Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1913-05-15
75e
CIVIL WAR
FIFTY A AGO
THIS WEEK
81, 1868.

April 81, 1868.
A party OF National cavalry. belong
ing to the division of General Gran
ger and under the command Of Col
onel Watkins, left their camp at Muir
freesboro. Tenn, the night of the Goth,
and attacked the Texas Legion of Con-
federate troops at daybreak in the
morning of the eth. After a briAk
skirmish. in which a number on both
sides fell, the Texans were for the
most part captured, only a few of
them making their escape.
The Army of the Potomac, under
General Hooker, commenced a forward
movement on Fredericksburg, Va, en-
route to Richmond. The Eleventh
corps. Major General Howard, the
Twelfth, General Slocum, and the
Fifth, General Meade, struck their
tents at five o'clock in the morning
and moved westward from Falmouth
on the several roads leading to Kelly's
Ford, twenty-five miles from the Ac-
quia Creek and Fredericksburg rail-
road. The Eleventh corps was in the
advance.
April %, 1863.
The C~onfederates under Marina
duke, who had been driven from an at
tack on Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the
day before, were in FULL retreat during
the day, and followed by several col
umns of Union troops. One regiment
was captured entire the night before,
being surprised three miles west of
Jackson while acting as rearguard of
Marmaduke's retreat. Two small
howitzers loaded with musket ball
were discharged upon them at close
range before they knew of the pres
ence of an enemy, and in the en-
fusion resulting the First Iowa cavalry
charged, completing the demoraliza-
ton. Generals Vandeveer and Mcneil
followed all day, pouring artillery fire
into the Confederate-rear.
General Hooker's Union army
crossed the Rappahannock in two
places in its advance on Fredericks-
burg.
Fifteen hundred dollars each was
offered for substitutes in Richmond,
Va.
Kentucky National cavalry and Con-
federate troops were engaged through
out the day in desultory and incense
quential skirmishes about Howes Ford
and Mil Spring, on the Cumberland
river, in Tennessee.
The Union steamers Swan and Com
merce, blockaded for several days by
Confederate batteries at the mouth of
the Nansemond, were run past the
guns and brought down to Suffolk.
There was great excitement at
U%niontown, Penn, over a reported
raid by the Confederates into the
state.
April 2e, 1868.
The alarm of General Hooker's ap-
proach with the entire Union army
reached Fredericksburg, Va, early in
the morning, and threw the town into
a hustle of preparation. The women
and children left.
Paramount, Va, was captured by a
Confederate force under Gen. William
e. Jones, after a desperate resistance
by the garrison Of the place.
General Stahel, with two thousand
cavalry and light artillery, who had
left Fairfax Courthouse several days
before on a reconnaissance in force
toward Warrenton and the Blue Ridge,
returned with the knowledge that
there was no regular Confederate
force in the valley between the Bull
Run mountains and the Blue Ridge.
Moseby. with small parties Of his ir-
regulars, was found from time to time,
and gave some annoyance, but was
OF in sufficient force to offer any
Unborn resistance.
Grand Gulf, Miss, was attacked by
a feet Of seven %gunboats under
Admiral Porter. After a lombard
ment Of five hours duration the Con-
federate batteries were silenced. but
not before considerable damage had
been done the hulls of the American
feet, and twenty Union sailors had
been killed.
April 80, 1863.
General Hooker, from his h%eadquar-
ters near Falmouth, Va, issued the
following order to his soldiers: 1T
is with heartfelt satisfaction that
the general commanding announces
to the army that the operations Of the
last three days have determined that
our enemy must ingloricusly fly, or
come out from behind their defenses
and give us battle on u own ground,
where certain destruction awaits him,
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