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On this day in the Civil War, Confederate President Jefferson Davis authorizes General Robert E. Lee to commandeer food supplies from Virginia citizens. This order does not improve Davis’s popularity in the Confederacy.
Robert E. Lee
(Photo Credit: Library of Congress)
On this day in the Civil War, Confederate General Braxton Bragg moves his army away from Mufreesboro, Tennessee. This move causes criticism from Confederate military advisors.
Braxton Bragg
(Photo Credit: Library of Congress)
On this day in the Civil War, the Federal army defeats the Confederates at the Battle of Stones River. This battle is one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War with almost 24,000 casualties, an astounding 30% of the troops engaged in battle.
Stones River Battlefield
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
On this day in the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation which frees slaves in territories still occupied by the rebels.
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass had this to say about that momentous day, “The first of January 1863, was a memorable day in the progress of American liberty and civilization. It was the turning-point in the conflict between freedom and slavery. A death blow was then given to the slaveholding rebellion. Until then, the Federal arm had been more than tolerant to that relict of barbarism . . . We fought the rebellion, but not its cause. And now, on this day of January 1st, 1863, the formal and solemn announcement was made that thereafter the government would be found on the side of emancipation. This proclamation changed everything.”
On this day in the Civil War, the battle of Stones River, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, begins as the Southern army under General Braxton Bragg attacks Union forces under General William Rosecrans. After fierce fighting, neither side gains an advantage and awaits a resumption of fighting on the following day.
Stones River Battlefield
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
The Civil War Book 