Chapters 50 through Summary and Analysis

In chapter fifty, Grant said that soon after the fall of Atlanta, the Army of the Potomac began the campaign that would eventually result in the fall of the Confederate capital. The march began with a supply of ten days' rations, a supply of ammunition and a herd of cattle being driven along with the army. Each man carried three days' supply of food in addition to what was being hauled. As a wagon was emptied, it returned to a base camp where it was again filled with the same load and returned to the army camps. The march was grueling and Grant said that everyone had been told to carry only what was necessary, but he saw various items discarded along the way in soldiers' efforts to lighten their loads. The Army of the Potomac clashed with Lee's...