[center][b][u]The Noose Tightens[/u][/b][/center]

The end was near for the Confederacy. The Union had been bolstered with huge numbers of soldiers, and were pushing deep into the Confederate nation. Sheridan, with 50,000 Union cavalry soldiers, rode out of Charlotte and began burning their way through South Carolina. They pushed hard for Columbia, but was repulsed by Confederate raiders. Undeterred, they used the opportunity to run supplies west to Augusta, giving Sherman what he needed to begin moving again.
(-1,300 regulars to the USA, -900 conscripts to the CSA)

Now the true campaign of 1866 began. Grant marched south out of Raleigh towards Fayetteville, planning on one more battle with Thomas. His army dwarfed Thomas', but the Confederates held a strong defensive position. Wave after wave of Union infantry smashed into the Confederate lines, only to be repulsed. However, 'Butcher' Grant lived up to his name, and did not stop the attack even as the death count rose. Finally, after a long siege, Thomas proved his foresight and decided it could not be won here. He withdrew south. To prevent Grant from giving chase, Confederate cavalry under Nathan Bedford Forrest flanked Grant and began to raid Union supply lines. With Sheridan busy out west, Grant was forced to split part of his army to defend the supply lines, and this forced his march down to a slow crawl. Thomas used the opportunity to withdraw his forces south and regroup in the town of Florence. Confederate engineers, highly experienced after so many sieges, quickly got to work building breastworks and defences. 
(-67,200 conscripts to the USA, -22,400 conscripts to the CSA)

Sherman had not managed to completely alleviate his supply problem, as his men were low on ammunition and food, but Sheridan's supply runs had been enough to get Sherman moving again. He started by pushing east towards Charleston, but he would not find it so easy. Lee was determined to stop him from reaching the coast, and he quickly gathered support as Edward Porter Alexander abandoned his push into Tennessee and instead marched east to support Lee. A fierce battle developed; Sherman had the numerical superiority, but his men were in poorer condition after months of poor food and sleep, and they were forced to be conservative with their shot. Lee was under no such restrictions and he unleashed hell upon the Union soldiers. In the end, the Confederacy was unable to push Sherman back as they had hoped. However, Sherman's march ground to a standstill, and he was unable to reach to coastline. Resigned that he would not break the Confederacy in this campaign, Sherman settled for destroying everything he could inside Georgia.
(-64,800 conscripts to the USA, -23,600 conscripts to the CSA, -1 infrastructure sublevel to the CSA)

While the Union was pushing hard on the Eastern Theatre, it seemed Grant had all but abandoned the Western Theatre. Bragg continued his march north. Facing little resistance, Bragg was able to recapture the city of Memphis, Tennessee. The Confederates were losing territory in the east, but in the west, some of Bragg's forces managed to reach the original Union-Confederate border.
(-2,200 conscripts to the USA, -2,500 conscripts to the CSA)