there was a lull, for a time, in the tempest of war. the confederate forces had lost ground that they could hardly hope to regain. the mississippi river and eastern tennessee, both of supreme importance to the confederacy, were in possession of the union armies, which grew ever stronger. they were now about 1,000,000 men, and the navy had increased to over 600 vessels. this force was soon put in vigorous hands, that gripped fast what they once held. the misfortune of many commanders and continual changes, from political rather than military considerations, began to be well understood. grant had gained so uniformly when others had failed, he was recognized as so tenacious and unwearied, that he received and held the confidence of the people and the government. this was a point of great importance for shortening the war; for the southern people were still resolute, had still a vast country, were on the defensive in a smaller region than before, and could resist more effectively with a smaller army. it still made a most gallant and determined resistance which the vast resources of the national government did not enable them to overcome for a year and a half. the country was still covered with detached bodies of troops. a desultory war was maintained where strong armies failed to hold the ground, or were concentrated at a few points. the great movements were in virginia and georgia. the secondary in tennessee, in mississippi, and texas.

it took a year to break the will of the southern people after they were really conquered. this period covers the year 1864; 1865 furnishes only the dying struggles of the confederacy, already mortally wounded.

1864.

the bombardment of charleston continued during the preceding month. some cavalry movements were made, the president of the u. s. offered amnesty to all who would take an oath of allegiance, and gen. butler announced that the confederate government refused to receive any more supplies for union prisoners from the north.

jan. 7—three blockade runners captured.

” 11—two more were destroyed, making 22 in a few months.

” 25—mr. vanderbilt, having presented a steamer worth $800,000 to the u. s. government, received the thanks of congress.

feb. 1—the president of the u. s. ordered a draft of 500,000 men.

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” 5—two english steamers, with supplies for the south, captured.

” 9—cotton worth $700,000 burned at wilmington, n. c.

” 20—negro troops cover the retreat of a defeated white union force at olustee, fla.

” 28—the large armies being broken up or concentrated, and the lines of communication very much interrupted, many union cavalry raids, aiming to break the lines of communication by railroad completely, to lay waste the country, and to free the negroes, who were raising supplies for the southern armies, in the far interior, were undertaken. that of sherman to meridian, in miss., and of grierson and smith, and many smaller ones, were executed during this month. the damage to railroads and the supplies destroyed were incalculable. 18 blockade runners and other vessels bringing supplies to the south were destroyed during the month.

mar. 2—gen. grant made lt. general; the only one who had reached that dignity since gen. washington—gen. scott being lt. gen. only by brevet.

” 12—gen. grant made commander-in-chief of the u. s. armies.

” 15—the president of the u. s. calls for 200,000 more men.

” 25—confederate gen. forrest makes three assaults on paducah, ky., with loss of 1,500 men, in vain.

” 28—a severe defeat inflicted on southern forces at cane river, la.

apr. 4—gen. marmaduke defeated by gen. steele, unionist, at little missouri, ark.

” 8—gen. banks suffers reverses on the red river, and retreats with loss.

” 12—gen. forrest takes ft. pillow and massacres the garrison, many being negroes.

” 21—salt works in north carolina destroyed—value $100,000. as salt was indispensable to army operations, the utmost effort was made to ruin as many as possible.

” 23—governors of western states offer the u.s. government 85,000 men for 100 days. president accepts them.

may 2—400 union prisoners are brought to annapolis nearly starved.

” 4—gen. grant crosses the rapidan in va. and commences operations in the wilderness. he, with 140,000 men, confronts lee, who has 60,000.

” 5—fighting in the wilderness for two days without decided result. costs grant 30,000 (5,000 were prisoners) and lee 10,000. lee was intrenched and familiar with the ground, which was highly unfavorable to the union army.

” 6—gen. sherman confronts gen. joe johnson near chattanooga. sherman has near 100,000; johnson 60,000.

” 7—lee retreats toward spottsylvania court-house. union army follows, fighting.

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to this date 150,000 southern soldiers had been made prisoners during the course of the war.

may 8—battle of spottsylvania; result indecisive.

” 10—battle of spottsylvania continued. still indecisive. losses to each side 10,000 men.

” 12—lee and grant fight again, without victory by either.

” 13—sheridan destroyed lee’s depot of supplies in his rear, at beaver dam.

” 15—sherman drives johnson from resaca after two days’ fighting.

” 21—lee is flanked at spottsylvania, and retires to the north anna.

” 23—morgan (confederate cavalry) enters ky. with 4,000 men.

” 25—sheridan rejoins grant, after a brilliant series of daring deeds in the rear of lee. gen. stuart, a very able confederate cavalry leader, is killed in this raid.

” 27—grant again flanked lee, crossing the pamunky to hanovertown.

june 1—battle of cold harbor, north of, and near, richmond. it was fought with the utmost bravery and obstinacy, but gained no more decisive end than the destruction of men and material involved. this was very severe on lee, from the smaller number he had to fall back on.

” 7—abraham lincoln renominated for the presidency of the u. s.

” 14—gen. polk (a southern bishop) killed.

” 15—an unsuccessful assault for three days on petersburg. union losses 10,000 men.

” 18—to this time grant had lost 64,000 men—lee 38,000 during this campaign.

” 19—steamer kearsarge sinks the famous alabama, on the coast of france.

” 20—petersburg strongly reinforced by lee.

” 27—sherman, pushing johnson at keneshaw, meets a severe repulse. in one month he had driven johnson 100 miles, fought six battles, and killed, wounded or taken prisoner 17,000 men. he followed grant’s principle, and “flanked” him. a retreat was the result.

july 1—public debt over $1,740,000,000.

” 9—gen. early, with 20,000 confederate troops, passes into grant’s rear, and makes a hasty march north into maryland. this day he gained a victory over gen. wallace, but his losses were so great that he was hindered in his design of capturing washington, though within six miles of it at one time. he retreats, but soon turns back.

” 18—president lincoln calls for 500,000 more troops.

” 19—gen. averill (union) gives early a check, but finally falls back.

” 20-22—severe battles in the neighborhood of atlanta, geo. gen. sherman victorious. confederate losses in all over 15,000; union about 5,500. union gen. mcpherson killed.

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” 22—a mine, made under the fortifications of petersburg, completed. it was charged with 8,000 lbs. of powder.

” 28—early sent a detachment into penn., which burnt chambersburg.

” 30—gen. stoneman defeated and taken prisoner at macon, geo., by confederates.

the mine exploded at petersburg, blowing up a fort and its garrison; but, from unskillful management, proved a union disaster; 4,000 men were lost in killed, wounded and prisoners. a constant artillery attack was kept up on petersburg through this month.

aug. 2—gen. banks puts all the negroes in his region in the army (grand gulf, la.).

” 3—constant fighting at atlanta. hood (confederate) repulsed.

” 5—admiral farragut enters mobile bay with 18 vessels, and captures or destroys the vessels and forts. it was the last seaport of the confederacy.

” 7—union gen. averill gains a complete victory at moorfield, west va.

” 9—atlanta, geo., bombarded by sherman’s army.

” 11—the confederate vessel tallahassee burns 5 vessels, and 5 more in the course of aug.

” 13—mosby, confederate, captures an immense supply train at berryville, va.

” 19—success of southern forces before petersburg. took 2,000 prisoners.

” 21—lee fails to dislodge warner, who is destroying the weldon r. r. in three days grant lost 4,500 men in this undertaking.

” 31—gen. howard, of sherman’s army, gains a decided victory at jonesborough, geo.

sept. 2—gen. hood evacuates atlanta, geo., a very important place, which sherman at once occupies. sherman had lost 30,000 men in this campaign, the confederates 42,000.

” 5—gen. morgan, an active southern cavalry officer, is killed at granville, tenn.

” 12—sherman sends away all the families and burns a good part of atlanta, preparatory to great and brilliant operations.

” 13—general sheridan in the shenandoah valley, va.

” 16—a strong force of confederate cavalry drive off 2,500 beeves belonging to the union army on james river.

” 19—sheridan defeats early, (at oquequan, shenandoah valley,) inflicting a loss of 8,000 men.

” 22—sheridan again inflicts a loss of near 4,000 on early, at fisher’s hill, va.

” 29—gen. grant advances to within ten miles of richmond, on the north.

gen. price again invades missouri.

” 30—the blockading force captured and destroyed 50 vessels this month.

oct. 5—a repulse of the southern forces at allatoona, geo.

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” 7—the confederate steamer florida captured by the wachusett, on the coast of brazil.

sheridan, having laid waste the shenandoah valley, returns south.

” 8—sheridan defeats the confederates again in the shenandoah valley.

” 11—maryland votes for a constitution abolishing slavery.

” 19—sheridan annihilated early, at cedar creek, by his famous “ride from winchester,” and rallying his men, after they had been defeated.

confederate refugees from canada rob a bank in st. albans, vt.

” 23—gen. price defeated at blue river, missouri.

” 27—gen. grant closes the active campaign by an extensive reconnaissance.

” 28—gen. blunt defeats price and drives him out of missouri. he returns no more.

nov.—gen. hood, in command of the forces in georgia, withdrew from the neighborhood of atlanta, for the purpose of destroying sherman’s base of supplies, and invading tennessee and kentucky. he had now about 40,000 men. gen. thomas was sent into tennessee, by sherman, with a strong force, to contend with him; and sherman, breaking away from his northern connections, commences his celebrated “march to the sea,” in which he is lost to his friends for 40 days, but reaches savannah in safety.

” 4—johnsonville, tenn., bombarded. 3 gunboats and 8 transports, with $1,500,000 of stores destroyed.

” 8—president lincoln re-elected. gen. mcclellan resigns his commission.

” 11—a gunboat, the tulip, blows up on potomac river. her boiler burst.

” 13—gen. breckenridge attacks gillem, near morristown, tenn., capturing his artillery, and several hundred prisoners.

” 14—atlanta completely destroyed by sherman, before his march south.

” 16—gen. stoneman attacks breckenridge, at marion, tenn., and captures his artillery and 200 prisoners.

gen. sherman starts for savannah through the heart of the confederacy, with over 65,000 troops. he destroys railroads and lays the country waste wherever he is treated in a hostile manner.

” 22—sherman’s army reach milledgeville, the capital of georgia. the gov. and legislature hastily retire. the soldiers amuse themselves by holding a mock legislature, passing loyal resolutions, &c.

” 24—the union army in va., receive nearly 100,000 pounds of turkeys, sent from the north to supply them a christmas dinner.

” 25—an attempt to fire new york city miscarries.

” 30—gen. hood, confederate, with 40,000 men, attacks schofield, 18 miles from nashville. gen. schofield had only 17,000 men. hood made four attacks, and was each time repulsed. he lost[675] 6,000 men. at midnight schofield retreated to nashville, and joined thomas, followed by hood’s army.

dec. 1—the u. s. navy has 671 vessels, carrying over 4,000 guns, and 51,000 men. it has captured 324 vessels during the year—during the war, 1,379—267 being steamers.

” 5—65 blockade runners, ships and cargoes worth $12,000,000, have been captured or destroyed by the u. s. navy, at wilmington, n. c.

” 6—mr. chase, ex-sec. of the u. s. treasury, appointed chief justice of the supreme court.

” 12—gen. sherman’s army reaches the rear of savannah, geo., which is occupied by the confederate gen. hardee, with 15,000 men.

” 13—gen. hazen, of sherman’s command, captures ft. mcallister, near savannah. it had been frequently attacked by gunboats, in vain.

” 15—gen. rousseau defeats the southern forces under forrest at murfreesborough, tenn., with great loss.

” 15-16—battle of nashville, tenn., in which gen. hood is completely defeated by gen. thomas, federal commander. hood’s flying troops pursued 200 miles. it was one of the most fatal blows of the war for the south.

” 19—president lincoln calls for 300,000 volunteers to finish the war.

” 20—gen. stoneman, unionist, captures forts and destroys salt works, lead mines, and railway bridges at saltville, east tennessee.

gen. sherman summons savannah to surrender. gen. hardee retreated in the night. gen. sherman takes possession next day.