Describe the outcome of the battle: The first two days of the battle were heavy on casualties for the Union Forces. “Union soldiers sustained an estimated 12,660 wounded compared to 5,588 for the Confederates.” (Franklin, 1998) An analysis of the total number of soldiers killed, wounded or captured during the 5-day battle revealed that for each Confederate casualty there were two Union casualties. “The battle of Fredericksburg was both lost and won by the application of tactical intelligence practices and techniques.” (Massamore, 1976)On December 15, 1862 during a meeting with (name) to discuss the following days attack order Burnsides General’s would convince him to abandon the campaign altogether. That night the Federal Army would return back across the river facing no resistance from the Confederate Forces, as they had been busy preparing for what they had believed to be a forthcoming renewed assault. General Lee’s forces would learn of their …show more content…
“A proper interpretation of available intelligence would have further indicated that such an attack on Marye’s Heights should have never been attempted because the canal and stone wall would channelize the Union Forces directly into the bulk of the southern firepower.” (Massamore, 1976) Had General Burnside been able to maintain the element of surprise and time associated with his initial rapid movement he likely would have been successful in his campaign. By employing his reconnaissance assets to locate an alternative crossing site into the town and moving in with the superior number of forces available he would have kept General Lee on his heels. In not doing so he allowed the Army of Northern Virginia to set their soldiers where they would be most beneficial in a defensive
Both Armies repositioned their artillery to the most advantageous position but it appeared that the Army of Northern Virginia had surrounded the Army of the Potomac but in a less defensible position. When two Armies meet on a battlefield the overall objective is to eliminate the opposition, so one of them would have to make a move. Lee ordered Generals Longstreet and Ewell to attack but due to a lack of decisive action on Longstreet’s part, the day would end in the bloodiest offensive of the battle and Longstreet would suffer great losses by Cemetery Hill .
After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives. The Confederate Army was...
This dialectic will focus on two opposing theses on the matter of how successful the Union blockade was in guaranteeing a victory for the Union. Within “Reassessment of the Union Blockade’s Effectiveness in the Civil War,” M. Brem Bonner and Peter McCord make an argument for the success of the blockade by assessing statistical data comprised from the efforts of blockade-runners to breach the hindrance caused by the Union. The authors frequently employ the objecting side of the effectiveness argument when discussing the legality of the blockade and the successes some blockade-runners had in smuggling goods in and out of the Confederacy. On the opposing side of the argument, Daniel O’Flaherty condemns the blockade as ineffecti...
The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.
Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely. Since this battle was one that went on until a majority of ones sided were depleted, the south should have played it safe against the Unions nearly surplus supply of
Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman observed to a Southern friend that, "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail." While Sherman's statement proved to be correct, its flaw is in its assumption of a decided victory for the North and failure to account for the long years of difficult fighting it took the Union to secure victory. Unquestionably, the war was won and lost on the battlefield, but there were many factors that swayed the war effort in favor of the North and impeded the South's ability to stage a successful campaign.
While Burnside waited, Lee was positioning himself for the best way to attack. Lee also had help from Stonewall; Stonewall was positioned down stream on the Rappahannock River. Stonewall had two regiments by the creek and two regiments by the railroad. Lee also had help from General Longstreet, who was positioned by the Rappahannock River and the railroad. The position that Lee had set up was good because he was on higher ground looking down on the Union. Lee, with the major adv...
After the Union Army successfully took Falmouth, General Lee anticipated their next course of action would be to take Fredericksburg. General Lee had the troops moved from Culpepper and Winchester and reassembled on the high ground surrounding Fredericksburg (Yandoh, 2001). Knowledge of the area put General Lee’s forces at an advantage, as they took the high ground along Marye’s Heights. A defensive posture provided the best fields of fire and cover and concealment, which proved to be a severe disadvantage for Union forces. Weather was a factor for both sides because snowfall restricted travel and pre-dawn fog in the early morning obscured vision (Franklin, 1998). Neither side had an advantage do to the poor
He neglected the location and speed of Confederate forces in the area. Following the Battle of Antietam, Lee’s Corps under Generals Longstreet and Jackson were separated. Burnside believed he could cut off Lee’s supply in Richmond prior to the two Rebel commanders uniting. His aggressive maneuver did not factor in the effects Lee’s forces could inflict if they presented a united front. Burnside did not comprehend that this was possible and he was ignorant of the presence of Confederate reconnaissance assets in Fredericksburg.
Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania.
September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army desperately needed a victory at Antietam; however, a victory for the Confederate rebels may have very well gained them international recognition as a sovereign country in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Federal Army, which belonged to the Union States, consisted of an all-volunteer army and was a larger army than the Confederate States. Even though the Battle of Antietam was inconclusive, President Lincoln went on to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the country, effectively ending slavery, and ensuring that no foreign nation would intervene on the Confederates behave.
... The line had to be held. A few moments later General Johnson gave the order for a counterattack. The Confederate attack quickly broke the Union lines. Before long the retreat of the union army turned into a complete rout. It was impossible to stop the retreating soldiers from heading all the way back to the Potomac River. In the midst of the flight were hundreds of sightseers from Washington, including six senators and ten Congressmen.
The Union was at a disadvantage during this battle even though the fight was being brought to them. They were heavily out numbered with only 500-600 soldiers compared to the compared to the confederates with 1500-2500 soldiers. Forrest was also interested in making the Yankees prisoners so he ordered Capt. Charles...
Lee is very quick; he organized scattered confederate troops into the famed Army of Northern Virginia in just three weeks. Lee’s wisdom urged him to keep the Union as far away as possible from the armament producing center of Richmond and far away from the northern part of the state where farmers were harvesting crops. Lee knows that defeats of such decisive sports will weaken our will to continue the war, and he prevented this at all costs.
Sears’ thesis is the Union could have won the war faster. McClellan was an incompetent commander and to take the initiative to attack an defeat the Confederate army. The Army of Northern Virginia, under...