In February 1865, Ulysses S. Grant increased Federal pressure on Petersburg, Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln attended a peace conference in Virginia. William T. Sherman’s Federals left Georgia and invaded the Carolinas. Robert E. Lee became general-in-chief of all Confederate armies and made desperate moves that were too late to affect the war’s outcome.
The Carolinas Campaign
Sherman’s Federal forces advanced north from Savannah, Georgia into South Carolina. Many Federals had special resentment for South Carolina became it had been the first state to secede from the Union. Despite heavy rains, Sherman’s men advanced through minimal Confederate resistance and captured the state capital of Columbia. This city received more devastation than any southern city during the war; it was mostly caused by fire and pillage.
The capture of Columbia left Charleston and Fort Sumter isolated on the Atlantic Coast, forcing the Confederates to abandon these key points as well. After nearly four years of steady bombardment, the Federals finally captured the fort where the war had begun. This shattered southern morale, as Confederate President Jefferson Davis said, "This disappointment to me is extremely bitter."
The Federals continued northward into North Carolina, linking with General John Schofield’s Federals advancing from Tennessee. As they closed in on Wilmington, Confederate General Braxton Bragg evacuated his small force to avoid annihilation. The Federals entered the city unopposed, thus capturing the Confederacy’s last significant seaport and cutting off a key supply route. The Federals then rested in preparation for their next advance into Virginia to help Ulysses S. Grant defeat Robert E. Lee.
The Hampton Roads Conference
As a result of informal talks between North and South, an official conference was held aboard the Federal steamer River Queen on the James River near Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Confederate attendees were Vice President Alexander Stephens, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John A. Campbell and former Secretary of State R.M.T. Hunter. Federal attendees were Secretary of State William Seward and President Abraham Lincoln.
No secretaries were present and no notes were taken, but Lincoln identified three specific points for peace:
- The Union must be restored
- Slavery must be abolished
- Fighting must continue until the war reaches a definite end
There was talk of North and South joining forces to oppose the French occupation of Mexico, but nothing was agreed upon. Lincoln offered to grant amnesty to Confederate leaders and compensate slaveholders for the loss of their slaves, but the Confederate envoys stated they could not accept the terms unless the Federals recognized the Confederacy as a separate nation. Lincoln and Seward refused.
The conference generated no results, and the first and only serious effort to negotiate a peaceful end to the war failed. Jefferson Davis tried using the failed results to muster a final resistance against the Federals. He called Lincoln’s terms "unconditional submission to the government and laws of the United States…"
Lee Becomes General-in-Chief
Responding to congressional pressure to stop micromanaging the war effort, Jefferson Davis appointed Robert E. Lee as general-in-chief of all Confederate armies. Lee worked with new Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge to better feed and equip the armies, but their efforts appeared to be too late to stop the overwhelming Federal momentum.
Davis approved Lee’s proposal to offer amnesty to deserters who returned to the ranks. Hundreds of Confederate soldiers deserted every day, and Federals encouraged the desertion by offering food, shelter and money to those who surrendered. Davis also reluctantly approved Lee’s appointment of Joseph Johnston to command all forces in the Western Theater. Davis disliked Johnston but he could not undermine Lee’s popularity by opposing the decision. Lee directed Johnston to collect all available forces and join with Braxton Bragg in North Carolina to oppose Sherman.
The Battle of Hatcher’s Run
After eight months of besieging Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg, Grant’s Army of the Potomac advanced near Hatcher’s Run in an effort to overextend Lee’s weakened defense lines. While the Federals succeeded in stretching the Confederate lines, the Confederates prevented a general breakthrough.
With this battle, the Federal lines around Petersburg were now 37 miles long, making Confederate defense nearly impossible. The battle also prevented Lee from escaping Petersburg. Writing to Secretary of War Breckinridge, Lee explained the poor condition of his army and stated that "you must not be surprised if calamity befalls us." Lee began planning to abandon his position and join with Johnston and Bragg in North Carolina.
Sources
- Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara: The Civil War: Day by Day (New York, NY: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1971)
- Wallechinsky, David and Wallace, Irving: The People’s Almanac (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1975)
- Ward, Geoffrey C.; Burns, Ric; Burns, Ken: The Civil War (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1990)
Walter Coffey - Walter Coffey is a freelance writer who resides in Houston, Texas. Walter has written several works of historical fiction and non-fiction, ...
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