Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Saturday, January 28, 1865 : Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints senior Confederate politicians, to hold informal talks with the North – Vice-President Stephens, President of the Senate, R. Turner and former U.S. Supreme Court judge John Campbell. General Sherman’s army (U.S.) fights with Confederates along the Combahee River in South Carolina. Sunday, January 29, 1865 : William Quantrill, Missouri guerrilla fighter is now in Danville, Kentucky. Here his men dressed in Union garb, enter the town, rob the citizens and a boot store, and leave on the Perryville pike at 11:15 a.m. Later that day a skirmish takes place 5 miles west of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where the Yankees overtake a band 40 guerrillas killing and capturing 12. William Quantrill is not one of them. In South Carolina, there is very little to stop the destruction General Sherman’s army is doing to the state; he most wanted to make an example of. If the army could not eat it or carry it with them; they burned it. Crops, barns, houses, and towns are burned, as the troops move mostly unopposed through the state. At Moorefield, West Virginia, Brig. General Thomas L. Rosser (CSA) continues his raid and enters the town. While there, the Confederates stampede a supply train, and attack the local Union garrison. The Confederates drove away the Federals, and proceed to capture 95 wagons. Monday, January 30, 1865 : Reinforcements of the Army of Tennessee (CSA) arrive in Augusta, Georgia. There is fighting at Lawtonville, South Carolina against General Sherman’s invaders and near Chaplintown, Kentucky with more guerrilla fighters. By now, Marcellus Jerome Clarke a local guerrilla fighter (a left over from Brig. General John Hunt Morgan (CSA) last raid into Kentucky) and his group has teamed up with Quantrill and his raiders. Tuesday, January 31, 1865 : The U. S. House of Representatives passes, what would become the Thirteenth Amendment by a margin of 199 to 56. Before it can become part of the Constitution, three fourths of the states must ratify it. President Abraham Lincoln instructs the Secretary of State, William Seward, to travel to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and prepare for the peace discussions with the recently appointed Confederate Commission. It is official now- General Robert E. Lee (CSA) is the newly appointed, General-in-Chief of all the Confederate Armies. Lt. Cornelius C. Platter (U.S.) with the 81st Ohio Infantry Regiment during march North through the Carolinas writes in his diary: “Weather moderating - Heard to day [today] that “Hood” with 20,000 was at Columbia S.C. The report is said to be reliable -- It is likely we will get a mail before, we leave here - Several men of the 20th Corps were killed & wounded by torpedoes across the River to day[today].” Wednesday, February 1, 1865 : The state of Illinois is the 1st state to ratify the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. Confederate soldiers at Pocotaligo, South Carolina move inland, while Sherman’s (U.S.) left wing crosses the Savannah River, and march through Robertsville and Lawtonville. The troops in the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, continue to suffer from the harsh winter weather as the James River threatens to freeze over. Thursday, February 2, 1865 : President Abraham Lincoln (U.S.) travels from Washington, D.C., to Fortress Monroe, Virginia. Here he joins his Secretary of State, William H. Seward, aboard the ship River Queen , where they plan to meet with the Confederate peace delegation the next day. Some eight thousand Federals attempting to cross at a place called “River’s Bridge” on the Salkehatchie River in South Carolina are delayed briefly by nine hundred Confederates, but are soon outflank and the Rebels withdraw. General Sherman’s forces continue through the