Excerpt from a letter by A. R. Lord, U.S. Sanitary Commission
The cry of on to Richmond is now played by the occupation of the late residence of the arch traitor Jeff [Davis] by the Uncle Sam's brave boys in blue. You ought to have been with us when we entered the city [Richmond]. The citizens were out in goodly numbers, and were not at all offended by the sight of Old Glory [Stars & Stripes]. On the contrary they cheered the flag most heartily though it was born in the hands of the darker hued of Uncle Sam's brave defenders. The first troops that put into practical effect the long continued cry of on to Richmond was those portions of the 24 (white) and 25 (Col[ore]d) Corps (Army of the James) that were left on the right of the James when the other portion of the Army of the James moved across the James and joined with the Army of the Potomac in castigating the minions of Lee, which the boys done in fine style. The fighting at the left of Petersburg and vicinity was very severe, and of course our loss was quite large, though much smaller than that of the rebs. It is hardly worth while for me to write you the particulars as you will doubtless have learned them through the columns of the Boston Journal as lines reach you as Carleton is here, there and everywhere where there is ought to be obtained in the line of reliable news.
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Which events happened before and after those described by Lord?
A.
Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to the sea happened before. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after.
B.
Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after.
C.
The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah happened after.
D.
Sherman’s march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah happened before. Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg happened after.
PLEASE, ALSO EXPLAIN WHY ITS THE CORRECT ANSWER, DO NOT GUESS, USE THE EXPERT.
The correct answer is A. Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to the sea happened before the events described by Lord. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after. This is supported by the excerpt, which mentions that the Army of the James had moved across the James and joined with the Army of the Potomac to “castigate the minions of Lee”. This implies that the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse had already occurred, as Lee’s army was being “castigated”. The excerpt also mentions that the first troops to enter Richmond were from the 24th and 25th Corps, which implies that Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to the sea had already happened.
Based on the excerpt, we can determine the events that happened before and after the described events by Lord. In the excerpt, Lord mentions the occupation of the late residence of Jeff Davis (presumably in Richmond) by Uncle Sam's brave boys in blue. This suggests that Union forces have taken control of Richmond, which was a significant event in the Civil War.
To determine the events that happened before, we can look for clues in the excerpt regarding previous battles or campaigns. Lord mentions the cry of "on to Richmond," which implies that Union forces were advancing towards Richmond. Therefore, it is likely that prior to the occupation of Richmond, there were battles and movements leading up to it.
In the excerpt, Lord mentions that the first troops to put into effect the cry of "on to Richmond" were portions of the 24 (white) and 25 (Col[ore]d) Corps of the Army of the James. This suggests that the Battle of the James River was a significant event preceding the occupation of Richmond.
Similarly, Lord mentions that another portion of the Army of the James moved across the James and joined with the Army of the Potomac in castigating the minions of Lee. This implies that there were further battles against Lee's forces in the vicinity of Petersburg.
Based on these clues, we can now evaluate the answer choices:
A. Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to the sea happened before. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after.
B. Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after.
C. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah happened after.
D. Sherman’s march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah happened before. Grant’s victory at Vicksburg and Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg happened after.
Based on the excerpt, options A, C, and D can be eliminated. The Battle of the Wilderness is mentioned by Lord, suggesting that it is one of the events that happened before. Additionally, options C and D mention events such as Sherman's march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah, which are not mentioned in the excerpt.
This leaves us with option B, which states that Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness happened before, and Sherman’s march to the sea and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after. The Battle of the Wilderness is mentioned in the excerpt as a significant event before the occupation of Richmond, supporting option B as the correct answer.
Therefore, the correct answer is B: Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened after.
Based on the excerpt, the correct answer is Option C: The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse happened before. Sherman’s march to the sea and the capture of Charleston and Savannah happened after.
This can be determined from the mention of the "long continued cry of on to Richmond" and the occupation of the late residence of Jefferson Davis, which signifies the Union forces' advance towards and capture of Richmond. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse were significant military engagements that occurred during the Union's campaign to capture Richmond, thus happening before the events described by Lord.
On the other hand, Sherman's march to the sea refers to General William T. Sherman's military campaign from Atlanta to Savannah in late 1864. This event occurred after the capture of Richmond. The mention of the capture of Charleston and Savannah also confirms that these events happened after the occupation of Richmond.