CHAPTER XVIII.

ADMINISTRATION OF LINCOLN (CONCLUDED), 1861-1865.

WAR FOR THE UNION (CONCLUDED), 1864-1865.

The Work Remaining to be Done--General Grant Placed in Command of all the Union Armies--The Grand Campaign--Bank's Disastrous Red River Expedition--How the Union Fleet was Saved--Capture of Mobile by Admiral Farragut--The Confederate Cruisers--Destruction of the _Alabama_ by the _Kearsarge_--Fate of the Other Confederate Cruisers--Destruction of the _Albemarle_ by Lieutenant William B. Cushing--Re-election of President Lincoln--Distress in the South and Prosperity in the North--The Union Prisoners in the South--Admission of Nevada--The Confederate Raids from Canada--Sherman's Advance to Atlanta--Fall of Atlanta--Hood's Vain Attempt to Relieve Georgia--Superb Success of General Thomas--"Marching Through Georgia"--Sherman's Christmas Gift to President Lincoln--Opening of Grant's Final Campaign--Battles in the Wilderness--Wounding of General Longstreet and Death of Generals Stuart and Sedgwick--Grant's Flanking Movements Against Lee--A Disastrous Repulse at Cold Harbor--Defeat of Sigel and Hunter in the Shenandoah Valley--"Bottling-up" of Butler--Explosions of the Petersburg Mine--Early's Raids--His Final Defeat by Sheridan--Grant's Campaign--Surrender of Lee--Assassination of President Lincoln--Death of Booth and Punishment of the Conspirators--Surrender of Jo Johnston and Collapse of the Southern Confederacy--Capture of Jefferson Davis--His Release and Death--Statistics of the Civil War--A Characteristic Anecdote 367