December 30, 1862---The loss of the U.S.S. MONITOR

DECEMBER 30, 1862:        

The U.S.S. MONITOR sinks in a winter gale off Cape Hatteras.

December 29, 1862---The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou

DECEMBER 29, 1862:        

The Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs (The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou). 

Union General William T. Sherman is thwarted in his attempt to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi, when he orders a frontal assault on entrenched Rebels. 

Sherman moved into position just a few miles north of Vicksburg by December 27. He had 37,000 men while the Confederates had only 6,000 troops defending Vicksburg. However, as Sherman moved into position, another 6,000 troops arrived to reinforce the Confederates. 

The Rebels occupied strong positions on top of a river bluff with open ground in front of them, much like at Fredericksburg. The attack never had a chance of success, much like at Fredericksburg. 

When one Union brigade captured Confederate rifle pits at the foot of the bluff, they came under fire from above. No other Federal force got close to the bluff. 

Union loses totaled some 1,770 men while the Confederates lost around 200. Sherman thereafter ceased using the full frontal assault as a tactic.

December 28, 1862---"The Despised Race"

DECEMBER 28, 1862:       

In anticipation of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation four days hence, the African Salem Baptist Church of New Bedford Massachusetts hosts the Reverend Henry W. Parker, an abolitionist, writer and Congregational minister who speaks to the congregation on the subject of “The Despised Race.” To the approval of the members present, Parker argues passionately that race matters not in the eyes of God.

December 27, 1862---Fort Jeff Davis is destroyed

DECEMBER 27, 1862:        

Fort Jefferson Davis in Indian Territory is burned by Union troops.

December 26, 1862---Pardoned men are hanged to the cheers of the crowd

DECEMBER 26, 1862:       

At Mankato, General John Pope U.S.A., essentially exiled to Minnesota after the Second Battle of Bull Run, carries out the executions of the Sioux involved in The Dakota War of 1862. Though President Lincoln has pardoned all but 39 of the 303 Indians charged,  39 of the Indians are hanged at random to the cheers of the crowd, including some pardoned and a few who fought on the side of the Whites in the recent war. Pope later apologizes for the “confusion.”