Politics began dominating northern discourse, as three major candidates were running for president. Democrats fought among themselves, while Abraham Lincoln worked to unite the Radical and conservative Republicans. Fighting intensified in the Shenandoah, and southerners endured misery in Georgia.
The Battle of Jonesboro: Day Two
After the heavy fighting the previous day, just one Confederate corps is left to face six Federal corps at Jonesboro, south of Atlanta on the Macon & Western Railroad. This threatens to make the fall of Atlanta imminent.
William T. Sherman receives official confirmation that his Federals have captured the vital industrial and railroad city of Atlanta. The loss of this key industrial city greatly demoralizes the South and emboldens the Republicans in the upcoming northern elections.
A Federal private ends the life of one of the Confederacy’s most legendary raiders.
The Fall of Atlanta: Aftermath
William T. Sherman’s three Federal armies regroup after capturing Atlanta, which allows John Bell Hood’s Confederate Army of Tennessee to escape to fight another day.
William T. Sherman, commanding the Federal armies now occupying Atlanta, makes the controversial decision to force all residents out of their city. This “total war” policy, which includes targeting civilians, makes Sherman the most hated man in the South.
McClellan Repudiates His Party’s Platform
Former General-in-Chief George B. McClellan officially accepts the presidential nomination by the Democratic Party. But he faces pressure to balance the demands of both the War and Peace Democrats, or else alienate one of the party’s two wings, which could cost him the election.
President Abraham Lincoln works to unite the differing factions within his Republican Party as the presidential race begins heating up. His efforts lead to the withdrawal of a rival candidate in exchange for the removal of key officials within his cabinet.
By this time, key defeats at Mobile Bay and Atlanta shift momentum in the war to the North and dampen southern morale.
Wade Hampton, commanding cavalry for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, receives information that a herd of cattle capable of feeding the hungry army was loosely guarded by Federals.
After a few weeks of stalemate and reconnaissance, Philip Sheridan unveils a plan to drive Jubal Early’s Confederates out of the Shenandoah Valley once and for all.
The Third Battle of Winchester
Philip Sheridan’s Federals attack the weakened Confederate army outside Winchester and Stephenson’s Depot as part of Sheridan’s overall effort to drive the Confederates out of the Shenandoah Valley.
Georgia: Planning Upcoming Operations
William T. Sherman receives high praise from his superiors for the capture of Atlanta. Sherman writes a long letter to Ulysses S. Grant offering ideas on what the Federals should focus on next.
After defeating the Confederate Army of the Valley at Winchester, Philip Sheridan’s Federals pursue the enemy to a strong eminence blocking the path to the upper (southern) Shenandoah.
Sheridan Causes the Greatest Consternation
Philip Sheridan’s Federals continue pursuing the Confederates in the Shenandoah, but Sheridan soon halts in accordance with Ulysses S. Grant’s directive to devastate the Valley instead.
Federal Supply Lines Under Attack
Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederate cavalry force raids Federal supply lines in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee. This includes attacking a vital depot on the Tennessee & Alabama Railroad.
President Jefferson Davis visits John Bell Hood at his Palmetto headquarters to learn more about the condition of the Army of Tennessee, while Hood plans to confront Sherman in an effort to regain Atlanta.
Sterling Price’s Confederates advance on Fort Davidson as part of their final attempt to wrest Missouri from Federal control.
Pro-Confederate guerrillas ravage a Missouri town and then murder over 100 Federal soldiers sent to hunt them down.
Benjamin F. Butler, commanding the Federal Army of the James, plans to send 20,000 men north to seize Confederate Forts Harrison and Gilmer, which make up a vital part of the Chaffin’s Bluff defenses southeast of the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
Lacking adequate reconnaissance, John Bell Hood’s Confederate Army of Tennessee starts moving out of Lovejoy’s Station, south of Atlanta, to destroy Federal supply lines in hopes of starving William T. Sherman’s armies out of Georgia.
While Federal forces attack the Confederate siege lines north of the James River, Ulysses S. Grant directs the Army of the Potomac to attack the Confederate line southwest of Petersburg.
Last Updated: 10/5/2024