Historedia
AmericasEvent

Collapse of the Confederacy and end of the American Civil War, March–May 1865

When
1865
Where
Four Oaks; Fort Stedman; Five Forks; Appomattox Court House; Bennett Place; Mississippi River
Episodes
6

The Confederacy collapsed between March and May 1865. Defeats at Bentonville, Fort Stedman, and Five Forks broke Confederate defenses, leading to the fall of Richmond and Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Johnston negotiated with Sherman at Bennett Place. Jefferson Davis fled Richmond, held a final cabinet meeting in Washington, Georgia, and was captured near Irwinville. The steamboat Sultana exploded and sank on the Mississippi River in April 1865.

Episodes

  1. March 19–21, 1865 · Four OaksBattle of Bentonville

    Union troops compelled Confederate forces to retreat from Four Oaks, North Carolina, during the Battle of Bentonville.

  2. March 25, 1865 · Fort StedmanBattle of Fort Stedman

    Confederate forces briefly captured Fort Stedman before being repulsed, weakening their positions.

  3. April 1, 1865 · Five ForksBattle of Five Forks

    Union victory at Five Forks forced the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond.

  4. April 9, 1865 · Appomattox Court HouseSurrender at Appomattox

    Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.

  5. April 26, 1865 · Bennett PlaceSurrender at Bennett Place

    Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William Tecumseh Sherman at Bennett Place.

  6. April 27, 1865 · Mississippi RiverSultana Disaster

    The steamboat Sultana exploded and sank in the Mississippi River, killing 1,164 people.

Background and detail

Background. Richmond served as the Confederate capital until April 1865. The Siege of Petersburg began in June 1864, with Union forces eventually breaking through Confederate lines in late March 1865. This breakthrough forced General Lee to withdraw and abandon Richmond. The Union Army of the Potomac crossed the James River in June 1864, initiating the final campaign for the capital. These military pressures set the stage for the Confederacy's collapse.

Military Defeats. Confederate forces suffered significant defeats in early 1865. At Fort Stedman, a Confederate attack briefly captured the fort but was repulsed, weakening positions. The Battle of Five Forks was a Union victory that forced the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. Union troops compelled Confederate retreat from Four Oaks at Bentonville. These losses precipitated the fall of Richmond and Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.

People involved

Sources

  1. Battle of Bentonville Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
  2. Battle of Fort Stedman Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-21
  3. Battle of Five Forks Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
  4. Richmond, Virginia, in the American Civil War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-18
  5. Battle of Appomattox Court House Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-06
  6. Bennett Place Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-01
  7. Sultana (steamboat) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
  8. Jefferson Davis Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.