In this next installment of the US Civil War we're going to take a look at the year 1864. This was the year that Sherman began his march through Atlanta, Lincoln was reelected and the war was close to coming to an end The early months of the war were very quiet. The Confederacy was weakened, having sustained heavy casualties and moral was very low. Many soldiers were deserting. Lee himself could see that defeat was near. Yet the South fought on in one of the bloodiest years of the war. In May of 1864, after a relatively uneventful first four months, General Grant began his Wilderness campaign. This was the year that Grant was promoted to commander of the entire Union army and was probably the smartest move Lincoln had made to that point. Grant was a true leader and this appointment more than likely brought about a quicker end to the war. Grant had decided that he was going to engage Lee's forces in Virginia and not let up until they were completely destroyed. They met in a three day battle in the wilderness. Even though Lee inflicted more casualties on Grant than he had sustained, he didn't have as many men to begin with and had no reinforcements. This battle in the wilderness continued until they met at Spotsylvania. Here, Grant continued to attack Lee at the Spotsylvania Court House. Grant fought him for five days and vowed to fight him all summer long if he had to. In June of 1864, Grant followed Lee into Cold Harbor. This battle was so violent that Grant lost over 7,000 men in a little over 20 minutes. This was the fastest casualty rate of any battle in the whole war. Even though Lee suffered fewer casualties, he was never able to recover from Grant's relentless assault. While technically a victory for Lee, it was his last one of the war because his army was so depleted. Also in that month was the Siege On Petersburg. This actually lasted from June of 1864 to April of 1865. Grant hoped to be able to take Petersburg, but was unsuccessful. This siege resulted in thousands of casualties for both sides. In July of 1864 the Confederate troops began their march on Washington, DC. General Jubal Early marched his troops into Maryland to help ease some of the pressure on Lee's army. He only got within five miles of Washington but was eventually driven back to Virginia on July 13, 1864. And then it happened. In August of 1864 Sherman began his march into Atlanta. The Southern army held off Sherman and his men as long as they could. But having twice the number of men, Sherman eventually took Atlanta on September 1, 1864. This was a huge moral booster for the Union. In November of 1864 Sherman then began his march to the sea. This was a daring move as this march cut Sherman off from his supplies. But he continued on through Georgia, wiping out everything in his path, including factories, bridges, railroads and public buildings. This was one of the most famous marches of the entire war. That same month, Lincoln was reelected President. There was a time that people thought Lincoln wouldn't win reelection because of his leniency. But Sherman's victory in Atlanta was the one act that sealed his reelection bid. In the final installment we'll take a look at the year 1865. |
