February 24, 1864---The Battle of Dalton, Georgia

FEBRUARY 24, 1864:         

The Battle of Dalton, Georgia. General George H. Thomas U.S.A., “The Rock of Chickamauga,” decides to send an Expeditionary Force to probe the lines and assess the strength of General Joseph E. Johnston’s forces. These probing attacks become a running series of skirmishes that last until the end of the month. Thomas finally withdraws after making the assessment that he does not have enough men to engage Johnston in a large-scale battle.

February 23, 1864---Brooklyn Contributes

FEBRUARY 23, 1864:        

The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted the Brooklyn and Long Island Sanitary Fair, a fundraiser for the Sanitary Commission, which provided medical assistance to Union soldiers on the front lines of the Civil War. The Fair was a tremendous success, raising $402,943.74 (in 1864 dollars!), a great point of pride for Brooklyn, which had been invited to join New York’s sanitary fair, but in going it alone, outshone the metropolis across the river.

February 22, 1864---The Battle of Okolona, Mississippi

FEBRUARY 22, 1864:        

The Battle of Okolona (The Battle of West Point):

After defeating William Sooy Smith’s forces at Ellis Bridge the day before, Nathan Bedford Forrest C.S.A. re-engages with them outside of Okolona, Mississippi. 2,500 Confederate cavalrymen swept down on Sooy Smith’s 7,000 already bloodied forces. During one of the attack waves, Forrest’s younger brother, Colonel Jeffrey Forrest, was killed. Swearing to “exact vengeance,” General Forrest violently battered Sooy Smith’s retreating forces all the way to the Tennessee border.  

Sooy Smith was later castigated for allowing Forrest’s much smaller force to batter his into submission throughout the entirety of the Meridian Campaign without even once successfully mounting a counterattack. Sooy Smith resigned in disgrace from the army later in 1864. 

February 21, 1864---The Battle of Ellis Bridge, Mississippi

FEBRUARY 21, 1864:          

The Battle of Ellis Bridge (The Battle of West Point):

Even as General William Tecumseh Sherman U.S.A. marches away victoriously from the smoking ruins of Meridian, Mississippi, his embattled compatriot, William Sooy Smith, is being beaten badly at West Point, Mississippi by Nathan Bedford Forrest C.S.A. Smith’s troops need to take Ellis Bridge to effectuate a river crossing. Forrest’s men deny them the crossing in a vicious and bloody, though relatively small, engagement. 

February 20, 1864---The Battle of Olustee, Florida

FEBRUARY 20, 1864:        

The Battle of Olustee, Florida (The Battle of Ocean Pond). The largest Civil War battle in Florida was fought in the north central region of the State between a Confederate force of 5,000 and a Union force of 5,500. The capture of Olustee was planned by the Union to be prefatory to the capture of Tallahassee, the State capital. However, the Union commanders misjudged the situation badly, throwing units piecemeal at the Confederates who were not, as presumed, local militia but seasoned Confederate regulars. In the end, Olustee was a severe Union defeat.

For its size, the Battle of Olustee had one of the highest casualty rates of any Civil War battle. The 47th New York Volunteers suffered over 300 casualties, the greatest number of any Union regiment during the battle. Total Union casualties were 2,500. It is speculated that one reason that Olustee was so bloody was that the Confederates faced large numbers of U.S.C.T., who when captured were not treated according to the rules of war but were tortured and murdered as runaway slaves. Confederate losses numbered 1,000. 

 

After the loss at Olustee, the Union determined that the capture of Tallahassee was not a crucial strategic or tactical priority, and did not attempt to operate in inland Florida for the remainder of the war.