Tag: civil war

Battles of January 19 summaries plus museums, artwork, books, and a song

Battles of January 19 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

Song of the day:

Quentin Burns variation 1

Quentin Burns variation 2

1. Battle of Mill Springs

Date: January 19, 1862

War: American Civil War

Cause: This battle was precipitated by the Confederate need to defend the Cumberland Gap and the Union Army’s drive to push the Confederate defense line out of Eastern Kentucky. Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer, against orders, moved his troops across the Cumberland River to the north bank, placing them in a precarious position with the river at their back. Union General George H. Thomas moved to attack this exposed force.

Result: The battle was a decisive Union victory. It broke the Confederate defensive line in Eastern Kentucky and led to the death of General Zollicoffer (the first Confederate general to die in the Western Theater). The victory boosted Northern morale and opened the path for the Union into Tennessee.

Paintings & Art

  • Painting: Battle of Mill Spring, K.Y. Jan. 19th 1862
    • Artist: Currier & Ives (Lithograph)
    • Year: c. 1862

Museums & Artifacts

  • Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (Nancy, Kentucky, USA): The Visitor Center and Museum houses a comprehensive collection of artifacts recovered from the battlefield, including weapons, uniforms, and personal items of soldiers. It also features interpretive exhibits on the battle’s strategy.
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C., USA): Holds various Civil War lithographs, including works by Currier & Ives similar to the Mill Springs prints.

Location

  • General: Nancy, Kentucky (historically Logan’s Crossroads).
  • Coordinates: 37.0544° N, 84.7397° W

Recommended Book

2. Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo

Date: Stormed on January 19, 1812 (January 7-20, 1812)

War: The Peninsular War (Napoleonic Wars)

Cause: Following victories in Portugal, the Duke of Wellington needed to secure the key border fortresses to open the invasion route into French-held Spain. Ciudad Rodrigo controlled the northern corridor. Wellington launched a rapid siege to capture the city before French Marshal Marmont could bring a relief army.

Result: The British captured the fortress after a bloody storming of the breaches on the evening of January 19. The victory secured the frontier and allowed Wellington to advance toward Badajoz and eventually Madrid. However, the discipline of the British troops collapsed after the victory, leading to a brutal sack of the city.

Paintings & Art

  • Painting: The Storming of Ciudad Rodrigo (Aquatint/Engraving)
    • Artist: Thomas Sutherland (after William Heath)
    • Year: 1815
  • Artifact: The Wellington Service Ice Pails (Depicting the storming)
    • Artist: Designed by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith II
    • Year: c. 1814–1817

Museums & Artifacts

  • National Army Museum (London, UK): Holds extensive collections relating to the Peninsular War, including maps, letters from Wellington, and prints depicting the siege.
  • Apsley House (The Wellington Museum) (London, UK): The former home of the Duke of Wellington houses the famous Portuguese Service (silver) and the Ice Pails which depict the battle scenes, along with captured French imperial eagles.
  • British Museum (London, UK): Holds the original prints and etchings of the storming by Sutherland and Heath.

Location

  • General: Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Spain.
  • Coordinates: 40.5982° N, 6.5305° W

Recommended Book

3. Battle of St. Quentin

Date: January 19, 1871

War: Franco-Prussian War

Cause: As the Prussians besieged Paris, the French Army of the North, commanded by General Faidherbe, attempted to disrupt the Prussian supply lines and relieve the capital. The Prussian First Army, under General Goeben, moved to intercept the French forces near the town of Saint-Quentin to prevent this relief effort.

Result: The Prussians won a clear victory, forcing the French Army of the North to retreat in disorder. This defeat effectively ended any hope of relieving Paris from the north, and the city surrendered shortly thereafter, leading to the end of the war and the unification of Germany.

Paintings & Art

  • Painting: Battle of St. Quentin, 19 January 1871 (Lithograph)
    • Artist: Richard Knötel
    • Year: c. Late 19th Century (from Uniformenkunde)
  • Painting: Charge of the German Cavalry at St. Quentin
    • Artist: Amling Franz
    • Year: c. 1875

Museums & Artifacts

  • Musée de l’Armée (Invalides) (Paris, France): Contains one of the world’s largest collections of military history, including uniforms, weaponry, and paintings from the Franco-Prussian War (War of 1870).
  • Deutsches Historisches Museum (Berlin, Germany): Holds artifacts and documents relating to the wars of German unification, including the Battle of St. Quentin.
  • Town of Saint-Quentin (Aisne, France): The town itself features the Monument de 1870 commemorating the defense of the city.

Location

  • General: Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France.
  • Coordinates: 49.8454° N, 3.2864° E

Recommended Book

4. Battle of Braddock Down

Date: January 19, 1643

War: First English Civil War

Cause: Royalist forces in Cornwall, led by Sir Bevil Grenville and Sir Ralph Hopton, were attempting to secure the county for King Charles I. They were intercepted by a Parliamentarian army under Colonel Ruthin, who had invaded Cornwall and was camped at Braddock Down, waiting for reinforcements.

Result: The Royalists launched a surprise attack. After an exchange of musket fire, a Royalist charge broke the Parliamentarian line. The Parliamentarians fled, and the Royalists secured Cornwall, capturing substantial arms and prisoners.

Paintings & Art

  • Painting: Sir Bevil Grenville (Portrait associated with the era/commander)
    • Artist: Unknown (School of Van Dyck)
    • Year: c. 1640s
  • Illustration: The Battle of Braddock Down
    • Artist: Harry Fisher (Historical Illustrator)
    • Year: 20th Century (Modern historical reconstruction)

Museums & Artifacts

  • Royal Cornwall Museum (Truro, UK): Contains exhibits on the Civil War in Cornwall, including artifacts related to Sir Bevil Grenville and the Royalist campaigns.
  • National Civil War Centre (Newark, UK): The dedicated museum for this conflict, housing armor, pamphlets, and weaponry used during battles like Braddock Down.

Location

  • General: Boconnoc / Braddock, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
  • Coordinates: 50.4160° N, 4.5660° W

Recommended Book

Books for sale

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Battles of December 21 summaries plus museums, artwork, and books

Battles of December 21 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

1. The Fetterman Fight (The Fetterman Massacre)

Date: December 21, 1866

War: Red Cloud’s War

Cause: Tensions rose in the Dakota Territory as the U.S. Army built forts along the Bozeman Trail, trespassing on treaty-guaranteed Lakota hunting grounds. On December 21, a wood train near Fort Phil Kearny was attacked. Captain William J. Fetterman was sent to relieve the train with explicit orders not to pursue the Native American warriors over Lodge Trail Ridge. Disobeying command, Fetterman took the bait of a decoy party led by Crazy Horse and crossed the ridge into a massive ambush.

Result: It was a total victory for the coalition of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces. The entire U.S. detachment of 81 men was wiped out in roughly 30 minutes. It remained the worst defeat of the U.S. Army on the Great Plains until the Battle of the Little Bighorn ten years later.

Paintings & Art

Painting: The Fetterman Fight

  • Artist: J.K. Ralston
  • Year: 1963
  • Note: This large-scale oil painting is considered one of the most historically accurate depictions of the topography and combat of the event.

Painting: After the Fetterman Fight

  • Artist: Z.S. Liang
  • Year: 2008

Museums & Artifacts

Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site (Banner, Wyoming, USA): Located at the actual site of the fort and near the battlefield, this museum houses an interpretative center with artifacts from the battle, weapons from the era, and detailed dioramas.

National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, D.C., USA): Contains vast collections of Plains Indian artifacts, including items from the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes relevant to the period of Red Cloud’s War.

Location

General: Near Story and Banner, Johnson County, Wyoming, USA.

Coordinates: 44°34′18″N 106°50′50″W

Recommended Book

The Fetterman Massacre by Dee Brown.

2. The Battle of Konya

Date: December 21, 1832

War: First Egyptian-Ottoman War

Cause: Muhammad Ali, the rebellious Khedive of Egypt, demanded control of Greater Syria as a reward for his assistance to the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence. When Sultan Mahmud II refused, Muhammad Ali sent his son, Ibrahim Pasha, to invade Ottoman Syria and Anatolia. The Ottoman Grand Vizier, Reshid Mehmed Pasha, was sent to stop the Egyptian advance deep within modern-day Turkey.

Result: The battle was a decisive victory for the Egyptian forces. Despite being outnumbered, Ibrahim Pasha’s disciplined modernized army routed the Ottomans. The Grand Vizier was captured, and the path to Constantinople (Istanbul) was left virtually undefended, marking a low point in Ottoman power and forcing the Empire to seek Russian aid.

Paintings & Art

Painting: Portrait of Ibrahim Pasha (The Egyptian Commander)

  • Artist: Jean-François Portaels
  • Year: Approx. 1847
  • Note: While contemporary battle scenes are rare in Western art, portraits of the victorious commander Ibrahim Pasha from this era are held in high regard for depicting the uniform and demeanor of the Egyptian leadership.

Painting: Mahmud II (The Ottoman Sultan)

  • Artist: Unknown (School of Art in Constantinople)
  • Year: Early 19th Century

Museums & Artifacts

Harbiye Military Museum (Istanbul, Turkey): One of the leading military museums in the world, it holds extensive collections of Ottoman weaponry, uniforms, and tents from the 19th century, including items from the reforms of Mahmud II.

Topkapi Palace Museum (Istanbul, Turkey): Houses the imperial treasury and archives, including firmans (edicts) and personal items belonging to Sultan Mahmud II.

Location

General: Just outside the city of Konya, Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Coordinates: 37°52′00″N 32°29′00″E

Recommended Book

Osman’s Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel.

3. The Capture of Savannah (Culmination of the March to the Sea)

Date: December 21, 1864

War: American Civil War

Cause: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman undertook his famous “March to the Sea” from Atlanta to the Atlantic coast to destroy the Confederacy’s economic and psychological capacity to wage war. Upon reaching Savannah, Sherman besieged the city. The Confederate commander, General William J. Hardee, realized he would be encircled and escaped across the Savannah River on December 20.

Result: On December 21, Savannah Mayor Richard Arnold surrendered the city to Union forces. Sherman occupied the city and famously telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln, offering the city of Savannah as a “Christmas gift.”

Paintings & Art

Painting: Sherman’s March to the Sea

  • Artist: F.O.C. Darley
  • Year: 1868
  • Note: A famous engraving and print series that depicts the movement of Sherman’s army through Georgia, often used to visualize the campaign that ended in Savannah.

Painting: General Sherman at Savannah

  • Artist: Various 19th Century Illustrators (Harper’s Weekly)
  • Year: 1864-1865

Museums & Artifacts

Savannah History Museum (Savannah, Georgia, USA): Located in the historic Central of Georgia Railway passenger shed, this museum features exhibits on the Civil War and the occupation of the city.

Georgia Historical Society (Savannah, Georgia, USA): Holds the oldest collection of Georgia history, including manuscripts, maps, and artifacts directly related to Sherman’s occupation.

Location

General: Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA.

Coordinates: 32°04′52″N 81°05′28″W

Recommended Book

Southern Storm: Sherman’s March to the Sea by Noah Andre Trudeau.

Books for sale

WarScholar Press

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

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Battles of December 20 plus museums and artwork information

Battles of December 20 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

1. Battle of Dranesville

Date: December 20, 1861

War: American Civil War

Cause: Following the Union disaster at Ball’s Bluff, tensions were high in Northern Virginia. Both Union and Confederate forces sent out foraging parties on the same day to gather hay and supplies from farms between their lines. The escorts for these wagons collided near the village of Dranesville.

Result: Union Victory. Union Brigadier General E.O.C. Ord’s forces arrived first and established a strong position. When Confederate J.E.B. Stuart attacked, he was repulsed by superior Union artillery and infantry fire. The victory provided a much-needed morale boost for the North during a winter of stagnation.

Paintings & Art

Painting: Battle at Dranesville, Va. Decr. 20th, 1861 (Map/Watercolor)

  • Artist: Robert Knox Sneden
  • Year: c. 1861–1865

Painting: The Battle of Dranesville (Engraving)

  • Artist: Harper’s Weekly Staff (Sketch by an officer on the field)
  • Year: 1862

Museums & Artifacts

Virginia Museum of the Civil War (New Market, Virginia, USA): While focused on the later Battle of New Market, this museum serves as a central hub for Civil War history in Virginia, holding varied artifacts from the campaigns in the region.

Virginia Historical Society / Virginia Museum of History & Culture (Richmond, Virginia, USA): Holds the “Sneden Scrapbook,” a massive collection of Civil War watercolors and maps by soldier-artist Robert Knox Sneden, including his depiction of Dranesville.

Location

General: Dranesville, Virginia, USA (Modern-day intersection of Route 7 and Route 193). Coordinates: 39.0044° N, 77.3377° W

Recommended Book Dranesville: A Northern Virginia Town in the Crossfire of a Forgotten Battle, December 20, 1861 by Ryan T. Quint.

2. Battle of Holly Springs (Van Dorn’s Raid)

Date: December 20, 1862

War: American Civil War

Cause: Union General Ulysses S. Grant was advancing toward Vicksburg, Mississippi, using Holly Springs as his primary supply depot. Recognizing the vulnerability of Grant’s long supply line, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn launched a daring cavalry raid behind Union lines to destroy these supplies.

Result: Confederate Victory. Van Dorn’s troopers caught the Union garrison by surprise, capturing the town and burning millions of dollars worth of food, forage, and munitions. The destruction forced Grant to abandon his overland advance on Vicksburg and retreat to Memphis, delaying the fall of Vicksburg by months.

Paintings & Art

Painting: The Raid on Holly Springs (Engraving)

  • Artist: Alexander Simplot (attrib. for Harper’s Weekly)
  • Year: 1863

Painting: Earl Van Dorn (Carte de visite / Photograph)

  • Artist: Vannerson & Jones (Photographers)
  • Year: c. 1861–1863

Museums & Artifacts

Marshall County Historical Museum (Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA): Located in the historic town itself, this museum houses an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts related to the raid, including weaponry, uniforms, and local accounts of the destruction.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum & Museum of Mississippi History (Jackson, Mississippi, USA): Provides broader context on the Civil War in Mississippi and the impact of military campaigns on both soldier and civilian populations in the state.

Location

General: Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA.

Coordinates: 34.7675° N, 89.4486° W

Recommended Book Holly Springs: Van Dorn, the CSS Arkansas and the Raid That Saved Vicksburg by Brandon H. Beck.

3. First Battle of Champagne (Start of Offensive)

Date: December 20, 1914

War: World War I

Cause: Following the “Race to the Sea” which established the trench lines of the Western Front, the French army launched its first major offensive in the Champagne region. The goal was to break the German line, seize the railway junction at Attigny, and force a German retreat.

Result: Inconclusive / Strategic Failure. The offensive, which began on December 20, resulted in minor tactical gains but failed to break the German lines. It devolved into a war of attrition with heavy casualties on both sides, setting the grim tone for trench warfare in the years to follow.

Paintings & Art

Painting: Fighting in Champagne (Sketch/Painting)

  • Artist: Leon Broquet
  • Year: c. 1914–1918

Painting: Verdun (Associated War Artist for the region)

  • Artist: Félix Vallotton
  • Year: 1917

Museums & Artifacts

Musée de l’Armée (Paris, France): Located at Les Invalides, this is one of the world’s premier military museums, holding vast collections of WWI uniforms, weapons, and artwork, including works by artists commissioned to paint the Champagne front.

La Contemporaine (Nanterre, France): A library and museum specializing in 20th-century history, holding a significant collection of sketches, paintings, and posters from the First World War.

Location

General: Perthes-lès-Hurlus (near Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus), Grand Est, France.

Coordinates: 49.1833° N, 4.5500° E

Recommended Book The French Army in the First World War by Elizabeth Greenhalgh.

4. Invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause)

Date: December 20, 1989

War: United States Invasion of Panama

Cause: Tensions between the U.S. and Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega reached a breaking point due to drug trafficking indictments, harassment of U.S. personnel, and the killing of a U.S. Marine. President George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion to protect American lives, restore democracy, and seize Noriega.

Result: United States Victory. U.S. forces quickly overwhelmed the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF). Key targets, including the Comandancia (PDF Headquarters) in the El Chorrillo neighborhood, were seized. Noriega eventually surrendered, and the PDF was dissolved.

Paintings & Art

Painting: El Chorrillo, December 20, 1989 (Mural/Acrylic on Canvas)

  • Artist: Aristides Ureña Ramos
  • Year: 2021

Painting: ManiObras (Series created during the crisis leading to the invasion)

  • Artist: Isabel De Obaldía
  • Year: 1989

Museums & Artifacts

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Panama City, Panama): Houses significant Panamanian art from the late 20th century, including works that reflect on the political crisis and the 1989 invasion.

The Panama Canal Museum Collection (Gainesville, Florida, USA): Housed at the University of Florida, this collection preserves documents, photographs, and oral histories related to the American era in Panama, including the 1989 invasion.

Location

General: El Chorrillo Neighborhood, Panama City, Panama.

Coordinates: 8.9503° N, 79.5333° W

Recommended Book Operation Just Cause: The Storming of Panama by Thomas Donnelly.

Books for sale

WarScholar Press

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Tags: military museum, military artwork, battles, Military History, War History, Battle Art, War Paintings, War Art, Military Art, Museum Visit, Art History, Historical Artifacts, Museum Collection, Battlefield Tours, History Museum, Museum Life, History In Art, Historic Preservation December 20, On This Day, History, Military History, War History, Historical Events, History Buff, World History, Civil War, ACW, Battle Of Dranesville, Holly Springs, Van Dorn Raid, WWI, First World War, Champagne 1914, Operation Just Cause, Invasion Of Panama, Panama 1989, Union Vs Confederate

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