky—Union victory
8: Battle of Cross Keys (more), in Virginia, part of Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Confederate victory
9: Battle of Port Republic (more), in Virginia, part of Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign—Confederate victory
11: As a result of the withdrawal from Norfolk, the ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack) was scuttled
16: Battle of Secessionville (more)—the Union’s only attempt to capture Charleston (S.C.) by land
25: First Battle of Winchesterthe
25: Battle of Oak Grove / French’s Field / King’s School House—first of the Seven Days’ Battles
26: Farragut’s bombardment of Vicksburg, Mississippi, begins
26: Battle of Mechanicsville / Beaver Dam Creek / Ellerson’s Mill—second of the Seven Days’ Battles; Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats Union General George McClellan
27: Battle of Gaines’ Mill—in the third of the Seven Days’ Battles, Lee forces McClellan to retreat toward the James River
27-28: Battle of Garnett’s and Golding’s Farms
29: Battle of Savage’s Station
30: Battle of White Oak Swamp
30: Battle of Glendale
July
1: Seven Days’ Battles end at Malvern Hill
2: President Lincoln calls for 300,000 3-year enlistments
7: Battle of Cotton Plant (Arkansas)
11: Henry Halleck becomes general in chief of the Union armies
13: First Battle of Murfreesboro diverted the Union forces from a drive on Chattanooga
14: Fight on the Yazoo River
16: David G. Farragut becomes the first United States Navy rear admiral
17: U.S. Congress passes the second Confiscation Act, freeing the slaves of Southern rebels
23: Henry W. Halleck takes command of the Union Army
August
4: Failing to get enough soldiers from the July 2 call, President Lincoln calls for 300,000 9-month enlistments
5: Battle of Baton Rouge in Louisiana—Union victory (Jerry Flint’s description of)
9: Battle of Cedar Mountain in Virginia; first battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign—Confederate victory
14: Abraham Lincoln meets with a group of prominent African-Americans and suggests Black people should migrate to Africa or Central America; this is the first time a President met with Blacks
17: Dakota War begins in Minnesota
28-30: Second Battle of Bull Run—Confederate forces inflict a crushing defeat on Union troops (more news, more details)
29: Battle of Groveton
29-30: Battle of Richmond, in Kentucky (Confederate Heartland Offensive)–Confederate victory
September
1: Battle of Chantilly / Ox Hill in Virginia—inconclusive
1-13: Defense of Cincinnati (Confederate Heartland Offensive)—Union victory
2: President Lincoln restores Union General George B. McClellan to full command after General John Pope’s defeat at the Battle of Second Bull Run
4-20: The Maryland Campaign, also known as the Antietam Campaign, was Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North and was ultimately repulsed by George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac; included the battle of Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Antietam, and Shepherdstown
12-15: Battle of Harpers Ferry—Confederate victory
14: Battle of South Mountain / Boonsboro Gap—Union victory
14-17: Battle of Munfordville in Kentucky, also known as the Battle of Green River Bridge (Confederate Heartland Offensive)–Confederate victory
17: Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Virginia; the bloodiest single day of the entire Civil War (well over 20,000 casualties)—General George B. McClellan claimed a victory, but did nothing to exploit it and General Rober E. Lee withdrew during the night
19: Battle of Shepherdstown—Confederate victory
19: Battle of Iuka in Mississippi, part of the Iuka-Corinth operations—Union victory
22: President Lincoln issues a preliminary proclamation stating that that he would order the emancipation of all slaves in any Confederate state that did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863
28: In the Second Battle of Cumberland Gap Confederate General E. Kirby Smith occupies the Gap after forcing Union General George Morgan and his troops out by cutting their supply lines; on September 28 Morgan and his troops begin an arduous 200-mile march back to the Ohio River—Confederate victory
October
3–4: Battle of Corinth (second, if the Siege of Corinth is counted as the first), part of the Iuka-Corinth operations—Union victory
5: Battle of Hatchie’s Bridge (Davis’s Bridge or Matamora) in Tennessee, third battle of the Iuka-Corinth operations—Union victory (Edwin Levings’ description of)
8: Battle of Perryville— Union forces under General Don Carlos Buell halt the Confederate invasion of Kentucky
11: In the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam, Confederate soldiers loot Chambersburg, Pennsylvania during a raid into the North.
12: Salomon Tigers (Company F, 30th Wisconsin Infantry), Saint Croix Guards/Dill Guards (Company A, 30th Wisconsin), and Fulton Guards (Company D, 30th Wisconsin) leave Hudson for Camp Randall
21: 30th Wisconsin Infantry mustered in (including Companies A, D, and F from northwest Wisconsin) at Camp Randall in Madison
30:Rosecrans replaces Buell in command of the Union Army of the Cumberland.
November
5: President Lincoln removes George B. McClellan as commander of the Union Army
7: Burnside replaces McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac
21: Lee’s army entrenches in a defensive position at Fredericksburg
28: Battle of Cane Hill in Arkansas—Union victory
30: Jackson arrives at Fredericksburg from the Shenandoah Valley.
December
1: President Lincoln’s State of the Union address, reaffirming his preliminary emancipation proclamation
11-15: Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia—Confederate victory
20: Van Dorn destroys Grant’s supply depot at Holly Springs, Miss., halting his advance on Vicksburg.
26: 38 Dakota Indians hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, a result of the Dakota Conflict
26-29: Battle of Chickasaw Bayou—Confederate victory
30: USS Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
31: West Vriginia admitted to the Union
31: The Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C.
31 – January 2: Battle of Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee—Union victory.
The Civil War and Northwest Wisconsin 