Civil WarThe end finally arrives…

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General William Tecumseh Sherman was convinced if he took his army through the South the Confederate forces would not be able to stop him.

His goal was to cut off Southern railroads and industries

Northern General

First he left Tennessee (and his supply line) and marched to Atlanta Georgia.

It was burned to the ground.Next, he went on into the

deep South and marched to Savannah, Georgia.

Sherman enacted TOTAL WAR, a strategy that destroyed almost everything in the path of his troops.

His march was what made the South not want to go on with the war.

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total war (n.): an unrestricted warfare in which one or more sides are willing to sacrifice both lives and resources in order to win

The North was right to use TOTAL WAR… yes or no?

For nearly six weeks, nothing was heard from Sherman's army.

Finally, Sherman wired Lincoln with the message,

"I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of

Savannah…”

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le Sherman decided to go on and head North.

In North Carolina, Sherman’s forces engaged in The Battle of Bentonville against Gen’l Johnston.

With 60,000 Union forces vs. just 20,000 Confederate, it was a quick Union win.

• The defeat of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army at the Battle of Bentonville in March, and its surrender in April, represented the loss of the final major army of the Confederacy.

• Johnston told Jackson: “Our people are tired of the war, feel

themselves whipped, and will not fight. Our country is overrun, its military resources greatly diminished, while the enemy's

military power and resources were never greater ... My small force is melting away

like snow before the sun.”

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Ruins of Charleston, SC after Sherman’s invasion

Ruins of a plantation in Columbia, SC

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In April of 1865, Gen’l Robert E. Lee discovered his army was surrounded by

Union forces outside of Petersburg, VA.

Gen’l U.S. Grant sent a note to Lee inviting him to surrender….

On Sunday, April 9, 1865

the South surrendered

to the North.

Robert E. Lee dressed in his finest uniform, rode to the town of Appomattox Court House and waited at the McLean home

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Grant hadn’t time to clean up before he got the news and arrived in a dirty uniform & muddy boots.

At first the conversation was polite small-talk, then Lee brought the meeting to the topic at hand - his surrender.

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Were these EASY on the South or difficult?

Grant and Lincoln’s terms: all Confederate soldiers and officers were to surrender their arms and return to their homes.

Grant promised:

soldiers could keep their own horses and mules

Lee’s troops would not be tried for treason.

food would be immediately given to the hungry Southern troops

Term

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Quote from Lincoln….

“If I were you, I’d let em’ up easy…”

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The actual living room in the McLean home where Grant and Lee met.

Lee then signed the formal instrument of surrender. Never again would the great Armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia clash on the field of battle.

The Civil war was effectively over.

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2 days after the surrenderTwo days after the surrender of the Confederate army, a jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House, calling for President Lincoln.

Reporter Noah Brooks wrote, "Outside was a vast sea of faces, illuminated by the lights that burned in the festal array of the White House, and stretching far out into the misty darkness. It was a silent, intent, and perhaps surprised, multitude. Within stood the tall, gaunt figure of the President, deeply thoughtful…”S

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Lincoln stood at the window over the building's main door. The speech tackled the complex topic of reconstruction. For the first time in a public setting, Lincoln expressed his support for black suffrage. This statement incensed John Wilkes Booth, a member of the audience and white supremacist, who vowed, … "That is the last speech he will make."

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Con

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th Waterways blocked: The Union Navy had seized most of the Southern rivers, making transport nearly impossible.

High inflation: The Confederate dollar dropped in value from $1 in gold in 1861 to .03 cents in gold by 1865.

Bread riots: Hungry Southerners began to riot in the streets over the lack of food and the high prices.

Broken rail lines: Over half of the 9,000 miles of rail lines were destroyed.

Soldier losses: The South had approx. 268,000 deaths due to the war

By 1865

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Farmland destroyed by fire and debris

Thousands of deserting soldiers

Plantation system crippled

Widows and orphans

Bitterness towards the North

Most banks destroyed

Thousands of refugees

By 1865

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620,000 deaths

Emancipation Proclamation / End of Slavery

West Virginia

Devastation of the Southern economy

Change in roles for women

Millions of homeless former slaves

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apThe South by 1865

Economic Society Geographic TechnologyPolitics

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Lincoln went for a buggy ride with his wife and they talked about their future now that the war was over.

After their pleasant ride together, they attended a play at the Ford’s theatre.

Good

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655 days after the surrender

John Wilkes Booth entered the theatre from the back and sneaks into the Lincolns’ box. He aims his pistol and fires one shot point blank into the back of the president’s head.

Good

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Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen boarding house where he died early the next morning.

“He now belongs to the angels.” – Edmund

Stanton

The actual room….

Lincoln’s funeral procession

Theodore Roosevelt7 years old

The funeral wagon.

Lincoln’s tomb in Illinois

The capture and killing of Booth

Rather than helping the South, John Wilkes Booth actually hurt it by assassinating Abraham Lincoln.

Why do you think this is?

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Mary Surratt was convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of Lincoln and became the first female in American history to be executed.

While they were preparing her to be hanged, they held up an umbrella over her to protect her from the sun.