5.9Final Events of the Civil War

Election of 1864

  • Bitterly fought contest.
  • Republicans unsure about nominating Lincoln for a second term due to perceptions of his and his military leaders' inability to end the war.
  • Lincoln chose Democrat Andrew Johnson as his running mate, surprising many.
  • Platform: unconditional Southern surrender.
  • George McClellan argued for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiation.
  • Lincoln won with 55% of the vote, benefiting from the larger Northern population.
  • Re-election meant the war would continue until surrender.

Union's Decimation of Southern Supply Ports (1865)

  • By April 1865, Union forces had significantly damaged major supply ports in the South, crippling the Confederate war effort.
  • Railcars rendered useless due to damaged and destroyed tracks.
  • Cities like Atlanta and Columbia, South Carolina, key symbols of Southern culture, were left in ruins.

Lee's Retreat and the Final Confederate Army

  • General Sherman's armies chased Robert E. Lee north towards Virginia.
  • The only remaining Confederate army was Lee's Northern Virginia Army.
  • Lee's army faced Grant's forces.
  • Lee underestimated the degree to which the tide had turned in favor of the North.
  • Grant's forces: just under 120,000 men.
  • Lee's forces: under 35,000 men.
  • Lee fortified his men at Petersburg, Virginia, hoping to resupply and hold off Union forces but misjudged Grant's strength.
  • Confederate forces barely escaped as over 100,000 Union soldiers descended upon them.

Fall of Richmond

  • Lee informed President Jefferson Davis that Richmond, the Confederate capital, could not be defended.
  • Davis and his cabinet retreated, surrendering the city to the Union army.
  • Abraham Lincoln arrived in Richmond and commanded Union forces from Davis's desk.

Collapse of the South

  • Sherman's march irreparably damaged the South's war spirit.
  • Citizens demanded an end to the war as their economy and culture lay in ruins.
  • Confederate forces dwindled due to desertion rather than casualties.
  • Thousands of slaves fled across Union lines weekly.
  • Southern leadership struggled to feed and house the homeless.
  • Jefferson Davis offered freedom to slaves who enlisted in the Confederate army out of desperation.

Lee's Last Stand: Amelia, Appomattox, and Surrender

  • Lee's forces numbered less than 30,000.
  • Hoped to find rations and shelter in Amelia and Appomattox, Virginia.
  • Found both cities without supplies, forcing his troops to forage for food.
  • Delay gave Union armies a significant advantage.
  • Scouts counted over 125,000 Union troops approaching.
  • Lee fought until reaching Appomattox.
  • Lee requested terms of surrender from Grant.

Grant's Generous Terms of Surrender

  • Immunity for remaining Confederate soldiers; no treason charges.
  • Confederate soldiers allowed to return home with horses, weapons, and personal property.
  • Grant provided nearly a week's worth of food and rations to the remaining Confederate soldiers after the surrender ceremony.