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Veteran Affairs

2011-09-26 16:37:08

Civil War facts and history - last of series

Q: I have read most of your answers that you have provided on the Civil War and the roles that Kansas and Kansans played in the same. I would have to believe that far too few know and remember the happenings. I was wondering if you could do some type of an ongoing series that might bring to mind some of the things that happened back then.

A: Thus far we have covered events through December of 1864. This month we will highlight events from then through the end of the war. January 31, 1865 - The U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states for ratification. February 3, 1865 - A peace conference occurs as President Lincoln meets with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens at Hampton Roads in Virginia, but the meeting ends in failure - the war will continue. Only Lee’s Army at Petersburg and Johnston’s forces in North Carolina remain to fight for the South against Northern forces now numbering 280,000 men. March 4, 1865 - Inauguration ceremonies for President Lincoln in Washington. “With malice toward none; with charity for all...let us strive on to finish the work we are in...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations,” Lincoln says. March 25, 1865 - The last offensive for Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia begins with an attack on the center of Grant’s forces at Petersburg. Four hours later the attack is broken. April 2, 1865 - Grant’s forces begin a general advance and break through Lee’s lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. April 4, 1865 - President Lincoln tours Richmond where he enters the Confederate White House. With “a serious, dreamy expression,” he sits at the desk of Jefferson Davis for a few moments. April 9, 1865 - Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules. “After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources,” Lee tells his troops. April 10, 1865 - Celebrations break out in Washington. April 14, 1865 - The Stars and Stripes is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. At 10:13 p.m., during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across the street. He never regains consciousness. April 15, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning. Vice President Andrew Johnson assumes the presidency. April 18, 1865 - Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Sherman near Durham in North Carolina. April 26, 1865 - John Wilkes Booth is shot and killed in a tobacco barn in Virginia. May 4, 1865 - Abraham Lincoln is laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery, at Springfield, Illinois. In May - Remaining Confederate forces surrender. The Nation is reunited as the Civil War ends. Over 620,000 Americans died in the war, with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle. 50,000 survivors return home as amputees. May 23/24, 1865 - A victory parade is held in Washington along Pennsylvania Ave. to help boost the Nation’s morale –Negro units are not allowed to march in the parade. December 6, 1865 - The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is finally ratified. Slavery is abolished.