Robert E. Lee faces dire circumstances as his Confederates are besieged at Petersburg. He approves a desperate plan for his army to break the Federal siege line east of Petersburg, thereby opening an escape route to the south.
Tag: Robert E. Lee
Confederate Slave Recruitment
Confederate President Jefferson Davis signs a bill into law authorizing the recruitment of slaves into the Confederate armies.
Grant’s Spring Offensive Takes Shape
Ulysses S. Grant continues preparing to launch the spring offensive, which involves movement in all major theaters of operations in a final push to end the war.
Lee Proposes a Military Convention
Robert E. Lee proposes to meet with Ulysses S. Grant to discuss the possibility of “a satisfactory adjustment of the present unhappy difficulties by means of a military convention…”
Johnston Returns to Duty
Joseph E. Johnston reluctantly takes command of the shattered Army of Tennessee and all other Confederates in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Johnston focuses on uniting scattered forces against overwhelming odds.
Our Whole Theory of Slavery is Wrong
The failure of the Hampton Roads conference prompted the Confederacy to consider radical measures. The Confederate Congress approves a measure allowing for the recruitment of slaves into the military.