February 9, 1862---General Grant to troops: "I will punish plunderers."

FEBRUARY 9, 1862: 

 Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant U.S.A. issues a strict order against his men pillaging or plundering the local populations. 

He writes: “This has been done but to a very limited extent in this command so far, but too much for our credit has already occurred to be allowed to pass without admonition.”

February 8, 1862---The Battle of Roanoke Island: Day Two

FEBRUARY 8, 1862: 

 The Battle of Roanoke Island  (Day Two): 

On the second day of the battle, 10,000 Union troops advanced, seizing the island’s four forts one by one; the trapped and badly outnumbered Confederates surrendered, giving up the island, thereby even more isolating the Confederacy from the sea lanes.

February 7, 1862---The Battle of Roanoke Island: Day One

FEBRUARY 7, 1862:  

The Battle of Roanoke Island (Day One): 

An amphibious operation fought on February 7–8, on a North Carolina barrier island once the site of Raleigh’s Lost Colony, the battle consisted of an uneven contest between a flotilla of Union Army and Navy gunboats plus a land-based army division, against a Confederate Mosquito Fleet and about 2,000 Confederate soldiers holding four forts and two batteries on the approaches to the island. 

The first day’s action consisted of a gun battle between the Federal gunboats against the Mosquito Fleet and the forts on shore, plus an amphibious Union landing. 

February 6, 1862---Flooded Fort Henry falls to Federals

FEBRUARY 6, 1862:  

The Battle of Fort Henry. This major Union victory on the Tennessee River occurred through a successful combination of effective naval gunfire and the poor siting of the fort, which was almost completely inundated by rising river waters before and during the battle. Fort Henry’s commander, Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman C.S.A., surrendered to Union Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote, commander of the river gunboat squadron, even before the Army arrived. Tilghman realized that it was only a matter of time before Fort Henry fell, since only nine guns remained above the water to mount a defense. He thus ordered his men overland to Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River twelve miles away. 

February 5, 1862---Follow the money...

FEBRUARY 5, 1862:           

 Great Britain’s Queen Victoria reaffirms British neutrality in the Civil War, but announces that there will be no prohibitions against shipping gunpowder, arms, ammunition, or military supplies of any sort to the combatants, ensuring healthy profits for British arms dealers.