Freedom comes to the Confederate capital this day, although many of the white citizens yet remaining in the city see anything but freedom. As the sun dawns, vast destruction stretches as far as the eye can see. Worse yet, soldiers in blue are approaching the city. As one eyewitness, white Richmond resident Sallie Putnam, observes:…
Today is Sunday, and a new Baptist church is born. But it is not a typical Baptist church. Union troops are now firmly in control of much of South Carolina’s coastline. One island town stands out above the others: Hilton Head, one of the wealthiest of the state’s towns prior to the war. Previously home…
Led by U.S. officer Bull Nelson, whose army arrives at Nashville on the Cumberland River via gunboats, Union forces march into and occupy Nashville today. This afternoon, the formal surrender of the city takes place, as Nashville major Richard Cheatham hands the city over to U.S. General Don Carlos Buell. In the days and weeks…