This Month in the Civil War: Fort Sumter, Lincoln Assassinated, Johnston Surrenders, Booth Killed

APRIL 12, 1861

**  Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina.

**  APRL 14, 1865

** Abraham Lincoln shot at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.

APRIL 15, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln dies.  Andrew Johnson sworn in as President of the United States.

APRIL 16, 1862

**  District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act passes.

APRIL 18, 1865

**  USA General William T. Sherman and CSA General Joseph E. Johnston sign armistice memorandum at Durham Station, North Carolina.

APRIL 26, 1865

**  John Wilkes Booth captured and killed in the Garrett Barn, Port Royal, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

15th Illinois Infantry Actions and Campaigns-- Part 2: Atlanta Campaign

Duty Vicksburg, Ms. Nov. 10 to Feb. 1864
Meridian Campaign Feb. 3 to March 5, 1864
Atlanta Campaign June 8 to Sept. 8, 1864

Assigned garrison duty Altoona Pass, Ackworth, Big Shanty and Marietta until Nov.
Consolidated with 14th Illinois July 1, 1864 and became the 14th and 15th Illinois Battalion Infantry
March to the Sea  Nov. 15 to Sept. 10, 1864

Siege of Savannah Dec. 10 to Dec. 21
Campaign  of the Carolinas January to April 1865
Battle of Bentonville  March 19-21

Occupation of Goldsboro, NC, March 24
Occupation of Raleigh April 14
Bennett's House April 26.  Surrender of Johnston's Army
Grand Review Washington, D.C.. May 24

Duty on the plains until September 1
Mustered out Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Sept. 16, 1865

--Old Secesh

Bachman's German Artillery, Gettysburg-- Part 2: Hood's Division, First Corps ANV

Captain William Bachman's Battery was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Major Mathias Winston Henry (1838-1877).  Henry's Battalion was part of Hood's Division in the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.

This battery was commanded by Captain William K. Bachman who was the son of the prominent pastor of Charleston's St. John's Lutheran Church, Dr. John Bachman.

The unit was formed in 1862 and was also known as the German Light Artillery  and as the Charleston Artillery Battery.  From August 1862 to July 1863 it was armed with four  12-pounder Napoleon cannons.  On May 3, 1864,  it was armed with two 3+ inch Blakely Rifles and two 12-pdr. howitzers.

It was surrendered by Confederate General Joseph Johnston at Durham Station, North Carolina (Bennett Place) on April 26, 1865.

--Old Secesh

German Light Artillery-- Part 2: Defense of Savannad, Carolinas Campaign and Bennett Place

From the National Park Service  Battle Unit Details

BACHMAN'S COMPANY, SOUTH CAROLINA ARTILLERY (GERMAN LIGHT ARTILLERY)

I also imagine this unit was made up of a lot of men of German descent.

The German Light Artillery (also called the Charleston German Artillery) completed its organization in the spring of 1862.  The unit moved to Virginia, served  in B.W. Frobel's and M.W. Henry's Battalion of Artillery, and fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days' Battles to Gettysburg, except when it was with Longstreet at Suffolk.

During October 1863 it was ordered to to South Carolina and later participated in the defense of Savannah before returning to South Carolina.

It reported seven casualties during the Seven Days' Battles, had two killed and two wounded in the Maryland Campaign and took 71 men to Gettysburg.

The company had 94 men at Charleston in April 1864, was refitted after being in Georgia and during April 1865, Captain William K. Bachman was in command.  They surrendered with Johnston at Bennett Place, North Carolina.

William K. Bachman commanded the unit for the whole war.

--Old Secesh

The Confederate German Light Artillery-- Part 1: With Army of Northern Virginia Seven Days Battles to Gettysburg

In the last post I wrote about Captain Childs delivering infantry accoutrements to this outfit.

The unit was formed in early 1862 in Charleston, S.C..  Captain William K. Bachman was its commander  It was armed with four 12-pounder Napoleon cannons from August 1862 to July 1863.  On May 3, 1864, it was armed with two Blakely Rifles and two 12-pounder howitzers.

This unit served in the Seven Days Battles,  Second Manassas (Second Bull Run),  Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg,  and Gettysburg.  It then returned to South Carolina.  It was later in the Carolinas Campaign and surrendered with General Joseph Johnston at Durham  Station in North Carolina on April 25, 1865.

Some Heavy Fighting.  --Old Secesh

105th Illinois Infantry-- Part 4: Service

The regiment was organized in Dixon, Illinois, mustering into U.S. service on September 2, 1862 and then moved to Camp Douglas in Chicago on September 8, 1862 and then to Louisville, Kentucky, from, September 30-October 2, 1862.

After the March to the Sea, they moved from Savannah, Georgia, through South Carolina and into North Carolina and at the Battle of Bentonville March 19 to 21, 1865.  They occupied my hometown of Goldsboro, N.C., on March 24 and the Advance on Raleigh April 10-14 and Bennett's House and the Confederate surrender on April 26.

Afterwards, the regiment marched to Washington, D.C., by way of Richmond from April 29 to May 19, participating in the Grand Review on May 24.

They were mustered out in Chicago on June 7 and discharged in Chicago on July 17, 1865.

--Old Secesh

48th New York Infantry-- Part 3: On to Goldsboro and Bennett House

From Wilmington, the 48th New York was involved in Sherman's Carolina Campaign March 1 to April 26.

First they were in the advance to Kinston and Goldsboro March 6-21. the advance on Raleigh April 9-14 and the Confederate surrender at the Bennett House in Durham, N.C., on April 26, 1865.

During the war, the 48th lost 369 men to death.  Eighteen officers and 218 were killed or mortally wounded.  Another 2 officers and 131 enlisted died from disease.

Corporal Joseph C. Hinson received a Medal of Honor for action at Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863.

--Old Secesh

Ohio's 39th Infantry

The 39th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized in Camp Dennison at Cincinnati.

The 39th Ohio stayed at Memphis, Tennessee, which George Cadman  found so odious, and were not sent to Vicksburg as he expected.  They stayed there from May to October, 1863.  Then they were posted to Prospect, Tennessee until February 1864 where they reenlisted.

They took part in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and were at the Battle of Resaca May 14-15.

They were outside Marietta, Georgia, from June 10 to July 2nd and at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27th.

George Cadman's papers, which are at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, stopped after June which leads me to believe that perhaps he was killed or died.  Maybe he just quit writing because of the pressure of campaigning.  I'll have to do more research.

The 39th Ohio participated in the rest of the Battle of Atlanta and its capture

They were at the Battle of Bentonville in North Carolina March 20-21, 1865, the occupation of Goldsboro, Raleigh and Johnston's surrender at Bennett Place in North Carolina.

A Mystery.  --Old Secesh

North Carolina Civil War Seminar Earlier This Month

And, I was happy to be able to attend it. It was primarily put on by the Battle of Bentonville State Historic Site and Friends of the Battle of Bentonville and held at the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium at the Johnston County Community College.

For $25, you got to hear and see six noted Civil War authors and experts on events surrounding the Carolina Campaign of 1865 leading up to and following the Battle of Bentonville.

And one of them was a man I have been wanting to see for many years.

Speakers were BERT DUNKERLY The Confederate Surrender at Bennett Place; WADE SOKOLOSKY Battles of Wyse Fork and Averasboro; CHRIS FONVIELLE Union Naval operations in NC in 1865; MARK BRADLEY the Battle of Bentonville; ERIC WITTENBERG Cavalry in the Carolina Campaign and ED BEARSS.

Ed Bearss IS the foremost Civil War Scholar around these days and someone I've really been wanting to see.

Glad to Get to See These People. --Old Secesh

"Hey George, What Happened to Your Eyebrows?": Last NC Signal Message in the War

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

Not one of your really big stories of the war, but one that I find of great interest.

Lt. George C. Round of the U.S. Signal Corps sent the last signal message of the war in North Carolina from Raleigh.  He was one of the first federal occupation troops to arrive in the state capital on April 13, 1865, and he established his signal station atop the state capitol building.

When he received news of Confederate General Johnston's surrender to General Sherman at the Bennett House in Durham on April 26th, he received permission  to proclaim the news using signal rockets.  He had spelled out the word "PEACE" and then lit a rocket indicationg the end of the word.

When it failed to go off, Round went back to relight it and when he bent over, it went off in his face and singed his eyebrows and eyelashes off.  After an extended pause, he continued with his message which finally read, "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men."

Just One of Those Little Stories.  --Old Secesh

Second Saturday Coming in North Carolina

From the July 28th North Carolina and the Civil War Blog by Michael Hardy. All North Carolina State Historic Sites are running programs this August 14th that present history with a different perspective.

There will be 100 free exhibitions at all 37 state museums.

Of special interest to me are the things going on at some of the Civil War sites.

BENTONVILLE-- how community dances were important during the war as diversions for civilians and soldiers. There will be a community picnic along with dancing and demonstrations. A 19th century band will provide the music.

FORT FISHER-- Local artists and vendors will explore the world of 1865 period-style crafts. Goods will be available for sale.

BENNETT PLACE-- will have Civil War authors, including Michael Hardy.

CSS NEUSE-- people will be able to explore metal-making of the period with a blacksmith and tinsmith.

An interesting attempt on the part of the state to make history more involved for regular folk.

The State is to Be Commended for This Effort. --B-R'er