Thursday, February 9, 1865 witnessed important military command changes for both the North and the South. For the Union, General Quincy Gillmore replaced General John G. Foster in charge of the Department of the South; Gillmore would focus on capturing Charlestown, South Carolina. General John M. Schofield also assumed overall command of the Union Department of North Carolina. Schofield was expected to attack Wilmington, North Carolina and then join forces with William Tecumseh Sherman. In the Confederacy, General Robert E. Lee assumed his duties as Confederate General-in-Chief, stating that he would rely on his field commanders and noting that manpower was the Confederacy’s paramount need. Lee immediately proposed an amnesty for all deserters who voluntarily reported for duty within thirty days; Confederate President Jefferson Davis immediately approved Lee’s suggestion.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.