On this date 150 years ago, in a move that was later censured by Union officials, Commandant Charles S. McCauley gave orders to burn the Federal Gosport Naval Yard near Norfolk, Virginia. Calculated to prevent the property from falling into Confederate hands, the base had been an important Federal military installation and its loss created difficulty for Union operations along the coast. The 4th Massachusetts Regiment arrived to support Fort Monroe.

Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee resigned his post with the Federal Army, choosing to side with the South. Many Confederate merchant started to repudiate debts to the North.