Never Call Retreat on Lincoln, Sherman, and the war's end

Bruce Catton contrasts Abraham Lincoln's hope of avoiding more bloodshed with William T. Sherman's expectation that Robert E. Lee will attempt one last major fight. Their discussion unfolds amid political, military, and naval activity: Admiral David D. Porter has a fast steamer waiting for Sherman, and the Hampton Roads peace conference frames the unresolved terms of settlement. Lincoln favors reconciliation, the return of Confederate soldiers to civilian life, and the quick restoration of civil government without executions or reprisals. Catton then shifts from planning the peace to Ulysses S. Grant's pressure on Petersburg, Philip Sheridan's cavalry at Dinwiddie Court House, and George Pickett's defense of Five Forks. River transport and naval support help senior leaders move through the final campaign while the Confederate position begins to collapse.