US History

U.S. History Study Guide

©2018 of 194 Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman left Atlanta on his march to the sea. Along the way, he intended to "make Georgia howl," letting his men live off the land and burning all they couldn’t take with them. He reached Savannah by Christmas, leaving a trail of fire, ashes, and destruction behind him. The theory of brining war to the Southern civilians, was to pull Confederate men away from the battlefield to protect their homes and families. By the end of 1864, the Confederacy had nothing left. With Lincoln’s re-election, no viable hope remained for a negotiated peace. Legislators of North Carolina begged Jefferson Davis to make peace before their state suffered the Georgia’s fate but to no avail. The South would fight on, no matter cost. 13.22 Civil War 1865 When Sherman reached South Carolina, where the rebellion had begun, they let loose on the on the state; Sherman’s men continued on through North Carolina, setting fire to everything in his wake. What remained of the Confederate forces, was far too small to stop Sherman. Appomattox Courthouse Grant's siege depleted Lee’s army. With no other choice, Lee launched a desperate attack. On April 9th, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant. Grant offered generous terms, and the rest of the Confederacy followed suit. Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bentonville, North Carolina, on April 26. Between Lee and Johnston’s surrenders, the war was over, with exception to a few minor skirmishes after. Troop Casualties Between April 1861 and April 1865, an estimated one and a half million troops joined the war on the side of the Union and approximately one-point-two million went into Confederate service. An estimated total of six hundred thousand were killed in action or died of disease. More than twice that number were wounded but survived. Casualties of the Civil War cannot be calculated exactly, due to missing records (especially on the Southern side) and the inability to determine exactly how many combatants died fromwounds, drug addiction (opium, morphine, heroin), or other war related causes after leaving the service. An untold number of civilians also perished, primarily from disease as entire towns became hospitals spreading disease throughout the communities. 13.23 Lincoln Assassinated On April 14, 1865, Good Friday, Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary decided to see a play at Ford's theatre in Washington D.C. In celebration of the war's end. Lincoln had promised a forgiving peace to the South in his Second Inaugural Address “With malice toward none, with charity for all" he Achieve Page 177