July 27, 1943 - Tuesday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - 

July 24th: At sea all day.  At noon, just north of Crooked Island, Bahamas.  Strong breeze late morning.

July 25th: At sea all day.  At noon, 250 miles NNW of Cartagena, Colombia.

July 26th: At sea, moored after 10 AM.  Transiting Panama Canal.

July 27th: At sea, 8 AM to 5 PM. Transiting Panama Canal.

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Daly has begun its transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16).  Initial destination is San Diego, CA.

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The Allied Invasion of Sicily continued as Allied forces continue to push the Italian forces toward the northeast corner of the island.  

Battle of the Pips

In the Aleutians, a US Navy battleship-cruiser force with escorting destroyers was preparing to bombard Kiska Island, but was also on the lookout for a Japanese resupply force that had been reported earlier west of Attu.  Radar was new to many of the ships and not fully reliable.  On the night of July 25th, the battleships and cruisers believed that they saw the Japanese force on radar, but the destroyers saw nothing.  A full attack was ordered and hundreds of large shells (14-inch and 8-inch) were fired on the targets.

A search the next morning found nothing; no enemy ships afloat, no wreckage anywhere.  As it turned out, the attack was conducted on an empty sea.  Whatever caused the echoes - distant mountains, sea birds, or something else - it was not enemy ships.  Radar was very useful, but still could give false returns.  Wags named the engagement the "Battle of the Pips" (pips being the name for the echoes on the radar screen), and there was much jocularity about this throughout the fleet.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 365-366. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-61.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-206.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 27TH

July 27, 1863 - Monday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

There is little movement either of Rosecrans' army or the army in Kentucky under Burnside.  A series of notes between Halleck in Washington and Rosecrans' rehash the prodding to move the army forward and the reasons it cannot.  

Troops that were to be returned to the area after the fall of Vicksburg have not yet arrived from Mississippi.  Burnside is told not to wait for these but to commence immediately to move on East Tennessee.  Burnside is also in the process of finishing the defeat of Morgan's raid.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 552-564.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 123.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 31ST

July 23, 1943 - Friday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

July 20th: In port all day.

July 21st: In port all day.

July 22nd: At sea starting at 8 AM for the rest of the day.  At noon, about 100 miles east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Breezy to light gale force winds in the evening.

July 23rd: At sea all day with considerable breezes while proceeding south.  At noon, about 450 miles east of Jacksonville, FL.

NOTE: Wind force is recorded in deck logs as a number, this is assumed to be in the Beaufort Scale.

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Daly has begun its transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16).  Initial destination is San Diego, CA.

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The Allied Invasion of Sicily continued as General Patton captured Palermo and Allied forces are pushing the Italian forces toward the northeast corner of the island. 

The Battle of Kursk had ended and the Russian army has begun to advance on German positions near Belgorod, Russia.

In the Aleutians, the Navy bombarded Kiska Island on consecutive days, the second day with a battleship and cruiser force.  In the Solomons, two Japanese destroyers were sunk by airplanes from Guadalcanal.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 361-363. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-54.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-191.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 27TH

 

 

July 23, 1863 - Thursday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

General Halleck is requesting reports on the disposition of Rosecrans' forces; this is in preparation for once again urging a move forward.  The Army of the Cumberland is deployed in an arc between Winchester, TN and McMinnville, TN, facing Chattanooga.  Rosecrans is as usual looking to secure supplies and equipment before moving forward.

Morgan's_Raid continued through Central Ohio, and Morgan was now near Zanesville, OH and was trying to make his way south again and reach his own lines.  Union troops are still in close pursuit.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 544-552.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 122-123.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 27TH 

 

July 19, 1943 - Monday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

July 16th: At sea all day. At noon, about 100 miles east of Atlantic City, NJ.

July 17th: At sea all day. At noon, about 50 miles southwest of Nantucket. 

July 18th: Returned to port at 9 AM.  Fueling in morning.

July 19th: In port all day,

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Daly would soon depart New York and transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, initially arriving at San Diego.  Daly would be in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier earlier lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

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The Allied Invasion of Sicily continued with Allied advances inland on the southern part of the island. 

The Battle of Kursk had ended without resolution, but for the rest of the war, German forces would no longer be on the offensive.  The German high command had begun diverting troops to Italy to oppose the Allied invasion there.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 361-363. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-54.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-191.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 23RD

 

July 19, 1863 - Sunday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

The Army of the Cumberland remains in place for the present, as supply routes are established and re-supply of the army continues.  The rains have let up and the rivers are beginning to recede.

Morgan's raid is losing momentum as many of his cavalry are captured, he has moved through Ohio and is attempting to get to Pennsylvania and then find a way to return south.  Union forces are in pursuit.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 534-544.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 122.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 23RD

July 15, 1943 - Thursday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

July 12th: In port all day.

July 13th: In port all day. 

July 14th: In port all day.

July 15th: At sea at 9 AM for the rest of the day.

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Daly would soon depart New York and transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, initially arriving at San Diego.  Daly would be in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier earlier lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

---------------------------

The Allied Invasion of Sicily continued with Allied advances inland on the southern part of the island. 

In Russia, at the Battle of Kursk, the German northern offensive had stalled but the southern arm of the German pincer was still advancing.  German leadership was beginning to contemplate calling off the attack and diverting troops to Italy to blunt the Allied invasion there.

The naval Battle of Kolombangara took place in the Solomon Islands near New Georgia and Kolombangara Island.  One Japanese cruiser and one US destroyer was sunk, and 3 allied cruisers were damaged enough to be out of action for significant time.  Japanese troops were landed on New Georgia.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 359-361. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-54.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-191.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 19TH

 

 

July 15, 1863 - Wednesday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

The Army of the Cumberland has little movement at this time.  There is fighting at Jackson, MS and Charleston, SC.  Lee returns to Virginia as Meade's army trails them but does not attack in any large numbers.  Union forces at Cairo, IL are concerned about a cavalry raid on Cairo, where most of the naval stores are located.

Morgan's Raid continued through southern Indiana and then into Ohio.  Morgan avoided the Union troops at Cincinnati, and moved through southern Ohio.

Large riots occurred in New York City in resistance to the military draft which had begun to draw names for service in the Union army.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 530-534.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 121-122.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 19TH 

 

July 11, 1943 - Sunday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

July 8th: In port all day.

July 9th: In port all day. 

July 10th: In port all day.  Fueling in the afternoon.

July 11th: In port all day.

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Daly would soon depart New York and transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, initially arriving at San Diego.  Daly would be in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier earlier lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

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On the night of July 9-10, the Allied Invasion of Sicily began with landings on the southern coast of the island.  This was the beginning of the Allies' attempt to capture Sicily and mainland Italy.  The city of Syracuse was captured on the second day.

In Russia, the Battle of Kursk had begun; this is largest tank battle in history.  It would go on for a week before the German offensive stalled and was then called off - in part due to a need to send German troops to help defend Italy.

Fighting also continued in New Georgia as Marines drove to capture the town of Munda and its airfield.  Navy ships continue bombardment of Munda.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 356-359. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-54.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-177.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 15TH

 

 

July 11, 1863 - Saturday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

The army under General Rosecrans is mostly remaining in place as poor weather continues.  It is reported to have rained for 15 consecutive days.  Crittenden's troops can only move slowly, advancing 20 miles in 4 days.

Confederate cavalry under Morgan crossed the Ohio and entered into southern Indiana.  This is the most famous of Morgan's numerous raids, and on crossing he spent four days in Indiana, and captured most of a hastily assembled militia force at the Battle of Corydon.   By the night of the 11th, Morgan was near the small town of Dupont, IN.

Action in Mississippi as a Union army under General Sherman moved to confront a Confederate army under General Joseph Johnston that is at Jackson, MS.  Sherman and Johnston would later lead the opposing armies in the Atlanta Campaign.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 521-530.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 120-121.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 15TH 

 

July 7, 1943 - Wednesday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

July 4th: In port all day.

July 5th: At sea at 5 PM. 

July 6th: At sea all day, 8 PM 300 miles due east of Atlantic City, NJ.

July 7th: Moored at noon for rest of day.  Fueling in afternoon.

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Daly would soon depart New York and transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, initially arriving at San Diego.  Daly would be in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier earlier lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

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In the Aleutians, there was a ship bombardment of Kiska Island by a US cruiser forces.  There was no return fire from the island.  Kiska would be the next focus of the Navy in the Aleutians campaign.

The Battle of Kula Gulf took place near New Georgia in the Solomons overnight on July 5-6.  A force of Japanese destroyers was transporting troops to Kolombangara, where it was met by a US Navy force of cruisers and destroyers.  The Japanese managed to land 1600 reinforcements at Vila on Kolombangara Island, but had 2 destroyers sunk and another 2 damaged, while the US Navy lost the light cruiser Helena. 

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 353-356. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-54.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 160-175.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 11TH

July 7, 1863 - Tuesday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

July 4, 1863 has long been considered as a major turning point in the Civil War.  The city of Vicksburg, MS is formally surrendered to General Grant on this day.  This ensures Union control of the entire length of the Mississippi River and has effectively split the Confederacy in two.  Lee continues his retreat back into Virginia from the lost battle of Gettysburg, and is shadowed but not directly attacked by the Union army under General Meade.

General Rosecrans has pushed Bragg to abandon Tullahoma, TN and retreat toward Chattanooga. No  major battle or significant casualties were required to do so.  When Rosecrans is urged forward, he points in reply to the advances he has made.  He stops, however, because of rains and supply line problems.  It is possible that he is unsure how to proceed; between his position and Chattanooga are a series of high ridges that are difficult to cross.  A modern-day driver on Interstate 24 approaching Chattanooga from the north can clearly see the obstacles Rosecrans was facing.

Union army information is that Confederate forces are being withdrawn from East Tennessee to support Bragg, and again the commanders at Washington call for an invasion toward Knoxville.  However, the same difficulties described before continue to apply. 

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 511-521.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 119-120.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-675. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 11TH

July 3, 1943 - Saturday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - New York

June 30th: At sea 10 AM to 6 PM, otherwise in port.

July 1st: In port all day. A number of sailors reported onboard for duty.

July 2nd: In port all day.  One sailor sentenced to solitary confinement on bread and water for seven days for disobedience and insolence, others receive loss of pay for being absent over leave.

July 3rd:  In port all day.  Fueling in late morning.

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Daly would soon depart New York and transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, initially arriving at San Diego.  Daly would be in the screen of the new Essex-class carrier Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier earlier lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

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The full invasion of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands was begun.

In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the first resident workers arrived in the newly built town.  As many as 70,000 people would live in the town during the war; however, its existence was kept secret as it separated the isotopes required for the Manhattan Project's atomic bomb.

 

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 352-354. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 22-52.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 120-140.  
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, June, 1943
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, July, 1943
  
  
  
    

NEXT POST:  JULY 7TH

 

 

 

July 3, 1863 - Friday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

General Rosecrans orders the army forward toward the Confederate army's base at Tullahoma, and pushes his left flank forward to try to cut off the Confederates' path to Chattanooga.  Wood's division (with the 40th Indiana) is sent forward to Hillsborough on July 1st, and as it becomes more clear the Bragg's army is retreating, Wood is moved further south to Pelham, TN on the 3rd.  

In the east, the Battle of Gettysburg concludes on the 3rd, as the frontal attack now known as Pickett's charge is a disaster for Lee's army.  The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia falls back from the town, eventually returning to Virginia.  Meade's Union Army does not aggressively pursue them.

In Mississippi, the siege of Vicksburg has continued while the Confederacy tries to gather enough troops to lift the siege.  By July 3rd the city can no longer hold out.  Flags of truce are shown, and the formal surrender of the city will be the next day.

News of Gettysburg and Vicksburg was celebrated at Washington D.C., but any hope for a third breakthrough in Tennessee is disappointed as Rosecrans stops to consolidate his gains.  Wood's division is at Pelham on the left of the army, with the rest of the army along a line toward the southwest at Cowan and Winchester.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XXIII, Chapter XXXV, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 485-511.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 116-119.
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1I, Fredericksburg to Meridian, Shelby Foote, pp. 401-457. 
• This Terrible Sound, The Battle of Chickamauga,  Peter Cozzens, pp. 1-22.
  

NEXT POST:  JULY 7TH