With Atlanta now safely in Union hands, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is able to rest a bit easier. The capture of the Southern city bolsters the president’s re-election prospects, and, assuming Lincoln’s re-election (which is not yet a given, despite Atlanta) almost assures a United States victory over the rebellious Southern states. Against this backdrop,…
How are the fortunes of the Confederacy? It depends upon where one looks. The editor of the South Carolina Confederate Baptist, reporting only “wild rumors” from Atlanta, finds ample reasons to believe in a prosperous future for the white South. Among the articles published in today’s edition of the paper is one that extols the…
Union General William T. Sherman is at work organizing his headquarters and operations in Atlanta. A cloud of apprehension and uncertainty hangs over citizens who yet remain, their fate resting in the hands of the despised enemy general. Meanwhile, celebrations in the North continue over the Union’s capture of Atlanta, exceedingly so in Washington, D.C.…