The Great Battles of the American Civil War The Civil War, often called the War for Southern Independence began on April 12, 1861. The main cause of the war was slavery. The southern states depended on slaves to help grow crops which were the main source of income for the south. Slavery was illegal in all of the northern states but most people actually were neutral about it. The main conflict was if slavery should be permitted in the newly developing western territories. The first battle of the Civil War occurred on April 10, 1861 when Brigadier General Beauregard demanded the surrender of Fort Sumter. The commander of the fort, Major Anderson, refused. Two days later Confederate artillery came crashing down on the fort. On the following day Major Anderson surrendered the fort. This was the opening engagement of the Civil War. The first Battle of Bull Run was the first battle during the Civil War where troops would meet face to face. The battle took place on July 16, 1861. The Union army was led Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. McDowell was marching down from Washington and on the 21st attacked the left flank of the Confederate army on Matthews Hill. Later on in the afternoon reinforcements arrived for the confederates. These new troops advanced and broke through the Union right flank. This sent the Union army into a retreat although the Confederate army was too disorganized to pursue. The first Battle of Bull Run convinced Lincoln the war going to be long and costly. Soon after General McDowell was relived of command and was replaced with Major General George B. McClellan. The battle Shiloh took place over two days. It started as a result of the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, the commander in the area, was forced to fall back, giving up Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee. He chose Corinth, Mississippi, a major transportation center, as the staging area for an offensive against Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee before the Army of the Ohio, under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, could join it. The Confederate retrenchment was a surprise, although a pleasant one, to the Union forces, and it took Grant, with about 40,000 men, some time to mount a southern offensive, along the Tennessee River, toward Pittsburgh Landing. Grant received orders to await Buell’s Army... ... middle of paper ... ... of wounded stretched more than fourteen miles. Human suffering also extended beyond the military sphere and continued long after fighting ceased. During the conflict, thousands of black and white Southerners became refugees, losing many of their possessions and facing an uncertain future in strange surroundings. Far fewer Northern civilians experienced the war so directly, although the citizens of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, saw their town burned by Confederate cavalry in 1864. An unknown number of civilians perished at the hands of guerrillas, deserters, and, less frequently, regular soldiers in both armies. After the war, many thousands of veterans struggled to cope with lost limbs and other wounds. Thousands of families faced difficult financial circumstances due to the death of husbands and fathers. The United States government made available small pensions for disabled veterans and widows of soldiers, and southern states did the same for former Confederate soldiers and their widows. In neither instance, however, were the funds sufficient to provide for all the needs of a family. Bibliography www.about.com Microsoft Encarta www.historyplace.com www.history.net
The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in Virginia, near the Manassas, Virginia railway junction, after which the battle is called (or First Bull Run, named after the flowing stream on the battlefield, if of the Union persuasion). The armies in this first battle were not very large by later Civil War standards. The Federal forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell were organized into four divisions (five, if one includes Runyan's division), of about 30,000 men. These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter, Heintzelman, (Runyan), and Miles. The Confederate command structure was somewhat more unwieldy, including two "armies", with no division structure and thirteen independent brigades under Bonham, Ewell, Jones, Longstreet, Cocke, Early, Holmes, Kershaw, Evans, Jackson, Bartow, Bee, Smith, and a cavalry brigade under Stuart. The Confederate Army of the Potomac was under the command of Brigadier General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and the Army of the Shenandoah was commanded by Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston. These two forces would equal McDowell's strength.
...the most horrifying part of the surgeries was the absence of anesthesia and antiseptics. Each hurt man would have to be held down as he experienced excruciating pain, but many passed out and later died of infection. Finally, I realized how much suffering two opposing forces can bring upon one country: dying soldiers, devastated country, and unbearable sadness. For example, Foote describes the mile-long lines of men from the South and North opposing each other. Each side would test the cannon's range, and, after a while, would be destroying huge groups of men and creating gaping holes in the earth. As a northern infantryman said as he watched the mini balls cut down his friends, "they died for nothing" (p.191). The front line would also shoot grapeshot that would burst into thousands of tiny pieces and destroy the other army's front line. All of Shiloh was about two sides of America fighting over slaver! y and secession. About 26, 000 men died without respect, a prayer, or a marked grave. Shiloh is a historically accurate book that would interest anyone who likes to read about the Civil War and wants to understand the pain and suffering our country went through on April 6-7, 1862.
Fort Donelson, Tennessee, guarding the Cumberland River, became the site of the first major Confederate defeat in the Civil War. Victory at Donelson started Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant on his road to Appomattox and the White House. His cool judgment under pressure saved the day after the Confederates threatened to break his troop lines, yet errors by his opponents handed him a victory that he did not fully earn on his own.
By 1863, the Confederate hold on the Mississippi River was limited to Vicksburg and Port Hudson– both strong bastions– difficult to overcome. In a daring move, U.S. Grant, commanding the Union forces, sent his troops past Vicksburg and landed to the south of the city. Grant's troops then defeated Confederate forces in five separate engagements. After a 6 week seige, Confederate forces surrendered.
Some of the causes from the civil war were that the North was more experienced than the South, they also had more resources to fight in battle. The civil war started when Southern states seceded from the Union after the election with Abraham Lincoln. The battle of Gettysburg had a huge impact on the civil war because it was a three-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle from the American Civil War. Also, the south’s Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania enetered in late June 1863.
The Second Battle of Bull Run took place in Prince William County Virginia near Manassas August 28th through August 30th in 1862. As the name of the battle suggest, it was the second time the Confederate and Union soldiers had fought at Bull Run. The first battle was in July of 1861 and the Confederate troops defeated the Federal Union Army. The Second Battle of Bull Run was led by the Union’s Major General John Pope and the Confederate Army was led by General Robert E. Lee.
In the spring 1861, years of building tensions between the northern states and southern states resulted in the American Civil War. In 1680 an anti-slavery Republican, Abraham Lincoln was elected president causing seven southern states to secede from the union. These seven states included--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas--. These seven states formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865 and claimed more than roughly 620,000 lives. So what caused the Civil War? The three main causes of the Civil War were differences between the north and the south in economies, disagreements in abolishing slavery, and whether the State or Federal
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Grant was appointed colonel, and soon afterward brigadier general, of the Illinois Volunteers, and in September 1861 he seized Paducah, Kentucky. After an indecisive raid on Belmont, Missouri, he gained fame when in February 1862, in conjunction with the navy; he succeeded in reducing Forts Henry and Donelson, Tennessee, forcing General Simon B. Buckner to accept unconditional surrender. The Confederates surprised Grant at Shiloh, but he held his ground and then moved on to Corinth. In 1863 he established his reputation as a strategist in the brilliant campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi, which took place on July 4. After being appointed commander in the West, he defeated Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga. Grant's victories made him so prominent that he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and in February 1864 was given command of all Union armies.
The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their life styles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces along with many other Northerners believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout. One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1, 1863.
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
July 19, 1861 started the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Battle of Bull run started after a complex web of economic, political, moral, and constitutional issues that the country was facing over many years. Accelerated by northern opinion, as expressed by editorials and Congressional speeches, General McDowell and General Patterson who were fighting for the North attacked the south. Although some knew that the troops in the North weren’t ready, many believed that one battle would decide the fate of the war thus ending it.
The First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas was significant because it was the first major land battle of the Civil War. The battle was sparked on July 21, 1861 at approximately 5:15 A.M. During this particular battle the commanders of the Confederate and the Union were not the individuals commonly associated with the Civil War. In fact, the Union was commanded by Irvin McDowell and the Confederate forces were commanded by Joseph Johnson and PGT Beauregard. Initially, General Irvin McDowell and his troops were order by Abraham Lincoln and the Federal government to advance south of Washington into Bull Run which would bring them closer to the Confederate capital which was Richmond, Virginia. Lincoln thought that an early victory amongst the Confederates would force them to end their rebellious acts in a quick battlefield. The Confederate army gained insight on the attack the Union forces were ...
The Battle of Shiloh began on April 6, 1862 on a Sunday (Sabbath) in the Pittsburg landing, Tennessee. It was considered one of the most blood shedding battles of the American Civil War. This battle led the Union towards an outstanding victory against the Confederates. Led by the Union, the Yankees were resting on their victory on Forts Henry (the first victory) and Donelson near the Cumberland River, their rival, the confederates led by General Albert Sidney Johnston rose and ambushed the Union on April the 6th. Of course the union had to strike back towards the attack, which eventually caused the death of their dear confederate General Johnston and rose their new general, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard. While the Confederates planned their
On April 12 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston and this event started the Civil War. Once Ulysses heard of the news, he quickly left his position as clerk at his family store to volunteer for military service in the Union army. He was first offered a position recruiting and training volunteer troops in Illinois and he accepted although he wanted field command in the actual army. On June 14, 1861, Grant was assigned colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry, but on August 9th President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to Brigadier General. Ulysses’ first battle was on November 17th, 1861 when Grant and his army attacked Fort Belmont but was counterattacked and had to fall back. Although no one really won this battle, it was good experience for Grant and his troops. Grant’s first major victories took place in February 1862. On Feb. 6th, Grant, along with the help of Union Navy Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote, took over Fort Henry easily and ten days later defeated Confederate General Gideon J. Pillow at Fort Donelson. After these victories, Lincoln promotes Grant as Major General of Volunteers and gets the nickname “Unconditional Surrender”. Grant’s advancement on Fort Henry and Donel...
The novel, “Shiloh” by Shelby Foote is a fictional recreation of the bloody battle. The story begins with the soldiers of the Confederate Army heading towards Pittsburg Landing. The men are marching in terrible conditions. It is pouring down rain and they are dragging their tired legs through the mud. The troops come to a halt so the commanders can talk to General Johnston. General Johnston says the only way they might have a chance is if they plan a surprise attack. As the sergeants hand the men their guns, they are told to check the powder in case it got wet in the rain. A group of soldiers test their guns out on a deer running close by. At the same time the shots were fired, the sun came out and the soldiers started to scream and cheer. These noises combined were more than enough to alert the Union soldiers of the Confederates advance. Palmer remembers what his life was like before going to war. He attended the Louisiana State Military Academy when the Confederacy seceded from the Union. One of his professors predicted the south did not have a chance of winning the war. That night Palmer dreams of holding Sherman at gunpoint making him admit that he was wrong. Prior to the battle, the commanders create a battle plan. Palmer is assigned a part in this process. When the plan fails, Palmer learns that planning a battle is more difficult than it seems because the commanders on the ground face challenges that do not exist on paper.