WAR OF SECESSION 



6149 



WAR OF SECESSION 



aged the Union commanders to hope for a 

 speedy conclusion of the war, and a "hammer- 

 ing campaign" was projected for 1864. Lee 

 guarded Richmond; Johnston held the central 

 South safe from the Federals by virtue of a 

 strong force in Northern Georgia. Grant deter- 

 mined to address himself to Lee and the cap- 

 ture of Richmond; to Sherman he assigned the 

 task of defeating Johnston and then to march 

 across the South to the sea. The two com- 

 manders began their campaigns on the same 

 Sherman fought Johnston at Resaca, Dai- 

 ton and Kenesaw Mountain in May and June, 

 driving resistlessly forward, with Atlanta, the 

 central South's chief city, as his objective. He 

 entered Atlanta September 2, and nearly de- 

 yed it. Then began the famous march 

 "from Atlanta to the sea." 



The Confederates hoped to draw him back 

 to support Thomas, who was threatened at 

 iiville, but in this they did not succeed. 

 Thomas destroyed Hood's army in two battles, 

 Franklin and Nashville, and Sherman pro- 

 ceeded on his course, cutting a path sixty miles 

 wide through the heart of the Confederacy. It 

 was the most spectacular event of the war. 

 On December 22 he captured Savannah and 

 turned northward on February 1, 1865, to unite 

 with Grant. 



In the East in May and June Grant fought 

 the forces of Lee, Longstreet and other leaders 

 of the Confederacy in seven days' battles in 

 low, tangled underbrush and swampy lands 

 known as the "Wilderness." Never to be for- 

 gotten were the struggles at Spottsylvania, 

 Cold Harbor, and other fields leading to Rich- 

 mond. Grant lost over 60,000 men ; a less de- 

 termined leader would have slackened his pace, 

 but he declared he would "fight it out on that 

 line if it took all summer." And it did require 

 all that summer, and longer; Lee retreat n I int.. 

 Richmond and fortified himself, and Grant 

 >d the city, located his center south of 

 Petersburg, and laid siege to the capital. Burn- 

 side mined the Confederate works at Peters- 

 burg, and when the mine was fired the Union 

 s rushed forward to force their way into 

 mond, but were stopped by the deadlines 

 resistance offered. 



In order to draw some part of the Confed- 

 erate forces from the defense of Richmond, 

 ;dan engaged Early 's Southern troops in 

 Shenandoah Valley. The former was suc- 

 cessful at first, but later Early attacked th.- 

 I "lerals at Cedar Creek, \\i idan was 



absent "at Winchester, twenty miles away." 



His hurried ride to the front, where he changed 

 a threatened defeat into victory, has been 

 made familiar to every child in the poem by 

 Thomas Buchanan Read (see page 4936). 

 Sheridan laid waste the valley, to separate 

 Lee's army from its source of supplies. 



EASTERN THI:AT-:I; OF-' WAR 



In June the famous raider Alabama was 

 sunk in a battle with the Kcarsarge off the 

 coast of France. 



The End of the War. Lee was shut up in 

 Richmond with about 40,000 men; the be- 

 siegers had over 100,000 troops. Grant cap- 

 tured Petersburg April 2, 1865; Lee evacuated 

 Richmond the next day, and the Federals en- 

 tered the capital. President Davis escaped to 

 North Carolina. On April 9 Lee surrendered 

 what remained of the Confederate an 

 Appomattox Court House, * miles 



west of Richmond. 



President Davis fled farther south. On May 

 11 he was captund m Georgia, was imprisoned 

 at Fortress Monroe for two yean and was then 

 released. Gradually, by proclamations of am- 

 nesty (see page 238), those who had been en- 

 gaged in the rebellion were restored to their 

 full rights of property and citiienship. 



Death of President Lincoln. Joy in both 

 North and South over the termination of the 

 war was turned to mourning when on the evc- 

 of April II. five days after the surrender of 



