Federal forces continued their siege of Petersburg, south of the Confederate capital of Richmond. In the Shenandoah Valley, Confederates attempted a northern invasion to relieve Federal pressure on Petersburg. In Georgia, Federals edged closer to the key city of Atlanta, prompting a Confederate command change. In Washington, Radical Republicans pushed President Lincoln to impose more punitive reconstruction policies.
Georgia: Johnston Falls Back to the Chattahoochee
Joseph E. Johnston, commanding the Confederate Army of Tennessee, looks to fall back once again after William T. Sherman’s three Federal armies threaten to outflank him north of Atlanta.
Confederates Advance Toward Washington
Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley moves north “down” Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley toward Maryland. Federals guarding Washington and Baltimore quickly mobilize defenses.
The Wade-Davis Bill: Congressional Reconstruction
The U.S. Congress passes a bill intended to supersede Abraham Lincoln’s lenient plan for readmitting Confederate states to the Union. This mandates a much more punitive process of readmission, but it will require Lincoln’s approval to become law.
The Wade-Davis Bill: Executive Response
Abraham Lincoln is presented with a bill outlining the congressional plan to readmitting the Confederate states to the Union. His decision whether to approve this bill outrages many within his own party.
Influential newspaper editor Horace Greeley begs President Abraham Lincoln to meet with Confederate agents who are supposedly empowered to discuss the possibility of ending the war.
Kentucky: Preparing for State Elections
Abraham Lincoln suspends habeas corpus and declares martial law in Kentucky, and Federal military forces target Democrats for disloyalty prior to the upcoming state elections.
Jubal Early’s Confederate army advances through Maryland to threaten Washington, D.C., in an effort to divert Federal forces from besieging Petersburg. Panic spreads through Washington as reinforcements hurry to defend the city, and a makeshift Federal army awaits Early at the Monocacy River.
Georgia: Sherman Crosses the Chattahoochee
Leading elements of William T. Sherman’s Federal forces begin crossing the Chattahoochee River and getting ever closer to the vital railroad and industrial city of Atlanta.
A makeshift Federal force hurries to Monocacy Junction to block Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley as it marches toward Washington.
Petersburg: Floored in the First Round
Ulysses S. Grant grows increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of Benjamin F. Butler, whose feud with William F. “Baldy” Smith ends with the dismissal of Smith from the Federal army.
Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley spreads panic throughout Washington by reaching the capital’s suburbs and attacking a portion of the city’s defenses.
The Battle of Fort Stevens: Day Two
Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley attacks Fort Stevens, north of Washington, D.C. The battle attracts several observers from the capital, including President Abraham Lincoln.
Georgia: Davis Contemplates a Command Change
President Jefferson Davis grows exceedingly impatient with Joseph E. Johnston’s constant retreats toward Atlanta and begins to consider replacing him as commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Following his unsuccessful attempt to capture Fort Stevens, Jubal Early leads his Confederate Army of the Valley away from the outskirts of Washington and back into Maryland. Federals stage a feeble pursuit as concerns about leaving the capital vulnerable persist.
The Northern Mississippi Campaign
Andrew J. Smith leads a Federal army to destroy the Confederate command of Nathan Bedford Forrest in Mississippi. The Federals leave destruction in their wake as they move through the state before eventually clashing with the Confederates near Tupelo.
Petersburg: Reviving Withered Hopes
Federal forces continue building fortifications outside Petersburg, Virginia, and set up a massive supply base at City Point. George G. Meade faces internal conflicts within the Federal Army of the Potomac, and Abraham Lincoln calls for more volunteers as war weariness afflicts the North.
Independence or Extermination We Will Have
A secret meeting takes place in Richmond between Federal operatives and Confederate officials in an effort to negotiate a peace.
The Confederate high command loses patience with Joseph E. Johnston’s tactics and replace him with John Bell Hood. Hood’s reputation for bold aggression could possibly play right into the Federals’ hands.
Early Turns Back on His Pursuers
Jubal Early’s Confederates return to the Shenandoah Valley after raiding around Washington, D.C. Federal forces stage a weak pursuit, and when they stop at Kernstown, Early decides to turn back and confront them.
Sherman Prepares to Move Again
William T. Sherman’s Federals cross the Chattahoochee River in preparation for attacking Atlanta. Learning that the Confederates are now led by John Bell Hood, the stage is set for a significant and decisive battle.
New Confederate commander John Bell Hood crafts a plan to prevent William T. Sherman’s Federals from approaching Atlanta, which involves attacking one of Sherman’s three armies while keeping the other two at bay.
Atlanta: Federals Capture Bald Hill
John Bell Hood, leading the Confederate Army of Tennessee, plans to attack William T. Sherman’s Federal army east of Atlanta while holding his two Federal armies to the northeast and the north at bay. Meanwhile, Federals capture a key position overlooking Atlanta.
John Bell Hood aims to defend Atlanta by isolating and destroying William T. Sherman’s three Federal armies in detail. The fighting that ensues results in the heaviest number of casualties sustained in this campaign.
Petersburg: The Tunneling Expedition Continues
As Ulysses S. Grant seeks to break the Confederate defenses east of Petersburg, Virginia, Federal troops continue digging a tunnel beneath the enemy lines in an effort to detonate explosives and create a hole large enough for the troops to surge through.
The Second Battle of Kernstown
George Crook leads his Federals to confront Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley in the Shenandoah. Crook believes that he will be facing only cavalry, but he soon finds himself under attack from Early’s full force.
A New Commander for the Army of the Tennessee
As William T. Sherman plans his Federal drive on Atlanta, he names a permanent commander for the Federal Army of Tennessee. His decision disappoints one general and outrages another.
Ulysses S. Grant plans a Federal movement against Richmond that will divert the Confederates’ attention from the mining operation under their lines outside Petersburg.
Atlanta: The Federal Wheel Starts Turning
William T. Sherman plans to encircle Atlanta with his three Federal armies. But in so doing, he looks to shift his positions from east and north of the city to west and south, so that he can cut the last railroad lines bringing supplies into town.
William T. Sherman shifts one of his three Federal armies west of Atlanta. John Bell Hood sends part of the Confederate army to intercept the Federals at a crossroads near Ezra Church.
Petersburg: Federals Poised to Attack
The Federal tunneling operation is completed, and Ambrose Burnside looks to use his U.S. Colored Troops to lead the impending assault. But Burnside is met with unexpected orders to change his plans.
An ill-fated plan to detonate gunpowder under the Confederate trenches at Petersburg, Virginia, results in Federal disaster.
One Officer to Command the Whole
Federals fall back after yet another defeat in the Shenandoah Valley. Confederates invade the north once more and destroy a Pennsylvania town. Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln develop a plan to stop them.
William T. Sherman dispatches two cavalry forces to ride around opposite sides of Atlanta and cut the last supply line running in and out of the city. This raid becomes one of the biggest cavalry disasters of the war.
Last Updated: 9/7/2024