Sherman's march through the South... Battle of Franklin...

Item # 694427

December 24, 1864

DAILY DISPATCH, Richmond, Virginia, Dec. 24, 1864

* Capital of the Confederacy
* Battle of Franklin, Tennessee
* Sherman investing Savannah

Among the front page reports on the Civil War from the Confederate capital are: "The Art & Science of War" "Amusements of the Yankee Generals in Georgia" "Confederate Account of the Battle of Franklin" "Furloughs in the Navy".
More reports inside include: "Later from the North" "Around Petersburg" "Confederate Congress" "The Investment of Savannah" "The War News" "The Spirit of Virginia" "Confederate Generals Killed & Wounded at Franklin" and more.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed, small piece from the bottom, blank margin of the back leaf not close to any text, very nice condition.

background: The December 24, 1864, issue of the Daily Dispatch captures a civilization on the brink, balancing the analytical detachment of "The Art & Science of War" against the visceral trauma of the Battle of Franklin, where the Confederate Army of Tennessee was effectively shattered. While the front page attempted to maintain morale by mocking the "Amusements of the Yankee Generals" in Georgia, the internal reports on the "Investment of Savannah" signaled a strategic nightmare; unknown to many Richmond readers that morning, William T. Sherman had already presented the city to Abraham Lincoln as a "Christmas gift" three days prior. The inclusion of "Furloughs in the Navy" and "Confederate Congress" proceedings suggests a desperate attempt by the Richmond administration to project an image of a functioning, sovereign state, even as the "Around Petersburg" updates reminded citizens that the Union Army was quite literally at their doorstep. This edition serves as a haunting historical artifact, documenting a capital city attempting to celebrate the holidays while surrounded by a tightening vice of military collapse and mounting casualties.