1864: Things Fall Apart

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1864 Things Fall Apart

• Union Strategy vs. Confederate strategy
• Focus of Union Army
• Military developments (VA)
• Election of 1864
• Military and politics combined
• Radical Republicans vs. Peace Democrats
• Reconstruction begins Louisiana/Arkansas
• Shermans March begins

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Post-Gettysburg Strategy

• Pre-Gettysburg
• Maneuver for land
• Anaconda plan (Rivers, Capital, Trade, Constrict)
• Green troops, new conscripts, fight for the Union
• Turn towards a moral for emancipation..new war
  aims
• New realm emerged
• Hardened troops, lessons learned, dwindling
  resourcesIts a new war
• Demoralization of troops
• War is Cruel

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New leaders

• Lincoln relinquished control
• Let military leaders lead
• Take politics out new cold approach
• US Grant General in Chief
• But will control Army of the Potomac (Meade)
• He will either win it or lose it
• William Sherman, Phil Sheridan, Thomas, Sigel,
  will emerge
• Regionalize War
• Coordinated effortfirst time in the war

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Union Coordination

• Grant was determined to have no more sideshows
• Minor battles, conflicts, etcpurposeful fighting
• Remorselessly use force and bring the south to
  its knees
• Those not skinning can hold a leg approach
• Grant (Meade) Wherever Lee goes, you go. Crush
  them
• Sherman take Atlanta make them cry mercy
• Sheridan (Calvary), Sigel destroy the farmland
  in the Shenandoah
• Banks Secure southern Gulf Coast
• Ben Butler move up the James river occupy
  Rebs, take Richmond

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SIGEL/SHERIDAN
Butler
GRANT/MEADE
SHERMAN
NATHANIEL BANKS
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Confederate Issues

• Many great leaders had been killed
• Jackson, AS Johnston to name a few
• Force was a Band of Brothersprimary group
  cohesion
• Many reenlisted before their term was up
• If defeated, we have everything to hope for in
  the future. If defeated, there will be nothing
  left for us to live for.
• RE Lee
• Sense the desperation
• Morale is spottyreligious revivalism
• Confederate Congress had abolished Substitution
  (1864)
• All those guys were now called
• Forced men to remain when their term was up
• Changed age limits (17-50)
• The Whos who of Union generals are now in
  control (Grant, Sherman, Sheridan)

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Union Issues

• Many of the 3 year enlistments were up just
  before 1864
• Veteran Rebels against Green Yankees would mean
  disaster
• Congress relied on persuasion and inducements
• Re-enlistment would get you a special chevron
• 30 day furlough
• 400 federal bounty, and state/local bounties
• Ability to retain regimental identity (force peer
  pressure)
• 136,000 veterans re-enlisted
• New conscripts were not desirable (deserters,
  crooks, etc)
• Confederates felt the need to prolong war
• Force a Union decision in the Election of 1864
  (well talk about soon)

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Lincoln Re-Election Issues

• Two factors loomed over this election
• War weariness in the North
• Radical Republican/Peace Democrats hatred of
  Lincoln (due to war management)
• Lincolns fate depended on the military gains of
  his army
• War as the pursuit of political goals by other
  means
• Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz

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War Weariness in the North

• By the summer of 1864, the Union was deadlocked
• Sherman stuck outside Atlanta (well cover in a
  bit)
• Grant stuck in the Siege of Petersburg (well
  cover in a minute)
• Lee felt as though this could tie into military
  struggle
• Subsist, not conquer to get a new president
• War is done is a Peace Democrat wins
• Lincoln made terms for south clear (and unlikely)
• Emancipation and loyalty (10) (GAS ON FIRE)

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War Weariness continued

• Prison camps and draft riots dragged down Union
  morale
• Fed troops were used to put down rebellions in
  Ohio, Illinois, and New York
• Many Copperheads pleaded failure of Lincoln
  administration
• Openly confessed lack of will to fight
• New draft for 500,000 men was called for

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Peace vs. War Issue

• Democratic party split
• Peace democrats/war democrats
• Nominated George B McClellan
• McClellan ran on a platform of armistice and
  negotiation for peace (with slavery)
• Had a Copperhead VP Pendleton
• Lincoln felt as though he had no shot
• Had almost given up empty and worn out
• Needed good news from the military front to boost
  his campaign

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Reconstruction Issues

• Lincolns proposal to restore the Confederacy
  Amnesty
• Part of Wartime Reconstruction
• Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution and
  Proclamations concerning slavery
• Once 10 of voters from 1860 did this, the
  tangible nucleus could establish a state
  government
• Confederate officials and high ranking officers
  excluded
• Struggle between Executive Branch and Legislative
  Branch
• President and Congress who will establish
  control of Reconstruction
• Secession was illegal and southern states in
  UNION!!!
• Others disagreedvoided their rights

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Radical Republicans

• Believed he was too weak
• Crush the south and make them pay
• Belief that rebellious states ceased to exist
• state suicide
• Wanted the Union to be the conqueror and redraw
  the map
• Wade-Davis Bill of 1864 displayed this

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Wade-Davis Bill 1864

• Ironclad oath by Southerners (50)
• NEVER supported Confederacy in any way
• Never voluntarily taken up arms against the
  north
• The Damnesty OathHa-ha
• Broke Bills of Attainder and ex post facto laws
• No jury and decriminalize an act
• Lincoln pocket-vetoed it
• Dont sign it before Congress adjourns, cant
  override it
• Politicized the whole issue
• Argument over enfranchisement of slaves/mandate
  of emancipation/black suffrage

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Free labor vs. slave labor system

• Influx of northerners into south
• Fix the ills of the Confederacy
• Education, medicine, etc for blacks (Lincoln)
• Economic needs prevailed
• North/England needed cotton
• Army put ex-slaves to work
• For wage, free or other
• Some freedmen leased land, others exploited
  freedmen
• Many freedmen had wages withheld, freedoms
  restricted, regulations

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Battle field developments 1863

• Wilderness (Early May 1864)
• Spotsylvania (Late May 1864)
• Cold Harbor/Petersburg (June)
• Atlanta

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MAP

• Overland-Petersburg

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Shermans approach

• War is War, and not popularity seeking
• Lay siege and force total evacuation of the city
• Read letter
• September 2 1864 Atlanta seized!
• The Election of 1864 is seizedneeded boost
• Concept of Total War emerged (READ LETTER)
• Something queer happened
• Hood withdrew into Tennessee to draw Sherman out!
• Sherman burned Atlanta

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Shermans Approach to Atlanta May-Sept 1864
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Sherman makes Georgia howl

• The purpose was to make all feel the hand of war
• Had broken the shell and found hollowness
• Break their spirit
• Goal cut off supply lines, live off the land
  and march to the sea
• Make Southern heartland his own.

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The Goal

• March to the sea
• Use 3 different routes about 60 miles wide
• Regular foraging parties were sent out
• Take food off the land
• Smoked meats, veggies, fruits, etc
• Burned the rest (including homes)
• Bummers were a problem
• Lawless stragglers (Rebel/Union/local)
• Not stopped were ruthless (rape/pillage/etc)
• Couldnt spare the manpower

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Death Blow

• South couldnt protect itself
• All industry, agriculture and infrastructure was
  destroyed
• Lees soldiers on starvation rations
• Union army feasted on Southern goods
• Prevent any supplies from helping the Confederacy
• Sherman presented Lincoln with a Christmas gift
  of Savannah on Dec 24

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