Lincoln’s Second Inaugural
Address
Sherman’s March to the Sea, Inevitability of the War’s
End, Southern Desperation, and Lincoln’s re-election as
President of the United States of America
Sherman’s March to the Sea
Sherman’s March began in Atlanta November 1864, and it ended in the
capture of Savannah on December 21.
The March was a campaign where union general William T. Sherman and
his force of 60,000 soldiers marched across Georgia, living off the land
and terrorizing southern civilians and creating a path a destruction.
It’s goal was to demonstrate the power of the union army, and to frighten
Georgia’s civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause.
As Sherman said, they needed to “make young and old, rich and poor,
feel the hard hand of war”.
Sherman’s March to the Sea
http://www.history.com/interactives/shermans-march
The Atlanta Campaign

May to September 1864

Supreme commander Grant and General William T. Sherman decided that
Grant would confront the main confederate army in Virginia, whilst Sherman
attacked Atlanta Georgia(Atlanta being the main supply center of the
Southern War effort).

He made more than 1,500 civilians evacuate on September 1st(mostly because
he did not want to be burdened by caring for and protecting them).

Sherman took control of the city on the 2nd. He let the Confederate troops
escape so he could focuse on Atlanta. Sherman established Atlanta as a
command post for Union operations.

Before Sherman captured this important city, Lincoln was at major risk of not
being re-elected. This victory gave him a boost.
The Savannah Campaign
November to December 1864
Sherman became very interested in the idea of marching through
Georgia to the sea, away from the battlefronts in the North and
into the South.
His goal was to wage almost a physcological war between the
North and South.
Grant approved of this idea, and Sherman continued his march to
the sea.
Savannah was captured, and Sherman sent Lincoln a telegram
offering him Savannah as a christmas present. This victory was a
big hit to the south, and it caused some Southern desperation.
Campaign of the Carolinas
January to April 1865
Much like in Georgia, the tactic was feinting to the
right and left, then driving through the center to the
main objective. This time that main objective was
Columbia, the state capital.
Liquor was passed out to the Union troops and they
began to torch buildings and burn down the city.
Before Lincoln’s Re-Election
Before the election, things had changed drastically.
Grant remained stalled at Petersburg
Mobile Bay fell to the Federal Navy in August
Sherman captured Atlanta in September
General Phillip Sheridan secured Shenandoah Valley in
October
 Before this no country had ever had an election during a
military crisis.
 As Lincoln explained, “We cannot have free government
without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to
forego, or postpone a national election, it might fairly came to
have conquered and ruined us”.





Andrew Johnson
To increase bipartisan (including both political parties)
support and to attract “War Democrats,” Lincoln selected
Andrew Johnson to be his running mate.
Andrew Johnson was a staunch Unionist and the
Democratic governer of Tennessee.
Johnson became a hero among both Republicans and
Democrats as the only southern senator to retain his seat
after his state seceded from the Union.
Johnson became president after Lincoln was assasinated.
Lincoln’s Re-Election
Lincoln won 212 electoral votes and McClellan only 21.
Lincoln won 55% of the vote.
78% of the Union troops voted for Lincoln and they were
very critical to Lincoln’s win.
Because 11 states had seceded their votes did not count.
Lincoln would be the first president inaugurated for a
second term in thirty-two years.
McClellan
 McClellan was a initial Union general and “hero
"of the Civil War.
 McClellan was a very arrogant 35 year old man as
he told his wife “I can do it all. All tell me that I
am held responsible for the fate of the nation,
and that all its resources shall be placed at my
disposal”.
 At first, McClellan was true to Lincoln’s
decisions and he carried out orders well.
 However, as time passed, McClellan was criticized
for his inaction. Lincoln claimed that if
McClellan did not intend to use the army, he
wanted to use it.
 McClellan responded to his critics, and there
grew friction between Lincoln and McClellan.
 McClellan stood by his inaction of the army, and
he ran for the peace platform.
Inevitability of the War’s End
Lincoln’s speech (given on March 4, 1865) came after
the Union had won a string of battles. The
Confederate army had been greatly weakened.
The Confederate capital (Richmond) was captured on
April 2 and Lincoln toured Richmond on April 4-7.
The bulk of the Southern army surrendered on April 9
at Appomattox.
Lincoln Giving his Second
Inaugural Address
The Address
The Second Inaugural Address
Lincoln was expected to brag about the North’s
victories, or talk about the cruelty of slavery, but
instead the address was a moral framework of peace
and understanding. For this, the address was
misunderstood and angered many.
It discusses keeping the Union together, which was
always a top priority for Lincoln.
Speaks of the savagery of the war, and how it is God’s
punishment for slavery.
“With malice toward none;
with charity for all”
This is one of the most famous lines from this speech.
When Lincoln says “With malice toward none; with charity for
all” he means that he doesn’t have evil intentions towards
anyone (the South) and he wants to help them.
Lincoln is also saying he wants to bind up the nation’s
wounds, care for the injured, and help the families whose
husbands and fathers died in the war.
Lincoln wants to do everything in his power to form a
nation that has peace within itself and with all other
nations.
Religious Aspect
“Both [North and South] read the same Bible and pray to the
same God, and each invokes his aid against the other.”
Lincoln wonders how the South could believe that God is on the
side of slavery.
Lincoln talks about how the North and South both use the same
bible, and it’s use and misuse.
Lincoln introduces religion. He mentions God 14 times, quotes
the Bible 4 times, and invokes prayer 3 times.
The Bible had been quoted only 1 time in the previous 18
addresses, by John Quincy Adams
THE END