President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis Captured

President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis captured
Tuesday, 10th May 1965
By Brandon Champion


Efforts to salvage the fallen government of Confederacy completely vanished into thin air on Tuesday May 1965 when the key leader, Jefferson Davis is captured. The Captivators emerged at him in Irwinville, Georgia, together with his wife.
All began on second April when the Confederate lost the battle at Petersburg, Virginia. As a result of the defeat, General Robert E. Lee expressed his will to surrender by informing President Davis that he was no longer going to protect Richmond urging the confederate government to leave the capital. Davis heeded to the advice and left the capital to hide in Danville, Virginia. Consequently, Robert E. surrendered on 9th April bringing the cold war to towards the end.
Davis was humiliated by the fall of his government, and he chose not to concede the defeat and hoped that he would run to a sympathetic country such as France from where he could form a government. His dream was cut short when a detachment that was part of the Fourth Michigan Calvary arrested him. He was caught wearing a black shawl that belonged to his wife pretending to be a woman so that he could escape.
Davis was taken to Fort Monroe prison in Virginia where he was accused of treason though was never tried in a court of law. The federal government felt that they did not have enough evidence to prove his charges and that Davis could justify to the jury that his succession of 1860 to 1861 was by law. Varina, his wife, struggled hard to convince the federal government to free her husband and her efforts together with other Northerners bared fruits on 1867 when Davis was released.
Monday, 15th April 1865
Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
By  HYPERLINK "http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/author/mike-weisser/" \o "More Posts by Mike Weisser" 
Mike Weisser
Monday, 15th April 1865


Early morning of 15th April, Americans woke up to the shocking news of the death of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was shot by Wilkes Booth at the night of 14th, only six days after the civil war. Booth, who was a Confederate sympathizer, had remained in the North all through the civil war. Booth had planned to kidnap Lincoln on March twentieth so that he could submit Lincoln to Confederate capital which was based in Richmond but Lincoln did not appear where Booth had waited with other six men.
Lincoln had attended Laura Keene's performance at the Ford's Theatre that night. Booth had learned of his attendance earlier and planned to prosecute the murder. Booth planned to kill Lincoln, Andrew Johnson (Vice President) and State Wiliam (secretary). Booth saw the two as possible successors of Lincoln, and he did not want to spare either.
One of the conspirators linked to Booth, Lewis T. Powell, broke into State Steward's home on the evening of the same day 14th April where he seriously wounded State and three other friends who were in the compound. On the other hand, George A. Atzerodt, who had been given the assignment to assassinate the vice president, failed to gather enough courage to execute the murder and fled away. At around 10 pm in the night, Booth got his way into Lincoln's box unnoticed by the guards where he shot the president with a single bullet on the back of his head before he was interrupted by a guard who ran to him. Booth turned to the guard and shot him to death as he jumped out of the box where he broke his leg. Even though Booth had broken his leg, he managed to run away out of Washington. Lincoln was taken to a lodging house opposite to Ford's Theatre where he spent the night until the early morning of 15th when he passed away.
Fortunes of General of the South Robert E Lee
 HYPERLINK "/2016/06/10/us/washington-national-cathedral-to-rid-windows-of-confederate-battle-flag.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmerican%20Civil%20War%20%281861-1865%29" By Liam Stack
Monday 22nd June, 1865
What happened to South Robert E Lee after the cold war? On 9th April 1865, South Robert E Lee surrenders in the war and rejoins his family on April 15th in Richmond. He spends in the city for two months. During the same summer, Robert and his family are forced to seek refuge in Derwent, West of Richmond after a chaotic atmosphere broke in the city. He was accommodated by Elizabeth Randolph. Here, Robert enjoys life. He even at some point considered buying a land and settling as a farmer. The only thing he vowed not to do is living Virginia. He said he could not desert his country at the time of adversity and was determined to face its fate.
It did not take long, and his fortune knocks the door. It is the trustee of Washington College in Lexington looking for an able man to take the place of president in the school. Fortunately, Robert becomes their best choice due to the experience and reputation that he had gathered from the war. Robert had led the military for long taking the position of superintendent at West Point. His name had gained fame in 1865 than no one else. The institution was undergoing serious financial problems and certainly needed someone with good experience. This could be no one if not Robert Lee.
Surprisingly Robert hesitates such a golden opportunity. Maybe he needed time to think about it or even consult friends and family members. And surely he needed to consult. After seeking the advice from his friends and the family members, Robert makes up his mind to take the position. He served there for five years before he succumbs to stroke in 1970.
Fredrick Delivers A Speech On ‘What The Black Man Wants.'
 HYPERLINK "/2016/06/19/books/review/william-tecumseh-sherman-by-james-lee-mcdonough.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmerican%20Civil%20War%20%281861-1865%29" By Thomas E. Ricks
Thursday 11thApril, 1865
On 11th April during the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society in Boston, Fredrick Douglass takes the opportunity to push forward the African-Americans demands before the delegates in attendance. He contemplated that the blacks ought to have been treated with equality as was in the law. On his agenda was the call for voting rights for Africans. He argued that being freed as slaves would be meaningless if blacks were not granted basic rights such as the power to decide who their leads them. Douglas also took the opportunity to call for unity of the American people.
Douglass proceeded to influence the hearts of the whites as he delivered an affectionate speech of how hypocritical the whites were. He blames the whites for making the blacks inferior and branding them with stigma. He even quotes a verse in the Bible from moving the audience into believing that blacks too deserved what the whites deserved.
Douglass addresses the need for freedom and self-reliance for blacks and everybody in America. He asked the whites to let the blacks fall if they cannot stand on their own but just let them free. Grant them freedom to do whatever they want. He contemplated for the chance for education to African-Americans. He argued that blacks should be equal with the whites and there should be nothing like special status for them.
His speech showed the bitterness Douglass had about how blacks were mistreated by the whites even after the abolition of the slavery. He expressed the need for recognition for blacks like any other American citizen.
Harriet Tubman Freed Over Three Hundred Slaves from the South
 HYPERLINK "/2016/05/22/arts/television/roots-remade-for-a-new-era.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmerican%20Civil%20War%20%281861-1865%29" By Melena Ryzik
Monday 13th March, 1865
13th March 1865 was the greatest day for the slaves who were still suffering at the hands of harsh plantations owners in the South. Three hundred of them arrived in the North successfully courtesy of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in the South only to come back nineteen times to help her fellow blacks to escape the slavery. Harriet went to create hiding places with other abolitionists. The hiding places were used to hide the blacks during the day and continue with the journey at night when no one could spot them. The secret network was termed as the "underground railroad." Since Harriet launched the secret railroads, it was estimated that over 100,000 slaves had escaped from the oppression in the South and run to North where slavery was not intensive as it was in the South.
The hiding places were referred to as "stations" or "depots" while the underground railroads were unanimously referred to as "cargo" or "passengers" so that the whites could not suspect what was going on. The journeys were always dangerous as they had been outlawed by the Slave Act of 1850. Harriet used to travel with a pistol to ensure the security of the slaves and that all in the trail arrived successfully.
There were others who worked with Harriet such as Levi Coffin who assisted over 3000 slaves. He offered a home to others at his home in Ohio. Enoch and Luther Platt were others who played a role in the in the underground railroads in the 1950s.
Women Movement Launches A Newspaper ‘The Revolution.'
By Ronda Kaysen
Tuesday, January 15th, 1868
15th January of 1868 marked a great achievement for the women movement with the launch of a newspaper called The Revolution courtesy of the key activists Elizabeth Cady Santon and Susan B. Anthony in the New York City. It would be published on a weekly basis from 8th January to 17th February. The newspaper majorly focused on women rights which were the main aim of its launch. Other topics that were covered in the newspaper were finance, the labor movement, and politics.
The newspaper would be funded by a businessman called George Francis Train who was known for his devoted efforts to support women rights movement. The women had conducted enough funding for the newspaper, but it would not sustain its activities, and Georges support was a great boost to the success of the paper.
The newspaper was launched at a time when the women movement was experiencing wrangles and was facing a looming split. The newspaper offered a chance to both Anthony and Santon to express their stands and views on the real issues that were leading towards the split. There was no such a platform that would enable them to discuss their views before and this became most immediate achievement of the paper; reuniting the women movement. It helped the women to strengthen their wing on the women rights and boosted their efforts to a great deal.
1st April 1865
Two Major Battles during the Civil War
 HYPERLINK "/2016/05/09/world/americas/a-slice-of-the-confederacy-in-the-interior-of-brazil.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmerican%20Civil%20War%20%281861-1865%29" By Simon Romero
Tuesday 29th April, 1865
Battle of Five Forks, Virginia
One of the major battles of the civil war took place on 1st April at Virginia with casualties estimated at 6000. The battle took place at Petersburg. It involved the Confederate under the General Robert E. Lee and the Union led by General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederates suffered huge casualties of 5000 as the Union suffered only 1000 casualties. The battle took a week to end at Appomattox Court House.


Grant had spent a great deal of time about a year planning the elaborate attack against Lee's army along the trenches extending from Petersburg to Richmond where the Confederates' Capital was situated. Grant reinforced his army throughout the winter while Lee was dwindling. On March 25th, Lee made a desperate attack on the Unions army in a bit to scare away from approaching the Capital. The attack failed and sparked the Grants army which was divided into two with General Philip Sheridan leading the right wing. Sheridan's advance in the right wing was halted on 30th March with the tough confederates. Sheridan had moved to cut the railroad that connected Petersburg and Southwest which led the focus of the battle into a Five Forks war as Lee's army set in. Lee instructed Picketts who was his commander there to encounter the Five Forks at all hazards. 1st April was the deadliest day for Pickett's army as Sheridan army ambushed them as they were taking a long lunch. Pickette's army recollected themselves and managed to kill 1000 armies of the Union but Confederate army suffered 5000 deaths.
Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina


9th March 1865 marked another deadly war between the Confederate under General Joseph Johnston and the Union led by General William T. Sherman. Sherman had been resting for a month before he embarked on the battle in Bentonville where his army was destroying anything they met on the path with a full determination to hasten the end of the civil war. Sherman left Savannah with a huge army of sixty thousand divided into two wings. He captured South Carolina and Columbia in February, and his army was heading towards Goldsboro in March. He planned to reinforce his army with another army from the coast. Sherman was planning to join General Ulysses Grant army and crush Lee's army.
Sherman worked with an assumption that the army that existed in North Carolina were dispersed and could not offer a serious rebellion under the General Johnston. However, it turned to be a great battle in 19th March. The Confederates began very well driving the Union army, but the Union prepared for a counterattack leading the war into a darkness fighting. The following morning Johnston had prepared a very strong defensive army. Sherman also reinforced his army getting an advantage of 3:1 army over Johnston's.
On March 21, Johnston withdrew his army conceding with a loss of the battle. The Confederates lost 194 with 1112 wounded while the Confederates lost 240 men and 1700 wounded.
Appomattox Surrenders Correspondence
 HYPERLINK "/2016/08/07/nyregion/when-new-york-leery-of-losing-business-leaned-dixie.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmerican%20Civil%20War%20%281861-1865%29" By Sam Roberts
Monday 9th April, 1865
On 9th of April, 1865, Robert E. Lee who was then the commander of the Confederate forces surrenders his army to the Ulysses S. Grant of the Union. Lee arrived at his decision after his army lost Richmond and Petersburg after which he tried to flee with the army to the west where he could rejoin the army with the other Confederate army that was led by Joseph E. Johnson. It was only then that he realized that the Union's army had blocked all the possible routes and he had nothing left other than surrendering.
Lee's army had shown signs of worn out as early as 6th April during the Battle of Sailor's Creek. Grant noticed and did not want to further destroy lives of a worn out team, and he decided to reach out to Lee asking him the possibility of surrendering on 7th April. Lee, however, did not surrender reason being his hope that he would still escape from the Union's growing stranglehold but kept the conversation going on. Grant gave Lee the last blow that accelerated his giving in on 8th April when he seriously injured the Confederates army at Appomattox Station.
Below is the snapshot of the correspondence between Lee and Grant.
April 7th, 1865
Grant wrote to Lee asking him if the previous week result of the war had convinced him of his hopeless army to offer further resistance and wanted him to consider giving in. He expressed the responsibility of sparing lives of the soldiers if Lee could consider surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia that was under his commandership.
7th April 1865
Lee replied to Grant confirming that he had received the note though was not ready to entertain the opinion of hopelessness in his army but expresses the need of avoiding furt...