The real end of the Civil War…
The real end of the Civil War…
… happened largely on yesterday’s date in 1865. That’s when General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to General William T. Sherman at the Bennett Place. The negotiations started on April 17th with a general agreement met the next day; they concluded with this text on the 26th. It also gave a parole to the men in Johnston’s Army, as well as sought a general end to the war itself. There were some supplementary terms, but the general aim of Johnston was to surrender as much of the Confederacy as he could. He succeeded, and it became the largest surrender of Confederate forces in the war.
Categories: Uncategorized
There was a true miracle that day, as Johnston was disobeying orders when he surrendered.
Jeffferson Davis’s administration was living on a train, in retreat, and demanded that Lee and Johnston turn their efforts towards guerilla warfare (Which would have been torturous to the Union). Both Lee and Johnston did the honorable thing, and surrendered.
As Washington was recouping from the assassination of President Lincoln, they were beating the drums and were furious as to Sherman’s terms. (Even though those terms were exactly what Lincoln had wished for.) (That was another miracle that the agreement was accepted in Washington.)
Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis was still on the move, and would be a fugative for several more weeks. And I believe Booth was still "at large" as well.