Download US History The Desperate Confederate: The Conclusion of the

US History
The Desperate Confederate:
The Conclusion of the American Civil War
A Summary of Events…
At the start of the Civil War many observers felt that the odds were stacked in the Union’s favor and
victory for them would come quickly. Based on such facts as the Union’s much larger population (nearly 16
million more citizens than the Confederacy), the Union’s huge supply of weapons and goods (85% of the
nation’s factories & mills were located in the Union), and miles of railroad (71% of the nation’s railroad lines
were located in the Union) it seemed that it would take a miracle for the Confederacy to achieve its goal of
independence.
However, as the Confederacy came on strong at the onset of the war. They fired the first shots of the
war (at Fort Sumter) and overtook the Union fort in 36 short hours. They devastated the Union Army at the
First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861 (the first major battle of the war). The Union soldiers were unprepared to
deal with the aggressive Confederate strategy. During the first couple years of the war, the Confederacy held its
own against the Union (due, in large part, to their skilled generals such as Robert E. Lee). The Union began to
rethink its strategy and under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant the tide started to turn. In addition to
Grant’s expertise, the Union had other factors working in their favor. The Anaconda Plan, the Union’s strategy
to win the war by cutting off all of the Confederacy’s trade, started to work. As the war dragged on, the south,
lacking a significant number of factories and mills began to run drastically low on supplies. The Battle of
Shiloh, followed by the fall of New Orleans and a string of Union victories in the west marked a turning point n
the Union’s favor. When the Confederate Army traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in search of shoes, they
were defeated (a crushing blow to their morale).
TERRORISM AS A TACTIC
In the last two years of the war, the Confederacy used a variety of tactics to win the war. They
attempted to carry out large scale acts of terrorism in the north. Just like today, the news outlets consistently
reported “terrorist plans” discovered by the Union. Terrorists had planned on leading an attack on the
Democratic Presidential Convention in 1864 (which never came to fruition). They also planned on attacking
passenger ships along the northern coast of Maine, but that plan was also foiled. The confederacy did
successfully carry out some terrorist plots. For example 20 Confederates robbed 3 northern banks and stole
nearly $250,000. While escaping to Canada, the terrorists set fire to the town of St. Albans, Vermont.
Confederate terrorists also launched an attack on New York City on Election Day, November 8, 1864. Three
men checked into various hotels throughout the city and lit their hotel rooms on fire before quietly exiting the
building. Panic spread throughout the city and in the end the fires were contained (however a number of
Manhattan hotels were lost as well as a warehouse and a few ships docked near Battery Park).
While these acts of terrorism achieved the goal of spreading fear, they did not stop the Union Army
from continuing to steam roll the Confederacy across the states of Virginia and Georgia. The main objective of
the Union Army was to take Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. For nine long months the Union and
Confederacy battled outside the city. The Union Army consisted of about 125,000 soldiers to the
Confederacy’s 60,000. The lack of supplies (especially food) began to take its toll on the Confederates. Lee
knew that he was trapped. There were few Confederate reinforcements and thus Lee had no hope of receiving
any. He also knew that if he were to retreat, the capital would be lost to the Union. Jefferson Davis continually
told Lee that the capital of Richmond was “to be defended at all costs”. Lee was finally able to persuade Davis
that the only chance of avoiding a total defeat and unconditional surrender to the Union would be to withdraw
from the city. Davis finally capitulated (meaning “gave in”).
Lee planned on having his men move south to North Carolina to meet up with another regiment of
30,000 soldiers. Once the two troops were united, Lee had hoped they would have the strength to make a
come back. However, Lee’s hopes would never become a reality – he was never able to get his troops out of
Richmond. The Confederate troops that Lee would have met up with were made up of over-aged, under trained
soldiers who were ill-equipped to fight in any war.
DESPERATE MEASURES…
In the meantime, the Confederate government was busy attempting to do what it could to preserve its
independence. The south had originally hoped to use their cotton to help them acquire the support of England
and France to aid in the war effort, which never happened. The Confederate government decided once again to
reach out to Europe. They proposed a treaty which stated that if England and France were to publicly recognize
the Confederate States of America (CSA) as an independent country, the CSA would abolish slavery! The
European nations refused the proposal. This last minute act of the Confederate government truly illustrates
how desperate they were at the end of the war – they were willing to sacrifice the one thing (slavery) that caused
them to secede in the first place! The Confederate President Jefferson Davis also proposed a peace treaty with
the Union suggesting that the nation reunite and then attack Mexico together. This idea was rejected by the
north.
On April 2, 1865 Grant broke through what remained of the Confederate line outside of Richmond.
Lee withdrew his troops outside of the city and contacted Jefferson Davis. Davis was seated at church when he
received a message from Lee advising him to leave the city that night. It is reported that Davis’ face grew a pale
grey after reading the telegram. He went back to his War Office and ordered an evacuation of the city. He sent
his family off to North Carolina and withdrew all the Confederate funds (a mere $528,000) and had them sent
south. As the Confederate troops withdrew from the city they lit fire to anything they thought the Union
might be able to use, such as the ironclad docked in the harbor. Fires burned down much of the city. The next
day President Lincoln and General Grant met in the city of Richmond.
JUST SURRENDER…
In yet another act of desperation, Lee continued to push his men onward despite the lack of supplies
and the obvious fact that the war was over. About one week later Lee and his troops ended up at Appomattox
Station, a railway station a few miles from the Appomattox Courthouse. Union General Custer pursued Lee
into the town. Lee’s numbers were down to about 30,000 men (nearly half of which did not have weapons!).
Despite this fact, Lee ordered his men to fight. After a short battle, Lee decided he had no choice but to
surrender. He ordered one of his men to set up a meeting with Grant at the Appomattox Court House where
he would officially surrender on April 9th, 1865.
The terms that Grant and Lee worked out were more than fair toward the defeated Confederacy. Grant
did not want to imprison any of the Confederate soldiers, but rather just have them disarm and return to their
homes. The actions of Grant followed what President Lincoln wanted. During his presidential inauguration
speech (for his second term) Lincoln stated,
“With malice toward none, charity for all…let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds…(and) do all which
may achieve a just and lasting peace among ourselves…”
Lincoln did not want to exact revenge on the south for the war. He knew that such action would never
result in lasting peace. Lincoln believed that they only way the nation could reunite quickly and lastingly would
be to welcome the south back.
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US History
Desperate Confederate:
Quick Check
Directions: Use the Desperate Confederate: The Conclusion of the Civil War handout to
answer the following questions.
1. Look at paragraph #4. Why did Confederate President Jefferson Davis believe that the
city of Richmond should be “defended at all costs”? Use evidence from the text to
support your answer.
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2. Why did the author entitle paragraphs 6 & 7 “Desperate Measures”? Use evidence from
the text to support your answer.
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