Wednesday, June 3, 1863
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| Expedition from: | Batesville, AR | May 30 - February 3, 1864 | Expedition to: | Clinton, LA | June 3 - 8, 1863 | Expedition to: | Deer Creek, MS | June 1863 | Operation: | Eastern Shore, VA | August 20 - June 3, 1863 | Skirmish: | Fayetteville, VA | June 3, 1863 | Skirmish: | Fayetteville, WV | June 3, 1863 | Campaign: | Gettysburg, PA | June 3 - August 11, 1863 | Operation: | Gloucester Peninsula, VA | August 20, 1862 - June 4, 1863 | Expedition from: | Haynes Bluff, MS | May 26 - June 4, 1863 | Expedition from: | Haynes Bluff, MS | June 2 - 8, 1863 | Expedition from: | Jackson, TN | June 2 - 7, 1863 | Expedition: | James River, VA | June 3 - 7, 1863 | Skirmish: | Legare's Point, SC | June 3, 1863 | Expedition to: | Mechanicsburg, MS | May 26 - June 4, 1863 | Expedition to: | Mechanicsville, MS | June 2 - 8, 1863 | Skirmish: | Murfreesborough, TN | June 3, 1863 | Siege: | Port Hudson, LA | May 21 - July 8, 1863 | Expedition to: | Satartia, MS | June 2 - 8, 1863 | Engagement: | Simsport, LA | June 3, 1863 | Expedition against: | Snake Indians, Idaho Territory | May 4 - October 26, 1863 | Siege: | Vicksburg, MS | May 18 - July 4, 1863 | Operation: | Vicksburg, MS | January 20 - July 4, 1863 |
| Appointment: | Benjamin Henry Grierson, USA, to Brigadier General | Appointment: | Brigadier General Quincy A. Gillmore, USA, to temporary commander of the Federal Department of the South, South Carolina, et. al. |
(Source: Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Vol. I, p. 660-991. Frederick H. Dyer; The Chronological Tracking Of The American Civil War Per The Offical Records Of The War of the Rebellion pp. 1-336. Ronald A. Mosocco.)
Naval Events:
Rear Admiral Porter, writing from his flagship, U.S.S. Black Hawk, informed General Grant that he had sent six 8-inch guns up the Yazoo River, "to be placed where required," and two 9-inch guns to Warrenton as well. The Admiral also wrote to Lieutenant Commander Greer, U.S.S. Benton, urging a continual fire from the gunboats into the Vicksburg positions. "The town," he noted will soon fall now, and we can affort to expend a little more ammunition."(Source: Civil War Naval Chronology 1861-1865. pp. I:1-41; II:1-117; III:1-170; IV:1-152; V:1-134. 1971: Naval History Division, Navy Department.)U.S.S. Stars and Stripes, commanded by Acting Master Charles L. Willcomb, captured sloop Florida at St. Marks Bay, Florida, with cargo of cotton and tar.
Ram U.S.S. Switzerland, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J. Ellet, reconnoitered the Atchafalaya River as far as Simmesport, Louisiana, upon hearing reports that Confederate General Kirby Smith might be advancing to engage the Union position above Port Hudson. Half a mile above Simmesport, heavy rifle fire was opened on the ram. "Strongly. posted behind the levee and heavy earthworks, within 100 yards of the channel of the river," Ellet reported, "they poured a perfect storm of Minie balls upon us as we passed in front of the town. The fire of the artillery was also very severe." After a vigorous exchange in which Switzerland sustained seven hits, the ram withdrew. Next day, U.S.S. Lafayette and Pittsburg "proceeded to Simmesport and shelled the rebels away from their breastworks, fired their camp and the houses which had been occupied as their quarters. The gunboats then returned to their positions at the mouth of the Red River.
Additional Information:
The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi. (MS011) (Grant's Operations Against Vicksburg [March-July 1863]).
The Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana. (LA010) (Siege of Port Hudson [May-July 1863]).
Confederate General Robert E. Lee, CSA, with 75,000 Confederates launches his second invasion of the North from Fredericksburg, Maryland, heading into Pennsylvania in a campaign that will soon lead to Gettysburg.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, USA, at the head of the Federal 54th Massachusetts Infantry, an all-negro regiment, arrives in Port Royal, South Carolina, from Boston, Massachusetts.
(Source: Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report: Battle Summaries. National Park Service. In The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed., 1998. Edited by Frances H. Kennedy; A Concise Encyclopedia of the Civil War, p. 203-221. Henry E. Simmons 1965; The Chronological Tracking Of The American Civil War Per The Offical Records Of The War of the Rebellion pp. 1-336. Ronald A. Mosocco.)