November 11, 1861---Apalachicola access denied

NOVEMBER 11, 1861:       

Eleven Union ships blockade the mouth of the Apalachicola River in Florida. 

November 10, 1861---The burning of Guyandotte, Virginia

NOVEMBER 10, 1861:        

Guyandotte, Virginia (now West Virginia) is attacked by Confederate Raiders in league with local pro-secessionists. A number of the Union garrison are killed, captured, or tortured. In retaliation, Union reinforcements, when they arrive, burn Guyandotte against orders. 

November 9, 1861---"Incalculable service to the Confederate cause."

NOVEMBER 9, 1861:         

 The Richmond Daily Dispatch grieves the dismissal of Union General Fremont in its editorial, which reads in part:

“We think it likely that he has mulcted the Lincoln exchequer to the tune of several million and thus more than fulfilled the expectation of his friends. We feel grateful to Fremont for his successful speculations, and only regret that he has so soon been withdrawn from a career of usefulness to our country… he has rendered incalculable service to the Confederate cause..”

November 8, 1861---Confederate Commissioners Corralled

NOVEMBER 8, 1861:         

 The TRENT Affair: The U.S.S. SAN JACINTO commanded by Captain Charles Wilkes U.S.N. intercepted the British commercial vessel R.M.S. TRENT and removed Confederate diplomats James Mason and John Slidell, who were charged by Jefferson Davis with seeking diplomatic recognition of the Confederacy by Great Britain. Britain strenuously objected and threatened war. 

Although public opinion in the U.S. favored war with the U.K., President Lincoln realized that the United States could not sustain simultaneous wars against the South and Britain both, and that to rupture relations with Great Britain was to enhance the Confederacy’s claims to independence.   

After several weeks of tension and loose talk of war, the crisis was resolved when the Lincoln administration released the envoys and disavowed Captain Wilkes's actions. No formal apology was issued. Mason and Slidell resumed their voyage to Britain but failed in their goal of achieving diplomatic recognition.

November 7, 1861---The Battle of Belmont, Missouri

NOVEMBER 7, 1861:          

 The Battle of Belmont, Missouri:     U.S. Grant’s forces in Cairo, Illinois cross over the Mississippi River to destroy the Confederate garrison at Belmont. It is Grant’s first combat as a General. Although Grant destroys the camp and scatters the troops, Confederate reinforcements come up and counterattack. Grant pulls his forces back to Cairo. Casualties were roughly equal. Both sides claimed victory.