Video: 'Sherman's March: Final Revenge 3/5' (Feb. 17, 1865, at 0:00)

(Friday, February 17, 1865; during the Carolinas Campaign, part of the American Civil War) — Columbia, South Carolina, burned today as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in. It’s not clear which side was responsible for setting the blaze, or whether it had been deliberate. Continue reading Columbia burns; Confederates abandon Fort Sumter, evacuate Charleston 160 years ago today (Feb 17 1865) →

Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.8of9.War.Is.All.Hell' (Carolinas Campaign begins at 21:14)

(Wednesday, February 1, 1865; during the American Civil War) — After about two weeks of preliminary movements and extensive preparations, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman today actively began his march into South Carolina from Savannah, Georgia, and Beaufort, South Carolina.

Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.8of9.War.Is.All.Hell' (Jan. 31, 1864, at 27:18)

(Tuesday, January 31, 1865, late afternoon local time; during the American Civil War) — The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Thirteenth Amendment 119 to 56 (narrowly reaching the required two-thirds majority), abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. With Congress’s approval (the Senate had passed the amendment on Apr. 8, 1864) and President Abraham Lincoln’s signature (on Feb. 1, 1865). The amendment then went to the states for ratification. Continue reading U.S. House passes Constitutional Amendment abolishing slavery 160 years ago today (Jan 31 1865) →

Video: 'Robert E Lee named Commander in Chief of Confederate Armies during US Civil War'

(Tuesday, January 31, 1865; during the American Civil War) — Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate States Army today by President Jefferson Davis.

Video: 'Special Field Order # 15' (Jan. 16, 1865, at 3:41)

(Monday, January 16, 1865; during the American Civil War) — Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, which decreed that 400,000 acres of land in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida would be confiscated, divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves.

The order, which was later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, is believed to have inspired the expression, “Forty acres and a mule.”

Video: 'The US Civil War - Second Battle of Fort Fisher, January 1865, US Civil War'

(Sunday, January 15, 1865; during the American Civil War) — The Second Battle of Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina, ended today as Union forces captured the “Gibraltar of the South,” depriving the Confederates of their last major seaport.

(Sunday, January 8, 1865; during the American Civil War) — In response to the Confederacy’s efforts to enlist African-American slaves as soldiers in the closing days of the American Civil War, Major General Howell Cobb famously wrote today in a letter sent to Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon: “if slaves make good soldiers our whole theory of slavery is wrong.”

Video: 'Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color: Sherman's March to Savannah | History'

(Wednesday, December 21, 1864; during the American Civil War) — Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman today concluded their 37-day “March to the Sea,” which had begun in Atlanta on Nov. 15, 1864, and ended with the capture of Savannah, Georgia. Continue reading Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman capture Savannah in historic Civil War ‘March to the Sea’ 160 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 21 1864) →

Video: 'Franklin: Animated Battle Map'

(Wednesday, November 30, 1864, midnight local time; the Battle of Franklin, part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign during American Civil War) — In what is described as one of the most disastrous engagements for the Confederate States Army, the Battle of Franklin unfolded today, leaving a staggering toll on General John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee. Continue reading Confederates crushed in bloody assault at Franklin, Tennessee 160 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 30 1864) →