October 18, 1863---Meade repays Sickles for Devil's Den

OCTOBER 18, 1863:            

General Dan Sickles U.S.A., the “goat” of Gettysburg, having been released from the hospital after losing a leg in the battle, returns to the Army of The Potomac. Although his men of the Third Corps give him a rousing welcome, General George Meade refuses to restore him to command until he is “completely healed of his wounds.” Sickles, not an amoeba, cannot grow another leg, and so, with this clumsy excuse, his career as a commander comes to an ignominious end. Sickles spends the rest of his life besmirching General Meade for his “treachery”.

October 17, 1863---Of Generals and Emperors

OCTOBER 17, 1863:             

Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, is officially coronated Emperor of Mexico by Emperor Napoleon III of France. The Confederacy waits in expectation that the French puppet “Empire” will join the Civil War on the side of the South. This never happens. 

Ulysses S. Grant is given overall command of the Western Theatre (west of the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River) by President Lincoln.

October 16, 1863---The Battle of Fort Brooke (Tampa Florida)

OCTOBER 16, 1863:            

The Battle of Fort Brooke. The U.S.S. ADELA and the U.S.S. TAHOMA bombard Fort Brooke at the mouth of Tampa Bay in order to cover an amphibious landing by Union troops. 

Florida is sloppy in regard to its few Civil War sites. This oddly placed cannon is the only remnant of Fort Brooke. Now inland (due to landfill) and in the downtown commercial area of Tampa, it’s likely that most passersby have not a clue what a cannon is doing in the middle of the street.

October 15, 1863---C.S.S. H.L. HUNLEY goes to the bottom (again)

OCTOBER 15, 1863:            

The submarine C.S.S. H.L. HUNLEY, having sailed, having seen action, having sunk (with the loss of her crew), having been raised, and having sailed again, sinks again, killing her second crew, including her inventor, H.L. Hunley himself. The Confederate Navy goes about raising her again.

October 14, 1863---The Battle of Bristoe Station, Virginia

OCTOBER 14, 1863:           

The Battle of Bristoe Station, Virginia. 

Robert E. Lee’s maneuvering Third Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia runs headlong into General George Meade’s Second Corps of the Army of The Potomac. 

In the ensuing battle, the Union is able to ambush several Confederate units, causing Lee a 3:1 loss of men (1500 Confederates to 500 Federals), including several Colonels and Generals. The Confederates do manage to damage the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, and Meade temporarily falls back to Centreville, but the Confederates are unable to capitalize on these conditions or hold Bristoe Station. 

Lee, deeply troubled by this defeat, tells General A.P. Hill, "Well, well, general, bury these poor men and let us say no more about it."