January 29 – This day in the Civil War

1861

  • Kansas enters the Union as a free state.  Since 1854, it was unknown whether Kansas would become a free state – or a slave state.  With the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, states entering the Union would decide, by popular vote, their slavery status.  Nebraska, primarily populated with upper Midwesterners, was brought in as a free state.  Kansas, however, suffered serious problems with the popular sovereignty issue.  Many fraudulent voters, from Missouri – a slave state – crossed the border to vote.  There was much fighting between both factions.  Kansas would earn the moniker, “Bleeding Kansas,” due to the ongoing fighting.  Fortunately, on January 29, 1861, the state came in free.

1862

  • A small skirmish occurred in Occoquan, Virginia.  Called the battle of Occoquan Bridge, there would be a total of five federal casualties, and 10 Confederate casualties.

About Michael Noirot

I grew up in the Central Illinois farming community, of Dunlap. Growing up, I played sports, tinkered with cars and enjoyed photography. While I did well in school, I did not become passionate about history until my early 30's. I have built a large library, of books on early America, politics and the Civil War. I am an avid reader. Fortunately, I have had plenty of opportunities to travel, over the years, and have been to most of the Civil War battlefields. I work while I travel, so more often than not, I am up, in the middle of the night, to get sunrise pictures, or I will be out until well after dark, exploring Civil War battlefields. I have other hobbies, and passions, that I really enjoy. Number one on the list would be guitar. I play my guitars on a regular basis, and enjoy the Bluegrass, and Contemporary Christian (CCM) genres. I play a style of guitar, called FLATPICKING, where using a flat pick, you play lead solos, similar to the way a fiddle would have been played during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Laura, my wife, and I also enjoy scuba diving, travel and spending time at our property, in the country. Lastly, we spend as much time with our families, as possible. Thanks for stopping by.
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