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MAY 1862:  CONFEDERATE RESURGENCE

As the month opened, the Federal armies and navy were on the offensive and hopes were dimming for the Confederacy. Few southerners publicly mentioned the possibility of defeat, but the possibility was there nonetheless.

However by month's end, optimism had shifted from North to South, and a Confederate legend named "Stonewall" was born. 

Washington
Business as usual proceeded in the Federal capital. A new Department of Agriculture was created; President Abraham Lincoln called it "the people’s department." Lincoln also signed the Homestead Act into law. This granted land to settlers if they agreed to cultivate it. Southerners had consistently opposed land grants because they devalued land already being farmed, but they were no longer in Congress to oppose the measure. The act was marked by fraud, as speculators, cattlemen, miners, lumbermen and railroads scooped up most of the land.

Richmond
Confederate President Jefferson Davis carried on a lengthy correspondence with Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown over matters of states’ rights and the proper role of the Confederate government. Many, including Brown, felt that Davis had grasped too much power and centralized it in Richmond, which was one of the reasons why the southern states seceded in the first place. Davis argued that this was needed as a wartime measure only.

Slow Federal Progress on the Peninsula
The Federal Army of the Potomac under General George McClellan slowly moved its way up the Virginia Peninsula, between the York and James Rivers, on its way to Richmond. On May 4, Yorktown fell to overwhelming Federal numbers.

McClellan boasted his great success in taking Yorktown, even though it took him nearly a month to do it. Confederate General Joseph Johnston withdrew his forces to Williamsburg, where a sharp fight ensued on May 5 between McClellan’s advancing units and Johnston’s rearguard. The Confederates withdrew toward Richmond after both sides sustained heavy casualties.

The fall of Yorktown meant that Confederates had to abandon Norfolk and its valuable military supply depot as well. This was a severe blow to Confederate control of southern Virginia and northern North Carolina. Most importantly, the CSS Virginia, the first ironclad warship, had to be destroyed to prevent it from falling into Federal hands. Once the Virginia was scuttled, Federal naval vessels moved up the James River toward Richmond, but Confederate batteries at Drewry’s Bluff were able to hold them off.

Despite his superior numbers, McClellan continued fuming that Washington had deprived him of the necessary manpower to take Richmond. This concerned Lincoln "because it argues indefinite procrastination." Lincoln personally visited Fort Monroe and actively tried pushing McClellan to move faster. By mid-May, McClellan’s forces were within six miles of Richmond at some places, and some troops could even hear the capital’s ringing church bells.

Johnston’s Confederates withdrew across the Chickahominy River, moving to within three miles of Richmond at some points. McClellan cautiously prodded the new Confederate positions until Lincoln finally suggested that McClellan either attack or return to Washington.

On May 31, the Federals and Confederates finally clashed east of Richmond at Fair Oaks, also known as Seven Pines. Johnston attacked when McClellan divided his forces while crossing the Chickahominy. The fighting was piecemeal and uncoordinated, but the Confederates were able to push the Federals back. Soon McClellan committed reinforcements which blunted the Confederate attack.

During the battle, Johnston was severely wounded. After being taken from the battlefield, Johnston was succeeded by General G.W. Smith. During the night, the Federals strengthened their positions and the battle resumed the next day. 

Confederates Counter in the Shenandoah
While the main Federal and Confederate armies clashed on the peninsula, a smaller Confederate force prepared to wreak havoc in Virginia’s fertile Shenandoah Valley. The force was commanded by General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a hero of the Battle of Bull Run in 1861. Jackson’s Confederates ultimately helped turn the tide of the war.

Jackson confused Federal forces under General Nathaniel Banks at Harrisonburg, then repulsed them at Bull Pasture Mountain. This marked Jackson’s first victory in the Shenandoah, and his troops were gaining a fearful reputation in the North. Rapid movement became Jackson’s trademark, and his forces were called the "foot cavalry" because of their speed.

On May 23, Jackson’s forces captured Front Royal, which put them in position to cut off Banks’s main Federal force moving north. However despite Jackson’s efforts, Banks managed to reach Winchester. Jackson then turned to attack the town.

To counter Jackson’s victories, Lincoln ordered Generals John Fremont and Irvin McDowell to move their Federal forces out of western Virginia and Fredericksburg respectively. McDowell’s forces had been slated to aid McClellan on the Peninsula, and this diversion gave McClellan another excuse to blame Lincoln for his delays and failures on the Peninsula, despite having over 100,000 troops.

Jackson’s Confederates attacked Banks’s retreating Federals at Winchester on May 25. The Federals broke and withdrew in confusion toward Harpers Ferry as Jackson captured large stockpiles of war materiel. The Confederates had now cleared most of the Shenandoah Valley, creating panic in Washington. However Fremont in the west and McDowell in the east were moving to get behind Jackson and cut off his retreat.

From Winchester, Jackson turned back to avoid the trap being set by Fremont and McDowell. On May 31, Jackson’s forces pushed forward through heavy rain and squeezed between the two Federal forces. There was minor skirmishing, but the Federals were too late to halt or destroy Jackson’s Confederates as Lincoln had hoped. 

The series of Confederate victories in the Shenandoah this month gave southerners new hope in the war. The name "Stonewall" was becoming legendary in both the North and South.

Corinth and the Western Theater
Federal armies were swarming at various points in the West. The main Federal force, the Army of the West under General Henry Halleck, continued moving toward Corinth, Mississippi. President Lincoln had urged Halleck to move quickly but Halleck took nearly two months to move less than 30 miles. By the end of May, the Federals prepared to lay siege to Corinth.

Rather than fall under siege, General P.G.T. Beauregard withdrew his Confederates from Corinth to Tupelo. The huge Federal army sat a few miles away, oblivious to the move. Halleck eventually moved his forces into the abandoned town. While the Federals had successfully captured Corinth, the slowness of the campaign and the lack of battle results tarnished Halleck’s victory.

On May 10, one of the forgotten battles of the war was fought when the Confederate River Defense Fleet attacked Federal mortar boats on the Mississippi River north of Fort Pillow, Tennessee. The Confederates, hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, withdrew to Memphis. This was known as the Battle of Plum Run Bend.

The Federal Occupation of New Orleans
After capturing New Orleans in April, the Federals began a military occupation to the horror of the citizenry. The Federal commander, General Benjamin Butler, installed a corrupt administration that set about to suppress opposition through various "bestial acts." Among these were closing anti-Union newspapers and seizing $800,000 in gold from the Netherlands consulate. But Butler’s most infamous act was issued on May 15.

In response to citizens, particularly women, who heaped scorn and disrespect on Federal occupation troops, Butler issued an order that "when any female shall… show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of the town…" This notorious Order Number 28, in which women who disrespected soldiers would be treated as prostitutes, outraged southerners.  

Further up the Mississippi River from New Orleans, the Federal naval fleet under Admiral David Farragut occupied Natchez, Mississippi. Farragut also probed the heavily defended town of Vicksburg and demanded its surrender, but Confederate General M.L. Smith refused. Vicksburg would prove extremely difficult to capture.

Emancipation on the Atlantic Coast
At Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Major General David Hunter ordered the emancipation of slaves in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina; Hunter also authorized arming all able-bodied blacks in those states. Hunter was nicknamed "Black David" after organizing a black regiment without official approval.

These controversial orders were rescinded by President Lincoln on May 19. Lincoln reserved for himself the power of emancipation for a more politically expedient time.

The Fall of Pensacola and British Involvement
Confederates evacuated Pensacola after holding out against Federal-occupied Fort Pickens since the start of the war. This gave the Federals control of western Florida and allowed them to strengthen their naval blockade.

In Liverpool, England, a vessel known only as 290 was launched at the Laird shipyards. Although it was intended to be kept secret, it was soon revealed that the ship was destined to become the famous Confederate raider CSS Alabama.

By the end of the month, President Lincoln anxiously awaited news from Richmond and the Shenandoah, hopeful for the best. It had been a month of excessive maneuvering that was soon translating into brutal fighting.