The Confederacy Wears Down

Confederate Morale
 Morale
sank
 Food
 Taxes
 Davis
shortages
on cash crops and livestock
had hard time governing because of discord
 States
 Some
argued with each other
southerners openly protested for peace
The Confederacy Wears Down

Grant Appoints Sherman
 Grant named Commander of all Union forces after
Vicksburg
 Grant gave Sherman a command in Mississippi
 Both believed in total war
 Wage war against civilians as well as government
 Civilians provided supplies – can’t win without them
 If they lost will to fight, the South would be forced
to surrender
The Confederacy Wears Down

Grant and Lee in Virginia

Keep Lee occupied in VA while Sherman took care of the rest
of the South

String of battles in VA
 Grant
threw forces at Lee, knowing he had a numbers advantage
 Northern
 North
casualties often twice as high as the South’s
lost almost 60,000 men; South lost about 32,000
 Northern
newspapers called Grant a “butcher”
The Confederacy Wears Down

Sherman’s March

Captured railroad depot in Atlanta

Headed southeast

Abandoned supply line – would live off the land until they reached
coast

Left a wide path of destruction behind him
 Make
civilians so sick of war, the would never want another one

Burned most of Atlanta

Captured Savannah just before Christmas of 1864

Moved through SC, were even more destructive

When they got to NC, the stopped destroying private homes
The Confederacy Wears Down

Election of 1864

Lincoln faced strong opposition
 People
upset about length of war, casualties, recent losses

George McClellan ran as the Democrat

John C. Fremont ran for Radical Democracy Party (aka Radical
Republicans)

Republican party changed name to National Union Party

Lincoln was pessimistic about chances

Ended up winning in a landslide – due to recent victories by the
North
The Confederacy Wears Down

The Surrender at Appomattox

Grant was approaching Richmond from the West

Sherman was approaching from the South

Davis and his government abandoned Richmond and set fire to the city

April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met at Appomattox Court House

Lincoln’s Terms for Surrender


Parole soldiers

Allowed to keep personal possessions, horses, 3 days rations

Officers allowed to keep side arms
Lee agreed to terms; within 2 months, all resistance collapsed