In Palmetto, Georgia this day, Confederate President Jefferson Davis meets with generals John Bell Hood and William Hardee. Hood, commander of the defeated Army of the Tennessee, blames subordinate general Hardee, who had commanded one of three corps under Hood, for the loss of Atlanta to Sherman. Hardee disagrees, and asks to be removed from…
Today marks the beginning of the battle that will decide the fate of Atlanta. In what becomes known as the Battle of Jonesborough, Union General William T. Sherman maneuvers his forces in an offensive designed to draw the Confederate’s Army of the Tennessee out of the city of Atlanta. Confederate Lieutenant General William J. Hardee,…
Today Charleston, Illinois, a small town sharply divided over the war, erupts in rioting. The trouble begins when Copperheads (Northern Democrats who want to sign a peace treaty with the Confederate States) assemble at the courthouse. Armed and ready for confrontation, the Copperheads wait for opportunities to assault soldiers and abolitionists. The wait is not…