Georgia’s Role in the Civil War December 2, 2015

Georgia’s Role in the War ► By the start of the war, Atlanta was a major economic and transportation center in the South ► Several different railroads crossed through the city, making Atlanta important in getting troops and supplies to the battle front ► Union leaders knew that if Atlanta was captured, then that would effectively end the Confederate war effort

Andersonville (Camp Sumter) ► Georgia was also home to several Union prisoner-of-war camps ► The most well-known was Camp Sumter (also known as Andersonville Prison) in Andersonville, Ga ► The prison opened in February 1864, and was a large outdoor fenced-in area with tents for prisoners ► Conditions in the prison were unhealthy, with sanitation issues, lack of food, lack of adequate shelter, overcrowding, and disease all contributing to the deaths of many prisoners ► After the camp was liberated in May 1865, the director of the prison was put on trial for excessive cruelty ► He was convicted and executed

The Battle of Chickamauga ► By late 1863, Union troops were moving farther and farther south, almost into Georgia ► On September 19-20, 1863, Union troops encountered Confederate troops at Chickamauga Creek, just south of the Tennessee border in Georgia ► It was a Confederate victory, forcing the Union back into Tennessee ► However, by November, the Union had brought more troops and began advancing into Georgia

The Atlanta Campaign ► In early 1864, 112,000 Union troops, under the leadership of General William T. Sherman, were camped in Chattanooga, TN, just across the Georgia/Tennessee border ► During the late spring and early summer, General Sherman moved his troops southward, clashing time and again with Confederate troops, but always slowly moving towards Atlanta

The Atlanta Campaign

The Battle of Atlanta ► On July 22, 1864, General Sherman finally reached the city of Atlanta ► He encountered Confederate troops under the leadership of General John B. Hood ► The battle continued off and on for two months, and losses were heavy on both sides, but Sherman eventually captured Atlanta on September 2, 1864

The Burning of Atlanta ► After Sherman captured the city, he and his soldiers stayed for 2 months ► On November 15, 1864, they destroyed the railroads and factories by setting fire to them ► They then marched out on Sherman’s infamous “March to the Sea”

Sherman’s March to the Sea ► The army moved quickly to Savannah, burning everything in a path 60 miles wide ► They destroyed all military targets and farms, homes, railroads, and bridges that supported the Confederate army ► They took a little over 1 month to get to Savannah, arriving on December 22, 1864 ► Sherman took over the city the next day, cutting off the Confederate army in Virginia from its southern suppliers

Sherman’s March to the Sea

End of the War ► After the loss of Atlanta and Savannah, the Confederate war effort struggled to keep going ► The only Confederate troops left were Lee’s troops in Virginia, and a small group in North Carolina ► Most Confederate troops had given up and gone home ► They tried one more time to fight in March 1865, but failed ► On April 9, 1865, the Confederacy surrendered at the courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln ► Lincoln was re-elected for a 2 nd term as president in November 1864 ► He guided the country through the end of the war ► After the Confederacy surrendered, he tried to relax by attending a play at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 ► During the performance, he was shot by John Wilkes Booth ► Lincoln died later that night