1. Final Stages of the War

2. Union Changes Command
The successful General Ulysses S. Grant is given command of all Union armies
Lincoln impressed by his aggressiveness
Grant’s new strategy
Chase down and destroy Lee
Break the will of the South

3. Issues around Tennessee
Battle of Chickamauga:
Confederate victory but lost more men which weakened the Confederate army
Opens the South for the Union
Nathan Bedford Forrest: very good Confederate general
BUT, executed black Union soldiers who surrendered
Battle of Franklin and Nashville:
Confederates last stand in the west
They lose and end any war effort in the West

4. Discussion
How does General Grant differ from the rest of the Union generals that have had command?
How have battles in and around Tennessee impacted the war?
How do you believe the second phase of Grant’s strategy (Break the will of the South) will be accomplished?

5. Election of 1864
Lincoln was up for reelection and was faced with a familiar foe
Former General George McClellan ran against Lincoln
The election was all about the war
Should the Union keep fighting
Lincoln was reelected easily
Significance: Clear sign that nation supported an end of slavery and winning the war

6. Sherman’s March to the Sea
Grant’s plan included breaking the will of the South
General William T. Sherman was tasked with this
He waged “total war” on the South
Bringing the war to the people
Sherman destroyed everything in his path from Atlanta, Georgia, to the Atlantic Ocean
Sherman destroyed farms and towns along the way

7. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Gave Confederates hope; Lincoln would treat them fairly and with dignity

8. Reflection
Who do you believe was more effective, Grant or Sherman in bringing about an end to the Civil War? Why?