With the war over, former slaveowners who at one time were the elites of the South face a future devoid of privilege, power and riches. The thought of starting over without slave labor is daunting. And in the minds of many, living in a United States where blacks are free and equal to whites is…
By now the South is a vast battlefield with only a few pockets of safety. Virginia is increasingly overrun by the enemy. From the Shenandoah Valley to Petersburg and further eastward, Northern armies are embedded in the Old Dominion, easily outnumbering Confederate defenders. Much of coastal North Carolina is under Union control, while periodical forays…
Today Union General George Stoneman makes his way south of Atlanta toward Macon, carrying out orders from General William T. Sherman to disrupt Confederate infrastructure and, hopefully, secure the release of Union prisoners in Macon and Andersonville. On both accounts, Stoneman fails. Two days hence, while attempting to withdraw to the safety of Union lines…