The siege of Petersburg continued. Abraham Lincoln continued fending off Democrats seeking peace and Radical Republicans seeking an even harsher war policy. His reelection in November seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, the Federals scored a major victory in the Gulf of Mexico. The fall of Atlanta was imminent, and the Federal tide began turning just as the Democrats assembled to choose a presidential candidate for the upcoming election.
Philip Sheridan is assigned to command the new Army of the Shenandoah. Sheridan’s objective is to protect Washington while clearing Jubal Early’s Confederates out of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley once and for all.
Federal siege operations resume in front of Petersburg, Virginia, after the disastrous defeat at the Crater. Ulysses S. Grant seeks new strategies to outmaneuver the Confederate defenders, including a failed canal project and attempts to probe weak points in their defenses.
Taking Fortune as You Can Find Her
Federal naval forces under David G. Farragut prepares to attack one of the last remaining Confederate seaports open to blockade runners. Despite delays and concerns, Farragut hopes to subdue the gain control of the bay and subdue the Confederate forts defending it.
David G. Farragut leads a mighty Federal naval armada in an effort to capture Mobile Bay, one of the last ports open to Confederate blockade runners in the Gulf of Mexico.
Two members of the U.S. Congress bitterly denounce President Abraham Lincoln’s veto of a bill designed to give Congress the authority to impose a harsh reconstruction program on the Confederate states. This exacerbates the internal conflict within the Republican Party during an election year.
As William T. Sherman’s Federals continue bombarding Atlanta and maneuvering to cut off the city’s lines of supply, a fight breaks out southwest of Atlanta.
Despite reservations from top Federal officials, Philip Sheridan takes command of a new Federal military command designed to drive the Confederates out of the Shenandoah Valley for good.
Federal cavalry intercepts a Confederate detachment that had just finished raiding through Maryland and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Philip Sheridan takes command of Federals in the Valley and starts planning to take on Jubal Early’s Confederates.
Lasting Consequences to the Republic
Federal forces target the three Confederate forts guarding Mobile Bay. Confederates surrender Fort Gaines, apparently without authorization. This enables the Federals to focus all their attention on capturing the last remaining fort.
An explosion aboard an ammunition ship nearly kills Ulysses S. Grant at his headquarters on the James River. Suspicions of Confederate espionage are later confirmed.
A Confederate commerce raider evades the Federal blockade and sets out to attack Federal shipping on the North Atlantic coast. Panic over this commerce raid soon spreads among coastal residents.
Confederate agents in Canada plot to invade the Midwestern U.S. to unite anti-war factions and spark a mass uprising. They hope to force the Lincoln administration to negotiate a peace with the Confederacy.
The Second Battle of Deep Bottom Run
Ulysses S. Grant launches a diversionary attack north of the James River in hopes of either opening a path to Richmond or weakening the Confederate defenses at Petersburg to the point of breaking.
Philip Sheridan takes over Federal forces in the Shenandoah Valley, and after skirmishing and maneuvering, begins to carry out Ulysses S. Grant’s instructions to ravage the region and weaken the Confederate war effort.
Plummeting northern morale puts President Abraham Lincoln under intense pressure to save his reelection hopes by renewing peace negotiations with the Confederacy.
The Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad
Fighting breaks out southwest of the Petersburg siege lines when Federals try moving beyond the Confederates’ flank to sever the Weldon Railroad.
The Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad Ends
The fighting that began between Federals and Confederates south of Petersburg on August 18 continues the next day over a section of the Weldon Railroad that the Federals will not relinquish to the Confederates.
Nathan Bedford Forrest leads Confederate cavalry in a daring raid on Memphis, which is designed to relieve Federal pressure on northern Mississippi.
Lincoln Predicts His Own Defeat
As doubts continue growing about President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection chances, Lincoln asks his cabinet members to endorse a confidential memo acknowledging that he would probably not win the upcoming presidential election.
The Second Battle of Ream’s Station
Confederates score a decisive victory that decimates the Federal Second Corps, but it does little to stop the Federals from extending their siege lines south of Petersburg.
Atlanta: Sherman’s Armies Start Moving
William T. Sherman’s Federals begin a major (and risky) movement to the west and south of Atlanta to cut the supply lines leading into the city and starve the Confederate Army of Tennessee into submission.
Prisoner Exchange Remains Suspended
Conditions in prison camps like Andersonville and Elmira continue deteriorating. Even so, Ulysses S. Grant instructs Federal prisoner exchange agents to refuse any Confederate offers to exchange prisoners, largely due to the Confederates’ refusal to recognize black soldiers as legitimate prisoners.
Sterling “Pap” Price organizes a new Confederate Army of Missouri to move north and reclaim the state for the Confederacy. The planned route involved capturing supplies, rallying loyalists, and causing diversions in Missouri, Kansas, and the Indian Territory.
The 1864 Democratic National Convention
Delegates assemble at Chicago to nominate an opponent for President Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming election. But the party is split over how to deal with the Confederacy.
Atlanta: Federals Approach Jonesboro
William T. Sherman’s three Federal armies work their way to the west and south of Atlanta. The Confederates initially misinterpret this maneuver until they realize that Sherman is threatening the key town of Jonesboro on the Macon & Western Railroad.
Federal and Confederate forces clash south of Atlanta as the Federals seek to cut the last Confederate supply line into the city.
Last Updated: 9/1/2024