March 10, 1864---A General Partnership

MARCH 10, 1864:     

General Grant left Washington D.C. to travel to Virginia where he conferred with all of his subordinate commanders. He spent especial time with General Meade, delineating their separate roles. This was crucial, as Grant would be traveling with the Army of The Potomac and leading it in battle, while Meade, now his subordinate, would be in day-to-day command. In the end, they worked out a joint-command structure which became one of the most successful military partnerships of the war. 

March 9, 1864---"I shall Command from the field."

MARCH 9, 1864:       

In a formal ceremony, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant received command of all Union armies. Although most people expected him to be a desk commander in D.C., he surprised everyone by announcing that he would “command from the field” at the head of the Army of The Potomac. Although most Washington politicians believed that this would mean the dismissal of George Meade as Commander of the Army of The Potomac, Grant retained him in this role; Grant, however, “kicked Henry Halleck upstairs” by making him Chief of Staff; “Old Brains” would have direct command of neither troops nor officers.   Lieutenant General Grant also announced that his primary goal was the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia. This marked the first time that there was an overarching strategy to the war in the field, other than just generally “winning” or “preserving the Union.”

March 8, 1864---A new and improved way to kill a Reb . . .

MARCH 8, 1864:       

The Model 1864 Manhattan Navy Pistol is patented. An improvement on the Model 1861 Colt Navy Revolver, it was lighter in weight, less prone to jamming, and more accurate at long range. 

March 7, 1864---Longstreet disobeys Orders

MARCH 7, 1864:        

General James Longstreet C.S.A. refuses to heed direct orders from President Jefferson Davis to move his Command from the borders of Tennessee into southern Kentucky. 

 

It was Davis’ hope that an invasion of Kentucky might reignite the war there and stimulate action among Confederates within the State. Longstreet however knows that he simply does not have enough men to launch an offensive into the now tightly-held Union Commonwealth of Kentucky; he also knows that whatever Confederates there may have been in Kentucky at the beginning of the war have all long since emigrated southward; but mostly he knows that Davis has no reinforcements to send him. He refuses to sacrifice to no advantage the men he has.

March 6, 1864---The C.S.S. DAVID strikes again---and misses (again)

MARCH 6, 1864:       

The submarine C.S.S. DAVID attacks the blockade ship U.S.S. MEMPHIS outside of Charleston Harbor but fails to sink her. The DAVID’s skipper was always aggressive, but the sub was always ineffective.