As Federal forces entered Wilmington, North Carolina, closing the last major port of the South, on the same day—Wednesday, February 22, 1865—Robert E. Lee officially assigned General Joseph Johnston to the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and to the Department of Tennessee and Georgia. Johnston was ordered to concentrate all remaining available forces, including those arriving from the West. His appointment was somewhat controversial, given his strained relationship with Jefferson Davis. However, times were so bad that even Davis now acquiesced in Johnston’s appointment. In addition, Lee ordered General Beauregard to report to Johnston for assignment. Though aggrieved at being demoted, General Beauregard cooperated with Johnston. Unfortunately, what these officers lacked was the manpower to resist the Union armies confronting them in the field.
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.