1862: In the First Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, just eight miles from Richmond, Confederate batteries at Fort Darling and obstacles at a bend along the James River foiled an attempt by U. S. Navy Commander John Rodgers to take the Confederate capital using three ironclads and two gunboats. The thinly protected ironclad USS Galena took a particularly nasty beating from plunging fire from the bluff, with 12 dead and 11 wounded, while USS Monitor could not elevate its guns enough to reach the heights. Aboard Galena, Corporal John F. Mackie roamed all over the ship alternately trading rifle shots with enemy sharpshooters on the shore (including Confederate Marines) and taking charge of a cannon whose crew has been wounded, for which he later became the first U.S. Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Also today in history, in the U.S. and elsewhere:
1862: Meanwhile, occupying New Orleans, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler issued an order for any resident ladies who abuse Union soldiers to be treated like women of the streets plying their trade. Want to know some interesting facts about Gen. Benjamin Butler and other Union Generals? Visit HistoryNet.com for the facts.
1864: Confederate forces won the Battle of New Market, which went down as a battle honor (and presumably a final exam passed?) for the cadets of Virginia Military Institute.
1976: A great day for the Irish: Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force attacked two pubs in County Armagh, killing four Catholic civilians and wounding many more; a British Army soldier was subsequently convicted of taking part in the attacks. Not to be outdone, the Provisional Irish Republican Army killed three Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in County Fermanagh and one in County Down.
