Capture of Sherman's provisions, and repair the railway in his rear. After this he came into conflict with Johnston at New Hope Church, and fought in that neighbourhood for six continuous days, gradually gaining the advantage. At the end of the month of May it was found that with the loss of 10,000 men on each side Sherman had successfully taken strong positions in which Johnston had entrenched himself, and was gradually approaching Atlanta. For the first half of June the two armies remained opposite to each other at Pine Mountain. On June 27th, however, Sherman made a vigorous attempt to capture Johnston's position in the Battle of Kenesaw, but it ended with failure and with great loss. He therefore determined to recross the railway and move his army to the south, by which he compelled Johnston either to retire to Atlanta or come out to fight him. Johnston was superseded by Hood, who, however, did not prove a success. Eventually, on September 2nd, 1864, Sherman became master of Atlanta, after four months' hard fighting and clever strategy. During his stay at Atlanta the Presidential election took place, and Lincoln was re-elected by a large majority, being opposed by McClellan. Lincoln remarked with regard to his own candidature that "it was best not to swop horses when crossing a stream." By the end of October Sherman had, in counsel with the President and Grant, determined upon his march through Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah upon the sea, which eventually put an end to the war. He made careful preparations for his enterprise, sending away all his sick and disabled men, and reducing his baggage to a minimum. He left Atlanta on November 2nd, 1865, and nothing was heard of him for six weeks. He had with him 55,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 68 guns. Besides these, there was an enormous number of ambulances and wagons. The army was principally composed of veteran soldiers, all of whom had unbounded confidence in "Uncle Billy," as they called their leader. The distance to be covered was 300 miles. The army was divided into two wings, marching by parallel routes, generally a few miles apart, each wing having its own proportion of cavalry and trains. It is important to pay attention to the instructions issued for the conduct of the march, as they have been frequently referred to when similar circumstances have arisen elsewhere. The columns were to start at 7 in the morning and march about fifteen miles a day. The artillery and wagons were to keep the road, the troops marching at the side. The troops were permitted to forage so as to keep the wagons supplied with provisions for ten days. The OCCUPATION OF SAVANNAH soldiers were not allowed to enter dwellings or commit any trespass, but during a halt they were permitted to gather turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables, and drive in stock in sight of their camp. The power of destroying houses or mills was permitted to the commanders of corps alone, and this right of destruction was only allowed when the march was molested by irregular troops, or if the inhabitants burned bridges or obstructed roads. In these cases the commanders were to enforce a devastation more or less relentless, according to the measure of hostility shown. Horses, mules, and wagons might be appropriated freely, a distinction, however, being made between the rich and the poor. In all foraging the parties engaged were to leave behind a reasonable portion for the maintenance of the family. Gift. Sherman's army marched in accordance with these instruc- Sherman's tions, occupying a space from forty to sixty miles wide. The Christmas wealthier inhabitants, as a rule, made their escape, but the negroes followed the army. There was scarcely any fighting excepting within a few miles of Savannah and at the city itself. Savannah was occupied on December 21st, and Sherman wrote to the President, "I beg to present to you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also about 25,000 bales of cotton." His entire loss during the march was only 764 men. doah Valley. This successful march was the beginning of the end, if it were Sheridan's not the end itself; but Sherman had still work of a similar kind Victories in to do. On February 1st, 1865, he began a march northwards, the Shenanthrough Columbia, which was more difficult and more dangerous than the previous journey and required more military skill. Columbia was captured on February 17th, without opposition, and Charleston was evacuated on the following day. Leaving Columbia on February 20th, Sherman reached Fayetteville on March 11th. After this he fought a victorious battle, which enabled him to reach Goldsboro, on the direct road to Petersburg and Richmond. In the latter part of February Sheridan moved up the Shenandoah Valley with 10,000 cavalry, defeated Early with heavy loss, and joined Grant on the James River. At the beginning of April Sheridan gained a battle at Five Forks, which enabled him to render effective assistance to Grant, and at the same time the latter broke through the Confederate lines, while Sheridan moved up on the left, so that Petersburg, which is only twenty-three miles from Richmond, was completely surrounded. Lee telegraphed to his Government that both Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated, and next morning the Confederate Assassina tion of Lincoln. capital was taken possession of by a detachment of the Federal army. The end came at Appomattox Courthouse, where, on April 9th, 1865, Grant and Lee arranged the surrender of the Army of Virginia. The men were allowed to lay down their arms and return to their homes without molestation, provided that they did not take up arms against the United States. On the same terms Johnston surrendered to Sherman in North Carolina, and by the end of May all the Confederate armies had surrendered, while Jefferson Davis, who had been President of the Confederate Republic, was taken prisoner on May 10th. The war was virtually at an end, but ere its conclusion the man who had done more than anyone else to secure the victory was treacherously murdered in Washington. On the evening of April 4th the President and Mrs. Lincoln, along with friends, went to Ford's Theatre to see a play called Our American Cousin. About 10 o'clock, while Lincoln was seated in an arm-chair watching the play, a young actor, John Wilkes Booth, a fanatical Secessionist, opened the door of the box and, holding a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other, put the pistol to the President's head and fired. Major Rathbone, who was in the box, tried to seize him; but Booth jumped on to the stage and, turning to the audience, uttered the motto of Virginia, "Sic semper tyrannis !” He then moved to the stage door, mounted a horse, and rode away, but did not escape punishment for his crime. The ball had entered the back of Lincoln's head and, passing through the brain, had lodged behind his left eye. He was carried, alive but unconscious, to a house across the street and, after lingering all night, watched by his family and members of his Cabinet, expired on the following morning, at about half-past seven. Andrew Johnson, the Vice-President, assumed the Presidential office, and Lincoln-one of the greatest and most typical men the United States has yet produced-was buried on May 4th, amid the most profound public mourning. CHAPTER III GERMANY: THE MAN OF BLOOD AND IRON ON October 7th, 1858, Prince William of Prussia was made Regent Prince of that country in the place of King Frederick William IV., who William as Regent. was in bad health. He had, in fact, exercised these functions for nearly a year without having been formally appointed; Prince Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen became his Prime Minister. In his first official speech the Prince declared that the welfare of the Crown and country was inseparable and depended on the maintenance of sound, strong, Conservative principles. After some words in favour of toleration in religion, he said that the army had created the greatness of Prussia and had won its territory; the army of Prussia must, therefore, be powerful and conspicuous, if Prussia were to possess political influence in international affairs. The world must learn that Prussia was prepared to stand everywhere as an upholder of justice. Prussia. On April 14th, 1859, Archduke Albert of Austria appeared Austria's in Berlin to announce the policy of his country with regard to Overtures to the war in Italy, which was just beginning, and to ask for the co-operation of Prussia. He said that Austria was about to send an ultimatum to Turin, and that if this were refused Piedmont would be immediately occupied and Austria would also direct her arms against France. He was ready to devote to a campaign on the Rhine 260,000 Austrian troops, who would be united with the federal army of Germany. Then the South Germans should unite with Austria under his command, and the North Germans should attack the Lower Rhine under the leadership of Prussia. This meant that Prussia and Germany should throw themselves into the quarrel, and shed their blood for the preservation of Austrian dominion in Italy and her headship of the German Confederation. This offer was definitely refused by the Prince Regent, who determined, however, to strengthen his army in order to be able to speak with authority when the time came. Therefore, on April 20th he mobilised three army corps, on April 29th six more, and on June 14th, ten days after the Battle of Magenta, he mobilised six divisions of the Guards, and on July 6th sent three of them to garrison Cologne, Coblenz and Treves. The Peace of Reorganisation of the Prussian Prussian Villafranca, concluded suddenly on July 11th, as we have already narrated, put an end to further extension of this policy for the present, but what had been already done had produced a certain amount of irritation in Austria. The Regent, however, pursued his reconstruction of the Prussian army, and in his speech from the throne on January 12th, 1860, accentuated his policy. He said that Prussia must not break with the tradition of a glorious past, and that in the future, as well as in these days, the Prussian army must be a Prussian nation in arms. This duty must be fulfilled so far as the finances of the kingdom would allow. A new effort must be made for the protection and development of the Fatherland; it must be protected against all the chances which Fortune might have in store for it. To carry this out a law of compulsory military training was proposed on February 10th, similar to that which had been passed in September, 1814. This project has not received the attention which it deserved in Compulsory the light of after events. The then existing law of military service Military dated from 1820, when Prussia had a population of 11,000,000. Service. From these 40,788 recruits were raised by ballot and kept for two years under the colours. Although the population had increased to 18,000,000, the number of recruits continued nearly the same; indeed, in 1858, the number was only 40,537—that is, fewer than in 1820. It was believed, on good evidence, that the number of recruits could be raised to 63,000 without impairing their efficiency. But further alterations were necessary. The law imposing the duty of service up to the age of thirty-nine affected only 26 per cent. of those who were liable to serve. They served two years under the colours, then ten years with the reserve, then seven years in the first division of the Landwehr and four in the second. Consequently, during the last eleven years those who served had not only to perform their ordinary civic duties, but to remain subject to constant interference from military superiors, so long as they continued in the first division of the Landwehr; and if they were mobilised their condition became far worse. In short, the larger part of the population available for service did not serve at all, and those who did were oppressed by an intolerable burden. The number of those who had, by lot, become subject to military service was diminished every year, between their entry into the reserve and their liberation from the Landwehr, by death, illness or emigration, so that a heavier burden lay upon those who remained. The drainage from these causes was estimated at not less than 26 per cent. per annum. It was therefore |