The close of February 1865 found the Confederate military effort in a precarious situation. The end was near, and virtually all on both sides of the conflict recognized that fact. Lee had prepared contingency plans for when Petersburg fell and Richmond abandoned. Even if Grant could be stopped, a critical shortage of manpower hampered efforts to stop Sherman in the Carolinas, as he marched steadily northward. With Wilmington, North Carolina now lost to the Confederacy, no more supplies would arrive from Europe to assist the Confederacy. While the North prepared for Lincoln’s inauguration on March 4, in the South there was growing despair and concern. The spring of 1865 would most assuredly bring a new day, but what would that new day entail in the life of the South?
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.