Hillstrom K., Hillstrom L.C., Baker L.W. (ed.)

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.

he North continued to roll toward victory during the first

months of 1865. Exhausted by the long war, the South’s

military and civilian population proved powerless to stop the

Union forces as they moved across the Confederate country-

side. In early April, the South suffered two crushing blows when

Federal troops captured both Petersburg and Richmond in Vir-

ginia. Rebel general Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) surrendered a

few days later, ending the South’s bid for independence.

People of the North joined together in tremendous

celebrations when they learned of Richmond’s capture and

Lee’s surrender. But their joy at winning the war turned to

sorrow on April 14, 1865, when John Wilkes Booth

(1838–1865) assassinated President Abraham Lincoln

(1809–1865). Lincoln had successfully guided the Union

through the most troubled period in its history. His death

plunged the North into an angry and mournful mood.

Last days of the Confederacy

By the beginning of 1865, most Southerners recog-

nized that a Union victory seemed inevitable. The Southern

217

1865: Victory for the North

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 217

economy was in ruins, destroyed by

the North’s naval blockade and its oc-

cupation of large sections of Confeder-

ate territory. This economic collapse

made it a struggle for Southerners to

obtain food and clothing for them-

selves and their families.

Battlefield losses and supply

shortages also took their toll on Con-

federate armies, which decreased in

size with each violent clash. Depressed

and exhausted by long months of

fighting, many Southern soldiers de-

serted their units. Others stayed with

the army, but their hunger and weari-

ness made it difficult for them to be

effective. The morale of these valiant

but battered soldiers plummeted even

lower in February, when Union gener-

al William T. Sherman (1820–1891) re-

sumed his destructive march through

the South.

Lee remains trapped in

Petersburg

On February 1, 1865, General

Sherman marched his sixty thou-

sand–man army northward out of Sa-

vannah, Georgia. His goal was to

move all the way up the Atlantic

coastline to Petersburg, Virginia,

where Union general Ulysses S. Grant

(1822–1885) awaited his arrival.

Months earlier, Robert E. Lee

and his Army of Northern Virginia

had been forced to retreat to Peters-

burg in order to prevent Grant’s Army

of the Potomac from capturing the

Confederate capital of Richmond.

Richmond received most of its food

and supplies from railroads that

American Civil War: Almanac218

Words to Know

Blockade the act of surrounding a harbor

with ships in order to prevent other

vessels from entering or exiting the

harbor; the word blockade is also

sometimes used when ships or other

military forces surround and isolate a

city, region, or country

Civil War conflict that took place from

1861 to 1865 between the Northern

states (Union) and the Southern seced-

ed states (Confederacy); also known in

the South as the War between the

States and in the North as the War of

the Rebellion

Confederacy eleven Southern states that

seceded from the United States in

1860 and 1861

Enlistment the act of joining a country’s

armed forces

Federal national or central government;

also refers to the North or Union, as

opposed to the South or Confederacy

Rebel Confederate; often used as a name

for a Confederate soldier

Siege surrounding and blockading of a

city, town, or fortress by an army at-

tempting to capture it

Treason betrayal of one’s country

Union Northern states that remained loyal

to the United States during the Civil

War

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 218

passed through Petersburg, which is

twenty-three miles south of the capi-

tal city. If those railways were cap-

tured, the capital would have to sur-

render or face starvation.

Lee’s defense of Petersburg pre-

vented the Army of the Potomac from

swooping in and capturing Richmond.

But Grant’s decision to lay siege to Pe-

tersburg prevented the Confederate

defenders from moving anywhere else

for the rest of 1864. Grant’s siege kept

Lee’s troops trapped in Petersburg for

month after month, even as Union

armies in the West carved up large sec-

tions of Confederate territory.

Sherman moves through

South Carolina

Grant’s continued siege of Pe-

tersburg made it impossible for Lee to

send the Army of Northern Virginia

against Sherman’s invasion. Lee could

only stand by helplessly as Sherman

left Georgia and plowed northward

through South Carolina, leaving a trail

of ruined crops and burning buildings

in his wake.

Sherman’s march through

South Carolina resembled his late-

1864 invasion of Georgia in some

ways. Just as in Georgia, his Union

troops fed and clothed themselves by

taking whatever they needed from

Southern homeowners, farmers, and

shopkeepers. In addition, Sherman’s

army continued to destroy unused

crops and set fire to buildings, just as

it had done during its “March to the

Sea” a few months before.

1865: Victory for the North 219

People to Know

John Wilkes Booth (1838–1865) actor

who assassinated Abraham Lincoln

Jefferson Davis (1808–1889) president

of the Confederacy, 1861–65

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) Union

general who commanded all Federal

troops, 1864–65; led Union armies at

Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and

Petersburg; eighteenth president of the

United States, 1869–77

Joseph E. Johnston (1807–1891) Con-

federate general of the Army of Ten-

nessee who fought at First Bull Run and

Atlanta

Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) Confederate

general of the Army of Northern Vir-

ginia; fought at Second Bull Run, Anti-

etam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, and

Chancellorsville; defended Richmond

from Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Po-

tomac, 1864 to April 1865

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) six-

teenth president of the United States,

1861–65

Philip H. Sheridan (1831–1888) Union

major general who commanded the

Army of the Potomac’s cavalry corps

and the Army of the Shenandoah; also

fought at Perryville, Murfreesboro,

Chickamauga, and Chattanooga

William T. Sherman (1820–1891) Union

major general who commanded the

Army of the Tennessee and the Military

Division of the Mississippi, led famous

“March to the Sea”

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 219

fire, but others called the fire an acci-

dent or blamed it on fleeing Southern-

ers. In any event, Sherman’s march

through South Carolina left the state in

ruins. “All is gloom, despondency [loss

of hope or courage], and inactivity,” ad-

mitted one South Carolina native. “Our

army is demoralized and the people

panic stricken. To fight longer seems to

be madness.”

Desperation in the

Confederacy

In March, Sherman’s Army of

the Mississippi left South Carolina and

But Sherman’s troops treated

South Carolina even more harshly than

they had treated Georgia. South Caroli-

na had been the first state to secede

from the United States, and Sherman

and the members of his army wanted

to punish it for its leading role in estab-

lishing the Confederacy. As a result, the

invading Union army looted South

Carolina homes and burned South Car-

olina farmlands with great enthusiasm.

The state capital of Columbia went up

in flames, too, although people contin-

ue to disagree about how the fire got

started. Some observers insisted that

Federal troops purposely set the city on

American Civil War: Almanac220

Union general William T. Sherman (leaning against the back of a cannon) discusses strategy

with his staff. (Photograph by George N. Barnard. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 220

entered North Carolina. Meanwhile,

Confederate defenses continued to

crumble elsewhere in the South. Over

in Virginia, Union troops under the

direction of General Philip H. Sheri-

dan (1831–1888) conducted a series of

successful raids as they moved east-

ward to join Grant at Petersburg. In

Alabama and Georgia, a young Union

general named James H. Wilson

(1837–1925) defeated Confederate

cavalry forces led by the legendary

Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–1877)

to take control of several important

cities. And in North Carolina, Union

forces captured the port city of Wilm-

ington, which had been the last re-

maining Confederate port open to

blockade runners (supply ships that

tried to carry provisions past the

Union’s naval blockade).

As Sherman’s troops pushed

through North Carolina, they were re-

inforced by twenty thousand troops

under the command of John Schofield

(1831–1906). The addition of Scho-

field’s men increased the size of Sher-

man’s army to more than eighty thou-

sand troops, far bigger than any

Confederate army in the region. Con-

federate general Joseph E. Johnston

1865: Victory for the North 221

Union major general Philip H. Sheridan sits in front of his tent with his staff. (Courtesy of the

National Archives and Records Administration.)

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 221

voiced strong objections to the idea of

fighting side-by-side with blacks. Much

of this resistance came from deep-seat-

ed racism. These bigoted critics argued

that slaves did not have the intelli-

gence or discipline to be good soldiers,

and they declared that they would be

deeply offended if blacks were asked to

help defend the Confederacy.

Other Southerners objected to

the idea of enlisting slaves for more

practical reasons. They noted that few

slaves would willingly join the Con-

federate Army unless they were

promised their freedom. They warned

that the South’s slave-based economy

might be permanently damaged if

large numbers of slaves were freed.

Still other critics worried that if the

South voluntarily armed blacks, the

slaves might revolt against their own-

ers. More than anything else, though,

white opposition to the idea of adding

blacks to the Confederate Army

stemmed from the belief that fighting

with blacks would spoil the nobility of

the Southern cause. “Many Southern-

ers apparently preferred to lose the

war than to win it with the help of

black men,” observed James M.

McPherson in Battle Cry of Freedom.

By February 1865, however,

important Confederate leaders like

President Jefferson Davis (1808–1889)

and General Lee announced their sup-

port for the use of black troops. “The

negroes, under proper circumstances,

will make efficient soldiers,” wrote Lee

on February 18. “I think we could at

least do as well with them as the

enemy.” The general added that blacks

(1807–1891) tried to halt Sherman’s

progress with a force of twenty thou-

sand troops. But the Union comman-

der brushed him aside with ease as he

continued his march for Petersburg.

The Confederacy considers

using blacks as soldiers

As Union victories piled up

during 1864 and early 1865, a small

number of Southern lawmakers and

community leaders suggested adding

slaves to the Confederate Army. At

first, whites across the Confederacy

American Civil War: Almanac222

Union major general John M. Schofield.

(Photograph by Mathew B. Brady. Courtesy of the

Library of Congress.)

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 222

who fought under the Confederate

flag should be given their freedom

after the war. “It would be neither just

nor wise . . . to require them to serve

as slaves [after the war],” he said.

In mid-March, Confederate

lawmakers passed several preliminary

bills designed to legalize the use of

African Americans as Confederate sol-

diers. The Virginia legislature even

passed a state law calling for the en-

listment of black soldiers. Virginia

managed to organize two companies

of black soldiers to fight on behalf of

the South within a few weeks of pass-

ing the law. But as it turned out, the

war ended before they or any other

black Confederate soldiers could take

the field of battle.

Passage of the Thirteenth

Amendment

At the same time that Confed-

erate lawmakers debated about using

slaves in their army, President Lincoln

pushed for passage of the Thirteenth

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

This amendment abolished slavery all

across the nation.

Lincoln knew that passing an

amendment to the U.S. Constitution

required a great deal of work. For any

amendment to become law, it has to

be approved by both the U.S. Senate

and the U.S. House of Representatives.

It then has to be ratified (approved) by

three-fourths of the states before it can

become law. Despite these obstacles,

however, Lincoln offered strong sup-

port for the amendment after his 1864

reelection.

The U.S. Senate had passed the

amendment back in December 1863,

but it had stalled in the House of Rep-

resentatives. Lincoln and other

amendment supporters worked hard

to send the bill back to the House, and

on January 31, 1865, the U.S. House of

Representatives passed it despite op-

position from many Democrats. After

the vote, representatives who had sup-

ported the amendment burst into cel-

ebration. “Some [members] embraced

one another, others wept like chil-

dren,” recalled Indiana congressman

George W. Julian (1817–1899). “I have

felt, ever since the vote, as if I were in

a new country.”

The House’s passage of the

amendment cleared the way for indi-

vidual states to vote on the bill. Ten

months later, on December 18, 1865,

the Thirteenth Amendment became

law, ending slavery on American land

forever.

Grant increases pressure on

Petersburg

By the end of March, Northern

military actions and occupations had

reduced the Confederacy to tatters.

The only remaining Confederate army

of any significance was Lee’s Army of

Northern Virginia, numbering fewer

than fifty thousand troops. But it re-

mained trapped in Petersburg, sur-

rounded by an army more than twice

its size.

Lee recognized that his army

would be destroyed if it remained in

Petersburg. Sherman’s army was draw-

ing ever closer. The Confederate gen-

1865: Victory for the North 223

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 223

Southern mobs looted and burned

large sections of the city.

As Richmond went up in

flames at the hands of its own citi-

zens, Jefferson Davis and a number

of important Confederate officials

fled for North Carolina. They

stopped in Danville, where Davis

proclaimed that “I will never consent

to abandon to the enemy one foot of

the soil of any of the States of the

Confederacy. Let us . . . meet the foe

with fresh defiance, with uncon-

quered and unconquerable hearts.”

Danville was named the new capital

of the Confederacy, but it held the

title for just one week before Davis

was forced to flee again. Acknowledg-

ing that the North had taken control

of most Confederate land east of the

Mississippi River, Davis decided to

make a run for Texas.

Lee surrenders to Grant

General Lee and his dispirited

Army of Northern Virginia also evacu-

ated Petersburg and Richmond on

April 2. Lee moved his exhausted army

southward in a desperate bid to join

forces with Johnston’s twenty thou-

sand–man force, but the Army of the

Potomac immediately gave pursuit.

Lee’s reduced army of thirty-five thou-

sand men pushed on, spurred by their

deep devotion to their commander.

But on April 7, Union cavalry under

the direction of Sheridan stopped their

progress near the little town of Appo-

mattox (pronounced app–uh-MAT-

tux). As tens of thousands of addition-

al Federal troops closed in from all

eral knew that the addition of those

eighty thousand troops to Grant’s

Army of the Potomac would make his

foe even more powerful. Reviewing

the situation, Lee decided to strike be-

fore Sherman arrived. On March 25,

he ordered a desperate attack on Fort

Stedman, a Union position outside of

Petersburg. He hoped to punch a hole

through Grant’s line so that he could

escape Petersburg and join forces with

Johnston’s small army to the south.

The Army of Northern Vir-

ginia fought valiantly, but Grant’s

forces pushed back the assault. As

Lee’s weary soldiers retreated back to

their former positions, Grant decided

to launch a strike of his own. On April

1, twelve thousand Federal troops led

by General Sheridan defeated a small

rebel force commanded by George

Pickett (1825–1875) at a place called

Five Forks, fifteen miles west of Peters-

burg. Sheridan’s victory enabled the

North to seize the last remaining rail-

way line that had been providing sup-

plies to Petersburg and Richmond.

Grant captures Petersburg

and Richmond

When Grant learned of the

Union victory at Five Forks, he knew

that the South’s last hope of saving Pe-

tersburg and Richmond had been

crushed. Eager to press his advantage,

he ordered a full assault on the Con-

federate defenses at Petersburg. The

Union offensive forced the Confeder-

ates to evacuate both Petersburg and

Richmond. Before fleeing Richmond,

American Civil War: Almanac224

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 224

sides, Lee finally acknowledged that

the war had been lost.

On April 8, General Grant sent

Lee a note asking him to surrender.

Looking over the brave but battered

remnants of his Army of Northern Vir-

ginia, Lee realized that he had no other

choice. Writing in The Civil War, histo-

rian Bruce Catton noted that Lee’s deci-

sion to surrender “came just as Federal

infantry and cavalry were ready to

make a final, crushing assault on the

thin lines in Lee’s front. Out between

the lines came a Confederate horse-

man, a white flag fluttering at the end

of a staff, and a sudden quiet descended

on the broad field. While the soldiers in

both armies stared at one another, un-

able to believe that the fighting at last

was over, the commanding generals

made their separate ways into the little

town to settle things for good.”

On the morning of April 9, Lee

and Grant met at a small farmhouse to

discuss the terms of surrender. Guided

by Lincoln’s instructions and his own

strong desire to begin healing the

North’s tattered relationship with the

South, Grant offered generous terms.

He guaranteed that Confederate sol-

diers who put down their weapons

and went home would not be prose-

cuted for treason in the future. Grant

also agreed to Lee’s request that Con-

federate soldiers be allowed to keep

the horses that they owned in order

“to put in a crop to carry themselves

and their family through the next

winter.” Finally, Grant ordered his

army to give food and medicine to

Lee’s sick and hungry troops.

After Lee and Grant signed

the papers explaining the terms of

surrender, the two legendary mili-

tary leaders saluted one another and

left the farmhouse to rejoin their

armies. Grant later recalled that as

he watched Lee leave to go comfort

his men, “I felt . . . sad and de-

pressed at the downfall of a foe who

had fought so long and valiantly,

and had suffered so much for a

cause, though that cause was, I be-

lieve, one of the worst for which a

people ever fought.”

On April 8, 1865, Union general Ulysses S.

Grant asked Confederate general Robert E.

Lee to surrender. (Photograph by Mathew B.

Brady. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

1865: Victory for the North 225

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 225

Northern Virginia had always been

the South’s greatest army, and its de-

feat made it clear to everyone that

Lee’s surrender signaled the

end of the Confederacy’s long fight

for independence. The Army of

American Civil War: Almanac226

Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox County,

Virginia, site of the Confederates’ official

surrender to the Union. (Photograph by Timothy

H. Sullivan. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The

two riders explained that they were look-

ing for a place where the two military lead-

ers might discuss terms of surrender.

McLean took them to an empty building in

the area, but the riders rejected the site.

The elderly Virginian then offered the gen-

erals the use of his own home. The two

representatives accepted this suggestion,

and a few hours later, the two generals en-

tered his parlor to negotiate an end to the

long and bloody war.

Wilmer McLean Witnesses

History—Twice

During the course of the Civil War,

an elderly Virginian named Wilmer McLean

found himself in the thick of two of the

conflict’s most significant events.

When the Civil War first erupted in

the spring of 1861, McLean owned land

near the town of Manassas, Virginia. In

mid-July, armies from both sides ventured

into the area, and Confederate general

Pierre G. T. Beauregard (1818–1893) took

over McLean’s house as his headquarters. A

few days later, on July 21, the Civil War’s

first major military battle took place. This

clash at Manassas, commonly known as the

First Battle of Bull Run, ended in a decisive

Confederate victory.

Beauregard’s victory at Bull Run

pleased McLean. But the fight also con-

vinced the old man to move elsewhere.

Union artillery fire had ripped through

McLean’s home during the battle, and the

elderly Virginian worried that the region

might attract other armies in the future.

McLean then moved his family to

Appomattox County in southern Virginia,

where they spent the next four years in

peace. On the morning of April 9, 1865,

though, McLean was approached by two

mounted soldiers representing the armies

of Union general Ulysses S. Grant and

Civil War Almanac MB 10/7/03 4:02 PM Page 226

Hillstrom K., Hillstrom L.C., Baker L.W. (ed.) - American Civil War. Almanac

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.