It was 150 years ago today that Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators, bringing a formal end to the bloodiest four years in U.S. history.

The war began on April 12, 1861, and more than 600,000 Americans died before it was over.

The war truly hit home for Georgians at the end of 1864. From Nov. 15 to Dec. 21, Union Gen. William T. Sherman led 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah. The purpose of this "March to the Sea" was to frighten Georgia's civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause.

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Rivian announced it will establish an East Coast headquarters at Junction Krog District in Atlanta. (Courtesy of Rivian)

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“Our members cannot be bought off,” General President Sean O’Brien said in a social media statement, calling UPS' offers “illegal and haphazard.” (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2023)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC