February 15, 1945 - Thursday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS St. Croix

The St. Croix was approaching Guadalcanal by February 15th.  John was returning to a very familiar area that was now a staging area for the fighting further west.  St. Croix arrived at the island on the 16th.

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Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at the Yalta Conference in Crimea from the 4th to the 11th.  Roosevelt's health by this time had weakened considerably, and he was taxed by the long travel and a full week of high-level meetings.  At Yalta it became clear that Stalin intended that the Soviet Union would control all of eastern Europe, and free elections would not be allowed; Roosevelt was criticized then and after for essentially agreeing to this.  He would later say something along the lines of "it wasn't a good deal, but it was the best deal I could get".

Soviet forces continued to advance through central Poland, and crossed the Oder River.  In the west, the Allies were attacking west of the Rhine River.  Dresden was bombed starting on February 13th.

The Japanese army had mostly abandoned Manila, and it fell to the Allies on the 6th.  The Japanese navy gave some resistance to the Allied forces in the city.  Preparations were under way for the invasion of Iwo Jima.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 617-623.
• The Liberation of the Philippines, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 194-210 
  
• Victory in the Pacific, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 19 24
• USS_Saint_Croix
• Events of February, 1945
  

 

NEXT POST: MARCH 1ST

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 15, 1865 - Wednesday - 160 years ago today

Status - 40th Indiana - 4th Army Corps - 2nd Division - 2nd Brigade

The 4th Army Corps has moved to Huntsville, AL.  General Thomas has decided to advance no further until the roads are in better condition.  Another corps of infantry, and about 5000 cavalry, are in the process of moving from Tennessee to the Gulf Coast in order to attack Mobile, AL, and try to move further toward Montgomery, AL.

Most of the Confederate troops in the west have been rushed to Augusta, GA by railway in order to try to stop the advance of Sherman's army through the Carolinas.  Confederate troops are at Augusta and Charleston, but Sherman has gone between them and by the 15th is on the outskirts of Columbia, the state capital.  Nothing can save the city from the torch as it is viewed as the seat of the rebellion. 

A Confederate peace commission, led by Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens, meets with President Lincoln; the meeting is inconclusive, as Lincoln basically demands an unconditional surrender of the South.  Lincoln's rejection of any terms is used in the South to attempt to re-stoke the war effort.

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John Baer - Home, Tippecanoe County, IN

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More Information:

• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 197-199. 
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 775-792
  
• Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, p. 680-681.
• Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 748-758.
• Link: War Operations, see Volume XLIX, Chapter LXI, Part I, Correspondence, pp.623-724.
• Events: 1865   
  

 

NEXT POST: MARCH 1ST

February 1, 1945 - Thursday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS St. Croix

The St. Croix left San Diego at the end of the month, deploying to the South Pacific, first destination Guadalcanal.

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Fighting continues in the Philippines as the Navy finishes plans for the invasion of Iwo Jima.  The island was needed as an emergency haven for the heavy bombers making the round trip from the Marianas to Japan.  Navy task forces roamed the western Pacific sinking Japanese shipping, mostly cargo and support vessels.

The Allies had reversed the German advance in the Battle of the Bulge by January 25th, and went over to the offensive again.  Hitler made his last visit to the Western Front, and returned to Berlin where he would remain for the rest of the war.  Hitler gave his last public speech on the 30th.

In the east, the German command center (Wolf's Lair) had been abandoned, and the Auschwitz camp evacuated.  Most of Poland was in Soviet hands by this time.

President Roosevelt began his fourth term on the 20th, with new Vice President Harry Truman.  He soon left on a trip to Europe that would end with the Big 3 conference at Yalta.

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 611-617.
• The Liberation of the Philippines, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 136 194
  
• Victory in the Pacific, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 1 19
• USS_Saint_Croix
• Events of January, 1945
  

 

NEXT POST: FEBRUARY 15TH

February 1, 1865 - Wednesday - 160 years ago today

Status - 40th Indiana - 4th Army Corps - 2nd Division - 2nd Brigade

General Thomas has been ordered to move into Alabama, but also to send several thousand troops and cavalry to General Canby in New Orleans.  On the 29th, he orders one division of the 4th Corps to Nashville and then by steamer to Eastport, AL (it is not the division containing the 40th Indiana).  The movement to Nashville proceeds, but the river transport is stalled by the frozen rivers.

John Baer - Home, Tippecanoe County, IN 

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The remainder of the Confederate army in Mississippi was broken up; many were sent home, some were sent to defend Mobile, and many others were sent to Augusta, GA to help defend against Sherman's new advance into the Carolinas.  The remainder was scattered across northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

Sherman began his advance on the 19th, feinting toward Charleston and Augusta.  As the weather was poor, a full advance would begin a couple of weeks later.

The Federal Congress passed the 13th Amendment and sent it for ratification to the states.

A Confederate delegation including Vice President Alexander Stephens, was conducted across Union lines, and would meet with President Lincoln in early February.

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More Information:

• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 195-197. 
• The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 758-775
  
• Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, p. 672-680.
• Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 734-748.
• Link: War Operations, see Volume XLIX, Chapter LXI, Part I, Correspondence, pp.595-623.
• Events: 1865   
  

 

NEXT POST: FEBRUARY 15TH