1) Richmond, the Confederate capital, fell to Union forces in April 1865, causing the Confederate government to collapse. Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled but Davis was later captured. 2) In 1864, General Sherman led 62,000 Union troops on a destructive march through Georgia to the sea, cutting the Confederacy in two, crippling infrastructure, and compelling an early surrender. 3) Abraham Lincoln was re-elected in 1864 on the Republican platform of continuing the war effort against the Democrats who sought to end the war. This election was pivotal in determining the war's direction and the future of emancipated slaves.