Civil War Timeline / Chronology for December 1862

December 1, 1862	On the first day of the new Congress President Abraham Lincoln proposes 3 amendments to the U. S. Constitution. First, all slaves would be gradually emancipated until 1900. Second, slaves freed during the war would remain free. Third, the United States would pay for consensual colonization
	Abraham Lincoln
December 7, 1862	Battle of Prairie Grove Battle of Fayetteville Thomas Hindman [CS] attacks Francis "Frank" Herron [US] advancing from Wilson's Creek in an attempt to defeat him before joining James Blunt's [US] men. Blunt reached the Confederate line just as Herron was considering withdrawal, resulting in a Union victory	Arkansas
December 7, 1862	John Hunt Morgan captures a federal garrison in Hartsville, killing and wounding 1000 before 1800 men surrendered	Tennessee
	John Hunt Morgan
December 10, 1862	U. S. House passes a bill allowing the creation of the state of West Virginia	West Virginia
December 11, 1862	One of the most controversial orders of the Civil War is issued by Ulysses S. Grant -- Special Order 11, expelling Jews from his department.
	Ulysses S. Grant
December 11, 1862	Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS] leaves Columbia, Tennessee in an attempt to disrupt Ulysses S. Grant's line of communication in the advance on Vicksburg
	Nathan Bedford Forrest
	First Vicksburg Campaign
	Ulysses S. Grant
December 11, 1862	Federal forces occupy the city of Fredericksburg	Virginia
	Fredericksburg
December 11, 1862 December 20, 1862	Commonly known as the Goldsboro Expedition, the Union Army in North Carolina under John G. Foster pushes into the state in an attempt to sever railroad supply lines to Virginia.	North Carolina
December 13, 1862	Confederate General T. R. R. Cobb dies during the battle of Fredericksburg. South Carolinian Maxcy Gregg is mortally wounded and dies two days later.	Georgia
	Generals Who Died In the Civil War
	Fredericksburg
December 13, 1862	Battle of Fredericksburg General Ambrose Burnside and the Army of the Potomac is soundly beaten by Lee's Army of North Virginia.
	Army of Northern Virginia
	Army of the Potomac
	Robert E. Lee
	Ambrose Burnside
	Lafayette McLaws
	Fredericksburg
	William B. Franklin
	Edwin Vose Sumner
	Jubal Anderson Early
	John Reynolds
	Joseph Hooker
December 14, 1862	Battle of Kinston	North Carolina
December 16, 1862	In a Republican caucus Senators vote 13-11 support a resolution calling for the resignation of William Seward.
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	William Seward
	Republican Party
December 17, 1862	Battle of Goldsboro Bridge	North Carolina
December 17, 1862	Republicans vote to ask for a reconstruction of Lincoln's cabinet. During the meeting, Secretary of State William Seward and his son, the Assistant Secretary of State, resign.
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	William Seward
	Republican Party
December 18, 1862	Forrest's [CS] cavalry turns back a detachment of Union cavalry near Lexington.
	Nathan Bedford Forrest
December 18, 1862	In preparation for his assault on the Confederate fortress at Vicksburg, Ulysess S. Grant reorganizes his forces into 4 Corps (13th, 15th, 16th, 17th) under John A. McLernand, William T. Sherman, Stephen A. Hurlbut and James B. McPherson respectively
	First Vicksburg Campaign
	Ulysses S. Grant
	William Tecumseh Sherman
December 19, 1862	An evening meeting at the White House, 8 Republican Senators and Lincoln's Cabinet discuss the reorganization of the Cabinet.
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	Republican Party
December 20, 1862	General Earl Van Dorn [CS] strikes a federal supply depot at Holly Springs capturing 1500 prisoners and destroying 1.5 million dollars of military supplies	Mississippi
	Earl Van Dorn
	First Vicksburg Campaign
December 20, 1862	U. S. 15th Corps under William Tecumseh Sherman boards transports at Memphis to sail down the Mississippi to Chickasaw Bayou. Ulysses S. Grant called off a supporting campaign over land because of continued Rebel raids	Tennessee
	First Vicksburg Campaign
	William Tecumseh Sherman
December 20, 1862	Salmon Chase offers his resignation. Lincoln rejects both Seward's and Chase's resignations.
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	Salmon P. Chase
	William Seward
December 21, 1862	John Hunt Morgan leads a raid against William S. Rosecrans' supply lines in Kentucky
	John Hunt Morgan
December 21, 1862	President Davis visits Vicksburg	Mississippi
	First Vicksburg Campaign
	Jefferson Davis
December 21, 1862	Seward resumes his duties as Secretary of State
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	William Seward
December 22, 1862	Salmon Chase resumes his duties as Secretary of the Treasury
	1862 Cabinet Crisis
	Salmon P. Chase
December 23, 1862	Jefferson Davis issues a general order proclaiming Benjamin Butler an "enemy of mankind" and authorizing his immediate execution if captured
	Jefferson Davis
December 26, 1862	Sherman's expedition lands near Steele's Bayou on the Yazoo River	Mississippi
	First Vicksburg Campaign
	William Tecumseh Sherman
December 28, 1862	Battle of Elk Fork	Tennessee
December 29, 1862	Battle of Chickasaw Bayou William Tecumseh Sherman [US] tries to assault a strong Confederate position atop a series of bluffs north of Vicksburg held by John Pemberton [CS]	Mississippi
	William Tecumseh Sherman
	First Vicksburg Campaign
December 30, 1862	Ford's Theater gutted by fire
	Ford's Theater
December 30, 1862	The U. S. S. Monitor founders in heavy seas off Cape Hatteras. 16 men die and the remaining are rescued by the Rhode Island, her escort. The boat is towed to port.	North Carolina
December 31, 1862	Battle of Parker's Cross Roads Near Lexington General Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS] tries to break through a federal line after successful raids on Grant's supply lines and communications. As he begins to drive the Union troops back he is attacked from behind, loosing 300 men.	Tennessee
	Nathan Bedford Forrest
December 31, 1862	Battle of Stone's River [US] Battle of Murfreesboro [CS] Braxton Bragg forces William Rosecrans to retreat, but Rosecrans returns to defeat Bragg on January 2, 1863. Union 13,249 Confederate 10,266	Tennessee
	Bloodiest Civil War battles
	Braxton Bragg
	William S. Rosecrans
	George Thomas
	John Breckinridge
	Army of the Cumberland
	Philip Sheridan
	Stone's River
December 31, 1862	Lincoln signs the act approving admission to the United States for West Virginia	West Virginia