Author: Charles Carleton Coffin

Publisher:

Published: 2015-06-28

Total Pages: 532

ISBN-13: 9781330466827

Excerpt from Freedom Triumphant: The Fourth Period of the War of the Rebellion From September, 1864 to Its Close This volume is the fourth of the War of the Rebellion, and covers the period from September, 1864, to the re-establishment of the authority of the United States throughout every part of the republic. It may fittingly be characterized as the Dramatic period of our country's history. It opens with the Army of the Shenandoah winning its great victories; the Army of the Potomac besieging Petersburg, after having fought its way from the Bapidan to that city; with the Army of the West in possession of Atlanta; Abraham Lincoln as candidate for reelection as President, the political issue being the continuance of the war till the authority of the United States should be recognized in all the revolted States, or peace at any price, and upon such terms as Jefferson Davis might dictate; the final abolishing of slavery, or the continuance of the institution. The volume treats of the military movements of the closing period - of Sheridan in the Shenandoah, the march of the Army of the West from Atlanta to the sea and through the Carolinas, the struggles of the Army of the Potomac around Petersburg and Richmond; the breaking up of the Rebellion; my personal observations in the chief cities of the Confederacy - Savannah, Charleston, and Richmond; the entrance of Abraham Lincoln to the capital of the Confederacy; the last great tragedy - his assassination. I have given from authentic documents what is to be found in no volume that has come under my observation - the change of opinion and sentiment in the South in regard to the employment of slaves as soldiers of the Confederacy. In this, as in preceding volumes, I have endeavored to keep in view the real cause of the war - not the question of the rights of the States, but the continuance of slavery. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.