Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/457

 LINCOLN

LINCOLN

bill was passed, however, and on March 10 the President gatliered together some of the border state members and tried to win them over to his views. After two days' consideration the project was given up. On April 2, lb62, congress passed an act emancipating the slaves in the District of Columbia; on May 9, 1862, General Hunter pro- claimed martial law in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, declaring the slaves free, which order the President at once revoked as unauthor- ized; on June 19. 1863, a bill passed congress pro- hibiting slavery wherever congress had authority, and on July IT, 1S62, a measure '" for the confis- cation of the property of rebels, and giving free- dom to the persons they hold in slavery,*' after being amended, was passed. In July, 1S62, amendments were made to a bill concerning the calling forth of the militia, permitting the enlist- ment of negroes in the Union army, and making thereafter free each person so enlisted. This bill aroused much criticism and was finally modified so as to relate only to slaves of rebel owners. On Sept. 22, 1S62, the President issued a prelim- inary proclamation that unless the inhabitants of the revolted states returned to their allegiance by Jan. 1, 1863, the slaves would be declared free; but this proclamation had no effect. On Jan. 1, 1863, the President issued his emancipation proclama- tion in which he stated that all persons held as slaves in certain states and parts of states being then in rebellion should be free and that the gov- ernment would " recognize and maintain the free- dom of said persons." General Lee invaded Mary- land and Pennsylvania, in June, 1863, and on July 1-8 the battle of Gettysburg. Pa., was fought in which the Federal army under Gen. George G. Meade defeated the Confederates under Lee; on July 4, 1S63. Vicksburg surrendered to General Orant, and on July 8, Port Hudson, La., surren- dered to the Federals under General Banks. Eecruits now being needed in numbers far above the enlistments, on May 3, 1863, congress passed a bill making every able-bodied citizen of mil- itary age liable for service, a commutation of $300 fur exemption being permitted, and on the failure of the citizens to i)resent themselves for enrolment, the President ordered a draft. This led on July 13 to the draft riots in New York city, and soon after the bounty system was substituted. On July 16 Jackson, Miss., was destroyed by General Sherman, and in Sep- tember Chattanooga, Tenn., was occupied by the Confederates under Gen. George B. Ci'it- tenden. The battle of Chickamauga. Ga., Sept. 19-20, 1863. resulted in a victory for the Con- federate General Bragg, and a Federal loss of 16.000 men. Bragg was defeated, however, at the battles of Chattanooga and Lookout Moun- tain, Nov. 23-25, and the siege of Knoxville was

raised by Longstreet, Dec. 4, 1863. In December,

1863, the 13th amendment, providing that slavery should not exist within the United States, was introduced into the house, and in January, 1864, in the senate. On June l.j, 1864, the vote was taken but the result being a deficiency of 27 votes the question was laid over till the next session. On Jan. 28, 1865, the vote was retaken and resulted in 119 ayes and 56 nays, and the 13th amendment was adopted. A motion to adjourn in honor of the event was made and carried, and a great popular demonstration followed. On Feb. 1, 1864, the President and Secretary Seward met on the River Queen a commission sent by President Davis to inquire into the possible adjustment of affairs between the North and South, but the con- ference broke up without finding any basis for an agreement. The campaign of 1864 opened with General Sherman's raid from Vicksburg, Feb. 14.

1864. On April 13, Fort Pillow was captured by the Confederates and the Negro troops were massacred. On May 5-7, the battles of the Wilderness occurred between Grant and Lee. and Lee was driven back. On May 4 Sherman began his march to Atlanta and the sea v.ith 98,000 men, and on Maj' 10-12 Grant attacked Lee at Spotsylvania court house and defeated him. On June 8, 1864, Lincoln was unanimously renom- inated for President, with Andrew Johnson as Vice-President, and he was elected Nov. 8. 1864, receiving 2.216,067 popular votes against 1,808,725

. for McClellan, the Democratic nominee. The electoral vote was 212 for Lincoln and 21 for McClellan, At the battle of Cold Harbor, June 1-3, 1864, and at Petersburg, Va., June 16-18, 1864, General Grant was repulsed by Lee, but he began a siege of Petersburg, June 18. Sher- man meanwhile won the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 13-15, 1864, and the battle of Dallas. Ga., May 25-28, but at Kenesaw Mountain he was repulsed June 27, 1864. On July 22-28 the bat- tles of Atlanta took jjlace, in which Sherman was victorious. On July 30 occurred the explosion of the Petersburg crater and the subsequent re- pulse of the Federal charge. The principal naval operations of 1864 were the sinking of the C.S. steamer Alabama by the U.S. steamer Kearsarge, off Cherbourg, France, and the battle of Mobile Bay, in which the Federal fleet under Farragut was victorious. Sherman captured Atlanta. Ga., Sept. 2. 1864, Savannah, Ga.. Dec. 22, 1864. Colum- bia. S.C, Feb. 17. 1865, and Bentonville, N.C.. March 19, 1865. General Sheridan won the bat- tle of Winchester, Va., Sept. 19. and the battle of Fisher's Hill, Va., Sept. 22, 1864. President Lincoln was inaugurated for a second term March 4, 1865, amid popular rejoicing. On April 2 Grant carried the outer lines of the Con- federate works at Petersburg, and on April 3