In Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley this day, Union forces deal a decisive blow to Confederates in the Battle of Cedar Creek. So conclusive is the Federal victory over Confederate General Jubal Early‘s army that Confederate resistance in the valley effectively comes to an end. Meanwhile, in Bridgeport, Alabama, Lewis Raymond, Baptist minister and chaplain of the…
A city ablaze greets the dawning of a new day in the South. Atlanta, deserted by Confederate defenders, is yet aflame from fires started by the departing rebels, while pillaged store fronts bear evidence of a night of looting. Union General William T. Sherman and his armies march uncontested into the city, which is surrendered…
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,…