Difference between revisions of "American Civil War: 1865"
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Revision as of 01:57, November 26, 2009
| American Civil War: 1865 | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Date Begun | April 12, 1861 |
| Date Ended | April 9, 1865 |
| Casualties | Total: 1,032,200 Killed: 203,000 Died from other: 417,000 Wounded: 412,200 |
United States (Union) | |
| President | Abraham Lincoln |
| Vice-President | Andrew Johnson |
| Secretary of State | William Seward |
| Secretary of War | Edwin M. Stanton |
| Secretary of the Navy | Gideon Welles |
Confederate States (Confederacy) | |
| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Vice-President | Alexander Stephens |
| Secretary of State | Judah P. Benjamin |
| Secretary of War | John C. Breckinridge |
| Secretary of the Navy | Stephan R. Mallory |
| Military Leaders | |
| Union | Confederate |
As 1865 began, Lincoln and his generals knew there would be at least one final bloody battle before the rebels laid down their arms; yet when they did, it was on terms as generous and humane as possible.
Contents
Beginning of the end
President Lincoln was delighted with Savannah as a Christmas present. In his congratulatory letter to Sherman and Grant, the Commander in Chief said that he would leave the final phases of the war to his two leading professional soldiers. Accordingly, from City Point, on December 27, 1864, Grant directed Sherman to march overland toward Richmond. At 3:00 P.M. on December 31, Sherman agreed to execute this last phase of Grant’s continental sweep. In the final 100 days of the war, the two generals would clearly demonstrate the art of making the principles of warfare come alive and would prove that each principle was something more than a platitude. The commanders had a common objective: Grant and Meade would continue to hammer Lee. Sherman was to execute a devastating invasion northward through the Carolinas toward a juncture with Meade’s Army of the Potomac, then on the line of the James River. Their strategy was simple. It called for the massing of strength and exemplified an economy of force. It would place Lee in an untenable position, cutting him off from all other Confederate commanders and trapping him between two Union armies. Surprise would be achieved by reuniting all of Sherman’s original corps when Schofield, moving from central Tennessee by rail, river, and ocean transport, arrived at the Carolina capes. Solidly based on a centralized logistical system with protected Atlantic supply ships at their side, Grant and Sherman were ready to end Lee’s stay in Richmond.
General Robert E. Lee, however, was aware of the fact that time was running out, and he wrote to Jefferson Davis that the Confederates would have to concentrate their forces for a last-ditch stand. Recognizing his contributions, the Confederate Congress conferred on Lee the title of supreme commander of all Confederate armies, which to the general - who could no longer control events - was a hollow tribute. He was keenly aware of the fact that Sherman had inflicted damage on South Carolina much worse than in Georgia, and as he received his "honor" from his government, the Confederacy's last available port, Wilmington, North Carolina, fell on February 5.
The peace conference
Just a few days before, representatives from the Confederate government met with Lincoln onboard the steamer River Queen in Hampton Roads. Authorized by Davis, the trio of Vice-President Alexander Stephens, Senate pro tempore Robert M.T. Hunter, and John A. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of War, their abject purpose was to seek conditions for peace between them, on the basis of two separate countries. Lincoln informs the trio that Federal authority over "our one common country" was essential to peace. He had also let them know of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which prohibited slavery everywhere. The four-hour conference ended in a deadlock, and the Confederate representatives had to go back to Davis empty-handed.
The Carolinas
The first weeks of February have Sherman closing in on Columbia, the South Carolina capitol and the epicenter of the secession. Sporadic fighting and skirmishes occur as the rebels try in vain to slow the progress of his army; River's Bridge, Dillingham's Crossroads, Fishburn's Plantation, and Blackville occupy the the first week. At Williston on the 8th, Sherman is confronted by a complaint delivered across the lines from Confederate cavalry leader General Joseph Wheeler, who claimed that Union soldiers were indiscriminately destroying private property in their path. "I hope you will burn all the cotton and save us the trouble," Sherman replied. "All you don't burn, I will. As to private houses occupied by peaceful families, my orders are not to molest or disturb them, and I think my orders are obeyed."
More skirmishes would follow: the separate bridges called Binnaker's and Holman's; Orangeburg Bridge on the 12th; Bates Ferry on the Congaree River on the 15th. Captured was the Augusta and Charleston Railroad, putting the Union commander in a threatening position between rebel forces in Augusta and the coast, which meant Charleston was now on its own. Continuing attacks by Southern calvary failed to slow Sherman, who is now within sight of Columbia. Confederate generals Beauregard and Hampton have no choice but to evacuate, completing it by mid-day on the 16th. At the same time in Charleston, General William Hardee makes similar preparations.
Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was restored to command with orders to stop Sherman, but the most he could do was an orderly retreat. An attack on two of Sherman's corps near Bentonville on March 19 provided a glimmer of hope, but the following day more of Sherman’s forces were on the scene and Johnston had to continue his retreat. There would be no further major attempts to stop Sherman as he continued north.
Appomattox
- APPOMATTOX C. H., VA.,
- April 9th, 1865.
- GEN. R. E. LEE,
- Comd’g C. S. A.
- GEN: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside.
- Very respectfully,
- U. S. GRANT,
- Lt. Gen. [1]
- HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
- April 9, 1865.
- GENERAL:—I received your letter of this date containing the terms of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th inst., they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.
- R. E. LEE, General. [2]
Articles in the series
Links
The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
General
- Library of Congress Civil War map collection
- The Civil War Homepage
- The PBS/Ken Burns documentary
- The History Place
- Civil War at a Glance; US Interior Department
- Shotgun's home of the American Civil War
- US Civil War Center, from Louisiana State University
- Civil War Treasures, from New York Historical Society
- Memoirs of William T. Sherman, from Son of the South.com
