With Sherman’s Union forces marching essentially unopposed through South Carolina, in Richmond, Virginia and elsewhere throughout the Confederacy there were increasing public calls for General Joseph Johnston to be placed in overall command in North and South Carolina, but Confederate General-in-Chief Robert E. Lee on Monday, February 13, 1865 wrote Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens that Beauregard should be retained at present in his command and counselled against continual command changes. Lee did note to Stephens that, while he held a high opinion of Johnston, he doubted that either public confidence or the confidence of the Southern military would be significantly improved with Johnston’s appointment. Lee believed that a shortage of manpower, not a leadership issue, was the real problem which plagued those who opposed Sherman’s advance through the Carolinas.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.