Confederate CollapseUnion blockade 1864 Atlanta Sherman's March to the Sea Lee and Grant in Virginia Sherman turns north 1865 Fall of Petersburg Surrender at Appomattox |
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Burning of Atlanta The following year, the Union army under General Sherman methodically works its way down into Georgia, threatening the vital rail hub at Atlanta. If Atlanta falls, the Deep South will be cut off. Sherman advances relentlessly, moving to outflank every defensive position the Rebels establish. When the Rebels finally fall back to Atlanta, Sherman again wheels around them to cut off supplies, forcing evacuation of the city. Sherman orders Atlanta burned, to give southern families a taste of the bitterness of war. | |||||||||
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Slaughter in the East Back in Virginia, Grant is gradually forcing Lee into a numbing defense of Richmond. In a series of bloody battles, Grant keeps working his way south, trying to get around Lee's flank. This settles into a knock-down, drag-out siege of Petersburg, which protects the rail lines into Richmond. Casualties continue to pile up, as artillery on both sides keeps up a steady bombardment. The rebel defenses hold, but Lee's force is gradually being drained, without hope of reinforcement. | |||||||||
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Carolinas Now Undefended By the time Sherman's 'March to the Sea' concludes at Savannah, rebel resistance in the Carolinas has collapsed. Sherman is able to walk unopposed into the capital of South Carolina, at Columbia, where a chaotic situation results in looting and uncontrolled fires. Rebels in Charleston are cut off, and abandon the city. In their haste to destroy anything of military value, the fleeing Rebels accidentally start fires which burn out of control. Meanwhile, Sherman continues his advance into North Carolina. | |||||||||
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Double or Nothing The southern cause is now truly lost. Lee is still holding Petersburg, but his resources are evaporating. He's cut off from all support, including the ironworks in Alabama, and gunpowder works in Georgia. The South's only hope is that Lincoln will lose the coming election. After the continuing string of northern victories, however, this is a lame hope. Lincoln is re-elected in a landslide, supported by almost the entire military vote. The Confederacy is clearly doomed, yet still blindly refuses to accept reality. | |||||||||
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The End Lee manages somehow to keep the contest going in Petersburg, though half his army is gone. Grant keeps working around the end of the rebel earthworks, which now extend an impossible 30 miles, and finally succeeds. This forces Lee to abandon his defense of Richmond. The Confederate leadership grabs the last train out of Richmond, leaving Lee's exhausted army to make a final desperate dash toward the mountains. Cut off and starving, Lee finally surrenders at Appomattox, effectively ending the war. | |||||||||