By October 1864, the tide of the war had decisively turned to the North. Federal troops ravaged the Shenandoah Valley, prompting outraged southerners to cry for revenge. As Federals under William T. Sherman occupied Atlanta, Confederates under John Bell Hood planned to disrupt Sherman’s supply lines. A famed Confederate commerce raider was captured in foreign waters, and Confederates desperately raided Missouri and even far-off Vermont.
The Georgia Campaign
As Sherman’s Federals continued securing Atlanta as a base for future military operations, Hood’s Confederates raided Sherman’s supply lines stretching all the way to Nashville, Tennessee. The forces clashed at Allatoona before Hood withdrew into northern Alabama, hopeful that Sherman would leave Atlanta and pursue him.
Meanwhile Confederates under General Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted numerous raids on Federal shipping on the Tennessee River in southern Tennessee and northern Mississippi. As Hood moved to unite with Forrest, Sherman dispatched a portion of his army under General George Thomas to stop them at Nashville.
Confederates Invade Missouri
Confederate General Sterling Price led an invasion of Missouri in a desperate attempt to break the Federal occupation. As Price pushed toward St. Louis, he issued public pleas for citizens to join him and "redeem" the state. Confederates skirmished with Federals near Richwoods, Jefferson City and Sedalia. Soon Price was deep in Missouri.
However Price had not picked up the expected recruits and the skirmishing became heavier as Price became more isolated from friendly territory. As Federal commanders planned to trap the Confederates, Price frantically tried fighting his way out of the state. The forces clashed at Westport, near present-day Kansas City, in the largest battle ever fought in Missouri.
Price’s Confederates attacked two enveloping Federal forces simultaneously. After hard fighting, Price withdrew down the Missouri-Kansas state line with the Federals in pursuit. The Confederates were caught at Mine Creek and Newtonia, where they lost hundreds of prisoners and many wagon trains. Disputes among the Federal commanders allowed Price to escape into Arkansas, but the Confederate invasion was a failure and the army was virtually finished as an effective fighting force.
The Capture of C.S.S. Florida
The Confederacy’s most successful blockade runner, C.S.S. Florida, was captured while anchored in Brazil. In her career, Florida had captured 36 prizes totaling over $4 million worth of shipping. She was captured by U.S.S. Wachusett, whose captain violated international law by seizing the ship in a foreign port without Brazilian permission.
Despite Brazilian protests, Florida was brought north. U.S. Secretary of State William Seward declared the seizure unlawful, and Brazil and European nations forced the U.S. to apologize. But before diplomats could return Florida to Brazil, the ship collided with a U.S. transport and sank.
The St. Albans Raid
A group of Confederate spies raided the small town of St. Albans, Vermont, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. The plan was to rob the banks and burn the town, then race back into Canada. After riding into town and announcing their intentions, the raiders robbed three banks and made off with over $200,000.
The Confederates were pursued by citizens and Federal troops home on leave. Most of the raiders were arrested and about $75,000 was recovered. The raiders underwent trials and extradition procedures that lasted beyond the end of the war. None of the raiders were sentenced for their crimes.
The Battle of Cedar Creek
In Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Federals under General Philip Sheridan destroyed thousands of barns and foodstuffs. The destruction enraged Confederates led by General Jubal Early, who had been driven out of the Valley in September but now planned to return and give Sheridan one final battle.
After obtaining reinforcements and supplies, Early launched a surprise attack on the Federals at Cedar Creek. The Federals were initially pushed back, but Sheridan returned from a conference in Washington to rally his men. The Federal counterattack scattered the Confederates, and as Early fled, the ravaged Shenandoah was forever closed to the Confederacy. Sheridan became a northern hero, and the Shenandoah Valley campaign was over.
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, ...
Join the Conversation