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Wednesday Aug. 21 1861
NAUGHTY NEWSIES NEGATIVITIES NAILED
The section of the First Amendment dealing with “freedom of the
press” took quite a beating during the Civil War, both from the
public at large and from government efforts. Last Friday the U.S.
government had brought charges of “alleged pro-Southernism” against
several New York newspapers, filed in circuit court. The allegedly
wicked writings, though, were already in print and heading for
circulation. This was corrected today as copies of the New York
Journal of Commerce, Daily News, Day Book, and Freeman’s Journal, as
well as the Brooklyn Eagle, were confiscated in Philadelphia.
Thursday Aug. 21 1862
PHELPS, FELLOW, FOUND FELONS
There were several persons during the course of the War for Southern
Independence who so raised the ire of the Confederate government
that special orders were issued concerning them. The subjects of
this displeasure were regular members of the United States Army, but
had behaved in such a fashion as to fall outside the rules. Today
Jefferson Davis issued such an order, in reference to Brig. Gen.
John W. Phelps and Maj. Gen. David Hunter. Davis believed they were
engaged in organizing escaped slaves into regiments for service in
the Union Army. According to the terms of Davis’ order they were to
“be treated as outlaws, and if captured should be held as felons”
rather than treated under the protocol of prisoners of war.
Friday Aug. 21 1863
LAMENTED LAWRENCE LAID LOW
One of the most tragic acts of the Civil War period occurred today
when a band of “Confederate” marauders led by William Clarke
Quantrill sacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas. The 450-man band,
some of whom were regular Confederate soldiers, some Missouri
guerillas, and others simple outlaws, claimed they were acting in
revenge for depredations committed on Southern sympathizers in the
Kansas-Missouri region. They systematically hunted down every male
over the age of 14 that they could find, eventually killing some
150. They then burned buildings and other property valued at about 1
1/2 million dollars, and rode out of town. Some women managed to
save their husbands and sons by hiding them in outbuildings,
closets, under floors or in fields of tall crops.
Sunday Aug. 21 1864
MEMPHIS MARAUDING MAKES MESS
The bane of Federal efforts in West Tennessee was a barely-literate
former livestock and slave trader, self-taught in the arts of war,
who had made himself into one of the great cavalry commanders of all
time. Nathan Bedford Forrest rode into Union-held Memphis Tennessee
early this morning and raised some hell. He occupied the city for
most of the day and came very close to capturing two Federal
generals--S.A. Hurlburt, and C.C. Washburn. Actually, aside from
confiscating some supplies and setting the military into an uproar,
Forrest’s 2000 men accomplished nothing before leaving later the
same day. The effect of the raid, however, was to cause the supply
column led by Gen. A.J. Smith to be ordered back to help guard the
town. This allowed Forrest a free hand in raiding Gen. Sherman’s
supply lines, which was exactly what he was after.
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