June 28, 1864---The repeal of the Fugitive Slave Acts

JUNE 28, 1864:          

The U.S. Congress repeals the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850.

The Battle of Sappony Church. Union cavalry raiding from the direction of Staunton Bridge passes around Richmond entirely from the south. General Rooney Lee C.S.A. and General Wade Hampton C.S.A. intercept them at the Stony Creek Depot of the Weldon Railroad, After a sharp skirmish, the Union troops fall back toward their lines. A large number of escaped slaves who had been moving with the Union forces were abandoned helter-skelter as the Union cavalry retreated. There is no record of casualties.

June 27, 1864---The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

JUNE 27, 1864:           

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain:              

Following John Bell Hood’s miserable showing at Kolb’s Farm, William Tecumseh Sherman U.S.A. is convinced that Joseph E. Johnston C.S.A.’s forces are on the ropes, and that his lines are stretched thin. 

Sherman decides to move in with the Civil War tactical standard, a frontal assault against the center of Johnston’s force. Wisely, he orders a pre-assault bombardment. 200 Union cannon open up at 6:30 A.M. and batter the Confederate lines around Kennesaw Mountain for two hours. Not long after the Union guns begin to speak, some 200 Confederate guns begin to answer, and the battlefield becomes a howling nightmare. This should have alerted Sherman as to the mettle of the Confederate forces in front of him, but, uncharacteristically, Sherman does not see what he is seeing, or perhaps he judges the price reasonable for the prize. Around 8:30, the Union troops begin moving against the center and the flanks both, in an encircling movement which fails when they reach the Confederate trenches. Lines of Confederates pop up and blaze away at the Union men at pointblank range. 

Other Rebels retreat up the mountain, cannons and all, and begin firing down on the Union troops. After ferocious hand-to-hand fighting in the trenches under a hail of cannonshot, the Union troops dig in across from the Confederates. Both sides nickname this place the "Dead Angle." 

The fighting ends around 10:45 A.M. Three thousand Union troops fall, compared with just 500 Confederates.

Although it was an overwhelming Confederate tactical victory, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain is a strategic loss for Dixie.  Sherman remains in place for four days, still launching small, costly, but effective attacks against Johnston.  One of these attacks is successful in moving Union troops within 5 miles of the Chattahoochee River, closer to the last river protecting Atlanta than any unit in Johnston's army. Johnston can be flanked, and the road to Atlanta opened. 

June 26, 1864---General Jo Shelby in Arkansas

JUNE 26, 1864:    

      

Far away from the front lines in Virginia and Georgia the Civil War is still going on. Today, General Jo Shelby C.S.A. and his cavalry raiders capture the U.S.S. QUEEN CITY near Clarendon, Arkansas. They strip the ship of anything usable and then scuttle her. Emboldened by a tepid Union reaction they then attack the Union garrison at Clarendon. Although driven off, Shelby and his force become guerrillas, raiding, burning and pillaging Union installations throughout Union-held eastern Arkansas for months to come. 

June 25, 1864---The Battle of Staunton River Bridge

JUNE 25, 1864:           

The Battle of Staunton River Bridge. Having been unsuccessful in cutting the Weldon Railroad to the south, General Grant orders an attack on the Richmond and Danville Line to the southwest, hoping to cut that supply line. Union cavalry units numbering about 5,000 dispatched to do the job run into a Confederate force of only 300 State Militia and reservists (mostly old men and young boys) who hold off the Union attack until General Rooney Lee arrives with 3,500 Regular Cavalry troopers. Knowing that the game is up if the line is cut, they fight like wildcats. Although Union troops reach the line in one place they are thrown back before they can do any damage. The Union forces withdraw at day’s end, having suffered 120 casualties. The Confederates suffer 35. 

June 24, 1864---The Battle of St. Mary's Church

JUNE 24, 1864:          

The Battle of St. Mary’s Church. Frustrated in his attempt to link up with the retreating General David Hunter after leaving Trevilian Station, General Philip Sheridan U.S.A. decides to return to the battle front around Petersburg. He and his cavalry make a detour to White House, Virginia, to seize an impressive supply train meant for Petersburg. The diversion to White House allows General Wade Hampton C.S.A.’s cavalry to catch up with Sheridan. For one of the few times in the war, the Confederates enjoy a superiority in numbers on the field --- 2-to-1. Hampton wants very much to destroy Sheridan’s force, but he also desperately needs those supplies. A violent but ultimately inconclusive battle ensues. Both sides take about 300 casualties. The Union force withdraws, some units abandoning their wounded. However, they also withdraw with the supply train intact. Although Wade Hampton is later lionized in Southern memory, as, it seems, are most of their cavalry commanders --- Stuart, Mosby, Morgan, Forrest, Shelby, and Hampton included ---  he seems to stalemate Sheridan more than checkmate him.