The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group met at Panera Bread on December17, 2022 to discuss events in these two months.
Of course, a lot was said about the two battles of Fort Fisher in those two months and the fall of the fort on Jan. 15.
On January 15, 1865, Confederate General Beauregard arrived in Tupelo, Mississippi, to inspect what was left of the Army of Tennessee. There wasn't much to inspect. It was in complete chaos.
He sent 4,000 of them to Mobile to reinforce that garrison and furloughed 3,500 to go home. (You have to wonder how many returned after the furlough was over.
Also in South Carolina, Charleston Harbor was abandoned. The Union fleet was preparing a demonstration to draw attention away from its entrance to the harbor.
The USS Patapsco hit a torpedo while participating in obstruction removal and sank with the loss of 75 of her 105 man crew. One of the few survivors was its executive officer, Lieutenant William T. Sampson who would later find fame for the naval victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War.
--Old Secesh
