In February 1865, Ulysses S. Grant increased Federal pressure on Petersburg, Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln attended a peace conference in Virginia. William T. Sherman’s Federals left Georgia and invaded the Carolinas. Robert E. Lee became general-in-chief of all Confederate armies and made desperate moves that were too late to affect the war’s outcome.

The Carolinas Campaign

Sherman’s Federal forces advanced north from Savannah, Georgia into South Carolina. Many Federals had special resentment for South Carolina became it had been the first state to secede from the Union. Despite heavy rains, Sherman’s men advanced through minimal Confederate resistance and captured the state capital of Columbia. This city received more devastation than any southern city during the war; it was mostly caused by fire and pillage.

The capture of Columbia left Charleston and Fort Sumter isolated on the Atlantic Coast, forcing the Confederates to abandon these key points as well. After nearly four years of steady bombardment, the Federals finally captured the fort where the war had begun. This shattered southern morale, as Confederate President Jefferson Davis said, "This disappointment to me is extremely bitter."