It's now 1864. Lincoln is re-elected, and Sherman’s March to the Sea obliterated the Confederacy’s industrial base. But work remains for General Grant. He must contend with his greatest foe, Robert E. Lee. Now that Grant was directing the operations of the Army of the Potomac, Northern expectations were high. Southern expectations were also high.

Author Stephen Davis talks about his book A Long and Bloody Task which covers the entirety of the Atlanta Campaign.

From November to December 1864, Gen. Sherman led over 60,000 soldiers from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia in a scorched earth campaign to completely demoralized the Southern war effort. Sherman explained that they needed to “make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war.”

Joan Waugh, Professor of History at UCLA, discusses the events around Lee's surrender to Grant at the Appomattox Court House.

Peter Carmichael and Gordon Rhea talk about the tactics of generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant during the 1864 Overland Campaign in Virginia, which included the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, and the Battle of Cold Harbor.

Stalemated at almost every turn, Lieutenant General Grant attempted to sidestep General Lee's right flank as the forces moved south until the two armies came to rest and entrenched at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Grant changed his strategy thereafter by marching across the Chickahominy River, crossing the James River unopposed, and attempting to seize the Confederate transportation hub at Petersburg, Virginia, on the Appomattox River.

A look at the Battle of Cold Harbor. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

In-depth overview of the Overland Campaign, a 40-odd day series of maneuvers and combat between the Rapidan and James Rivers, pitting the Civil War’s premier general, Grant and Lee, against each other.

Informative overview of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

Overview of the Battle of the Wilderness. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

Snapshot of the Atlanta Campaign with focus on some key battles (Ezra Church, Peachtree Creek, and Atlanta).

Georgia Gov. Joseph E. Brown Telegraphed a frantic plea from Atlanta to Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond on June 28, 1864. He begged the chief executive to send reinforcements to the Army of Tennessee, which was being steadily forced toward Atlanta through the mountains of northern Georgia.

A collection of photographs documenting the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War.

Informative overview of the Battle of Atlanta. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

A brief, but informative, look at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman was a contradiction embodied. He eliminated Atlanta's war making potential and brought sheer destruction to Georgia, then offered generous surrender terms. His vision of hard war brought the Confederacy to its knees, but forestalled thousands of battlefield and civilian deaths.

The March to the Sea has come down to us as an act of savage brutality perpetrated by one of the great villains of American history. Just the mention of William Tecumseh Sherman’s name conjures images of burning cities, ransacked plantations and terror stricken women and children.

Maps illustrating General Sherman's "March to the sea" and through the Carolinas and Virginia.

Stroock, William. “Sherman’s March to the Sea.” Warfare History Network, Sovereign Media, 31 Dec. 2018, warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/civil-war/shermans-march-to-the-sea/.
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Informative, but short, overview of the Battle of Appomattox Station. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

To many Americans the word Appomattox is synonymous with the end of the Civil War. The war, however, did not officially conclude at that tiny village west of Petersburg, Virginia. But what happened there in early April 150 years ago certainly marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

Concise overview of the Battle of Appomattox Station. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.

First-hand correspondence between General Lee and General Grant setting up the South's surrender at Appomattox Court House.