EVENTS OF 1863

Emancipation Proclamation Goes into Effect-Chinese Dismiss the Mer cenary Burgevine-Gordon Commands the "Ever-Victorious" Army -After Thirteen Victories He is Defeated Before Soochow-Li Hung Chang Refuses Soldiers' Pay-Gordon Resigns-Li Hung Chang Assassinates Taiping Leaders-Confederate Ironclads Rout Blockaders at Charleston-Union Army and Navy Vainly Assault Vicksburg, Miss.-Union Draft Creates New York Riots-Lincoln Uses Military Power to Suppress Northern Agitation against the War-He Sends Vallandigham, an Ohio Agitator, into Confederate Lines Ohio Democrats Nominate Vallandigham as Governor-Lee and Jackson Outwit Hooker and Sedgwick and Win Battle of Chancellorsville, Va.-Jackson Accidentally Killed-Lee Invades Pennsylvania-Hooker and Halleck Disagree, and Hooker ResignsMeade Succeeds Him-He Intercepts Lee's Eastward_Progress at Gettysburg-He Defeats Lee in Three Days' Battle-Lee Retreats Across Potomac-Discovery of Bacteria-French Besiege and Capture Puebla-They Enter City of Mexico and Establish Provisional Government-Bazaine Supersedes Forey as Marshal-Cabanel Exhibits Masterpiece Union Army under Grant and Fleet under Farragut and Porter, by Successive Victories, Arrive Before Vicksburg, Miss.-Repulsed in Two Assaults, Grant Invests the CityJohnston Fails to Relieve the Besieged Army, and Pemberton, Its Commander, Surrenders-Banks (Union) Takes Port Hudson, La., the Last Confederate Stronghold on the Mississippi-Confederates are Defeated at Helena, Ark.-Rosecrans (Union) Foils Bragg in First Day's Fight at Chickamauga, Ga.—Rosecrans is Beaten Back into Chattanooga, Tenn., on the Second Day, the Stand of Thomas (Union) on the Right Alone Saving Him from Rout-Thomas Supersedes Rosecrans-Grant Arrives and Takes Command-He Drives Bragg from Chattanooga Heights-Union Forces Storm Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge-Burnside (Union) Repulses Longstreet at Knoxville, Tenn.-Admiral Dupont (Union) Fails in Attacks on Charleston-Deaths of Vernet, the Painter, and Thackeray, the Novelist-Denmark Annexes Schleswig-Bismarck Forms Prussian-Austrian Alliance on Schleswi-Holstein Question—German Confederation Throws Troops into Disputed Territory.

T

HE first day of this year is forever memorable as

the date on which Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. The Proclamation itself was issued as an act of war by virtue of the President's powers as Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy. It purported to free the slaves in those parts of the Union in rebellion against the United States, and therefore did not apply to the border States or parts of States which had not seceded. Of course, it could have no practical effect, save

through the advance of the Union armies, but its moral effect was tremendous. Davis promptly replied by declaring that persons attempting to execute Lincoln's order of emancipation would be treated as criminals.

On the day following Lincoln's Proclamation new troubles arose on the other side of the earth. The native troops under Burgevine, in China, became openly mutinous. Burgevine himself used personal violence toward the Shanghai merchants. He was dismissed from the Chinese service on January 6. Captain Holland was placed in temporary command. General Stoveley had proposed to the Home Government to entrust the command to a young captain of engineers named Charles Gordon. Li Hung Chang, Governor of Kiangsu, sent large forces to attack Taitsan, but the Taipings defeated them about the middle of February.

This was the condition of affairs, when on March 24 Major Gordon took command of the "Ever-Victorious" army. Taitsan was captured after a prolonged and desperate defence by the rebels, who lost frightfully. On May 4 Gordon appeared before Quinsan. There a mutiny broke out among his troops, but Gordon prevailed over the mutinous soldiers. Quinsan was attacked. After slight resistance, the rebels at Chumze yielded. A strong fort was taken, which covered a bridge at Ta Edin. The "Hyson" continued in pursuit to within a mile of Soochow. During the night the garrison evacuated the place.

On July 27 Major Gordon attacked Kahpoo, south of Soochow, and took it. Burgevine had meanwhile decided to join the rebels. In an interview with Gordon, Burgevine proposed that they should combine their forces, seize Soochow, and thus establish an independent government. At this juncture serious news came from the south. A large rebel force moved up the Grand Canal, and held the garrison of Wokong. There occurred one of the hardest fought bat

THE FATAL FEAST OF LI HUNG CHANG

1863

tles of the war. Chung Wang seized the opportunity of Gordon's absence to attack Chanzu. At first the Taipings carried everything before them, but the imperialists prevailed. Chung Wang kept open communication by the Grand Canal. At Wusieh, and at Monding, Chung Wang concentrated his entire force for the defence of the Grand Canal. At the Low Mun breastworks Gordon was beaten off with tremendous loss. This was Major Gordon's first defeat after thirteen victories. Undismayed by his reverse, he returned to attack the Low Mun. The capture of the stockades meant the fall of Soochow.

Mow Wang's murder by the other Wangs removed the only leader who was opposed to the surrender of Soochow. Unable to obtain his soldiers' pay from Li Hung Chang, Gordon resigned. The departure of Gordon's force left Li free to follow his inclinations. The Wangs were invited to an entertainment on the Futai's boat. Nine headless bodies were afterward found not far distant from the Futai's headquarters.

In North America the Unionists were especially anxious to reduce Charleston, as the chief port of the Confederacy. A naval squadron kept up a continuous blockade on the city. Several monitors, built after the model of their famous prototype, joined this squadron. The Confederates mined the approaches to the harbor. Two small ironclads, built after the manner of the "Merrimac," were constructed. They were the "Palmetto State" and "The Chicora." On the last day of January, in the midst of early morning, the "Palmetto State" ran out and engaged the "Mercedia" at close range. The first broadside disabled the "Mercedia." Swinging around with her ram, the "Palmetto State" challenged the "Mercedia": "Surrender, or I will sink you." The Federal captain hauled down his flag and sent the boat off to give parole for his crew. Thereupon the "Palmetto State" ran

1863

THE DRAFT RIOTS

off to engage the Federal "Keystone State." The captain of the "Mercedia," ignoring his parole, rehoisted the Stars and Stripes. Meanwhile the "Keystone State" was taken between the crossed fire of the "Palmetto State" and "Chicora." Sinking, she was towed out of the action by the "Housatonic."

Late in May a combined assault was made upon Vicksburg by the Union army and navy. The "Cincinnati" was sent to silence the Confederate battery, and while doing so came under the fire of a powerful masked battery on a bluff. The first Confederate shot entered her below the water line, and she began to fill. Drifting down stream, shot after shot was put into her. With the colors nailed to the flagpole, the "Cincinnati" went down. The crew had to swim for life under Confederate fire. Nineteen were killed and wounded, fifteen drowned.

On March 3 President Lincoln had approved the act enrolling citizens between twenty and forty-five, and the calling out of the national force by draft without the intervention of the States. In June, under a draft for 300,000 men, only 50,000 were obtained after many weeks. The drafting of soldiers threw New York into the hands of an anti-draft mob. A colored orphan asylum was fired, and the "Tribune" office dismantled. Colonel O'Brien, with several hundred others, was murdered by the enraged mob. Similar riots occurred elsewhere. In reply to Governor Seymour's request that the draft be suspended, President Lincoln proclaimed that the drafting of troops would have to continue. Many New Yorkers were drafted to the colors.

Democratic journals began a crusade against Lincoln. The Chicago "Times" was suppressed for one day for inciting disloyalty. Vallandigham made a speech at Mount Vernon, Ohio, against "King Lincoln," and urged the people to hurl the tyrant from the throne. Burnside, in military

BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE

1863

charge at Cincinnati, arrested Vallandigham at Dayton, Ohio, court-martialed him for inciting resistance to the draft, and, at Lincoln's suggestion, sent him over into the Confederate lines. Thence Vallandigham, by running the blockade, passed into Canada. Anti-War Democrats expressed great indignation at the "overthrow of free institutions" by Lincoln. In May great meetings were held in New York and Philadelphia to express sympathy with Vallandigham. The Democratic State Convention, on June 11, in Ohio, nominated Vallandigham for Governor.

"Fighting" Joe Hooker on April 27 threw 70,000 men across the river, at points twenty-five miles above and ten miles below Chancellorsville, with a view to taking Lee's entire system of defences. His preliminary movements were well executed. For the moment he seemed to have Lee at a disadvantage. General Sedgwick was in command of the lower division, while Hooker himself commanded in the neighborhood of Chancellorsville. Lee was thus placed between two armies, which together far outnumbered his own force. Once more he had recourse to a daring flank movement and called on Jackson to execute it. While Lee, keeping between Hooker and Sedgwick, prevented the latter from advancing to his superior officer's support, Jackson with 26,000 men started off to the left on a movement which Hooker mistook for a retreat. Circling the Federal army, Jackson came, in the late afternoon of May 2, upon Howard's division, which formed the right, and really considered itself the rear of Hooker's army. The attack was a complete surprise. Howard was crushed, and Jackson had got very close to Hooker's headquarters before he was stopped.

The brilliant Confederate movement, successful as it was, proved costly. Jackson himself, pressing on ahead of his line of battle, was accidentally shot by some of his own men and died in a few days. The next morning, the 3d, Stuart,