March 13, 1863

March 13, 1863

---The Federal gunboats on the Yazoo River once again make an attempt on Fort Pemberton, on land and on water.  The USS Baron De Kalb and the USS Chillicothe both steam closer to the fort, the Chillicothe sustaining significant damage, with the Rebels suffering very little discomfort.  The Federals pull back once again, being unable to sustain the attacks.

---Battle of Fort Anderson, N.C. -- Near New Berne, North Carolina, 12,000 Confederate troops under Gen. D.H. Hill and commanded directly by Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew, advances on the Union positions commanded by Lt. Col. Anderson.  The Federals are driven back for 8 miles to Fort Anderson, where Pettigrew asks for the surrender of the blue troops.  Anderson asks for time to consult with his superior, Gen. Foster.  But Anderson instead sends to the Union naval forces, and heavy gunboats appear before Pettigrew sees his error.  A marginal victory, but nonetheless a Confederate Victory.

 

---A tragic story in the Richmond Daily Dispatch reveals that an explosion in the Confederate Ordnance Laboratory in Richmond has killed 69 workers, almost all of them women.  This fact reinforces our sense of how women, both North and South, have stepped up to take roles normally filled by men, such as industrial workers, farm supervisors, and sole breadwinners for families.