Portal:American Civil War/This week in American Civil War history/52

December 19

1862 - Jackson - Cavalry raiders commanded by Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked two Union regiments defending this Madison County, Tennessee depot, while detachments destroyed Mobile and Ohio Railroad tracks north and south of the town

December 20

1861 - Dranesville - This minor engagement between patrols in Loudoun County, Virginia featured commanders J.E.B. Stuart and E.O.C. Ord; both would rise to corps command

1864 - Saltville - This time under the supervision of commanding officer, George Stoneman, Stephen G. Burbridge got a second chance to destroy the vital saltworks of this Smyth County, Virginia village; while a brigade under Alvan Gillem engaged the Confederate garrison, Burbridge's division overwhelmed defenses and destroyed the works

December 21

1861 - Washington, D.C. - President Abraham Lincoln signs into law Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for the creation of a new military award, a Navy Medal of Valor.

December 22

1864 - Savannah - Mayor Richard D. Arnold rode out to formally surrender this port city to Union commander William Tecumseh Sherman; after maneuvering 62,000 Federals without supply lines through thirty-seven days march and over 300 miles of destruction, "Sherman's March to the Sea" finally reached the Atlantic Ocean

December 24

1864 - Savannah - Sherman telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln: "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

December 25

1864 - Devil's Gap - Nathan Bedford Forrest used natural Tennessee terrain, concealment, and prepared position to enable his Confederate troops to ambush and disrupt an enthusiastic Christmas Day Union cavalry pursuit commanded by James H. Wilson