With great cannon fire, the South forced the Union Fort Sumner to surrender. The Civil War had begun. After the battle at Fort Sumner, President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to bolster the Union Army. About 35,000 men arrived and camped out at the Northern capital in Washington, D.C. under command of Irvin McDowell, a Brigadier General (Bri. Gen.) appointed by President Lincoln. A Confederate army of 20,000 led by General P.G.T. Beauregard was stationed at the Manassas Junction less than 20 miles away from Washington. Cautiously, General McDowell intended to protect the Northern capitol from any invasion. The Union believed in their superior industrialization, population, and strategy. Many Northern politicians and common men felt like the South would fall easily and quickly to the advanced Union Army. In a manifestation of almost military arrogance, the Northern public pushed for an preemptive strike on Richmond, Virginia; the Confederate Capital. But Brigadier General Irvin McDowell expressed concern over attacking Virginia, mainly because of his nascent army composition. No training or conditioning had taken place yet. Seeking consolation, McDowell discussed with President Lincoln whether or not he should attack. President Lincoln pointed out that the Confederate army as well as the Northern army were both lacking organization and training. Therefore, President Lincoln reasoned, the Union should not fear a stronger Southern force. President Lincoln’s advice along with increased pressure from the Northern public drove McDowell’s decision to advance. By Mid-July, 1861 four armies held positions in and around Virginia. The two northern armies included Bri. Gen. McDowell in Washington D.C. and Maj. Gen. Robert Patteron... ... middle of paper ... ...ttysburg, it played a crucial role in the Civil War. Out of all the battles, America had fought in, including the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the Battle of Bull Run was the bloodiest up to July 21, 1861. Logistically, Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell’s failures were noticed and criticized. Shortly after the Battle of Bull Run McDowell would be replaced with Major General George McClellan. As a response to the Confederate victory, President Lincoln signed a bill calling for 500,000 more volunteers to boost the Union Army. Another impact it had was on the perspective of the Civil War. The general public felt like the North could and would easily end the Southern rebellion in less than a month, but the confederate victory at Bull Run shattered any hope for a quick and friendly war. This battle convinced both sides that the war would be long and costly.
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...
Rickard, J. (2006, May 1). American Civil War: The Shenandoah Valley. Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_american_civil_war04_shenandoah.html
LTC George Armstrong Custer did not effectively apply the concept of mission command as a warfighting function during the Battle of Little Bighorn. While it is important to understand the context in which Custer made his decisions, those circumstances offer little in terms of excusing the fiasco that was Little Bighorn. Custer failed to follow orders, did not take pertinent intelligence into consideration, did not adequately plan or execute protection of his forces, and fought without essential fires equipment available to him. Custer did exercise good sustainment, but it was for naught, as the battle was brief.
Each general that was appointed commander of the army in the east had his own plans when it came to defeating the Confederates. Beginning with McDowell, the first general to command a large army in the war, the task seemed insurmountable at first. He had an army of 30,000 men, most of whom were extremely green. Despite Lincoln’s desire that he attack immediately, McDowell knew that he wasn’t ready, and initially had no plans to move against the Confederates during that first summer of the war. Lincoln insisted that he attack at Manassas with the resulting disastrous outcome. Perhaps had McDowell came along later in the war, it might have turned out differently, but that wasn’t a likely outcome.
The Civil War was a major point in American History. It has influenced everyone in America in many ways. The War was conducted in two main areas of the United States. These two parts were in the area east of the Mississippi River and in the area west of the Mississippi River. The control of both of these fronts was vital for victory by either the Union or the Confederacy. On March 8, 1862, a small skirmish at Pea Ridge, Arkansas led to the Union's domination of the west. The Battle of Pea Ridge had a great impact on the civil war by giving control of the west to the Federal forces (Battle).
It all started in the year 1862. General George McCellen currently controls the army of the Potomac. When it was determined that McCellen was a bad general, in December of 1862 he was replaced with General Ambrose Burnside. Within a week, Burnside decided on a campaign to the Southern capitol, Richmond. He told his plans to Lincoln and Lincoln approved, but told Burnside the only way for a win was to move quickly. Burnside split his group into three grand divisions, each with two corps. Burnside’s division arrives first at Fredericksburg; when he arrived there weren’t many Confederates. After Burnside’s arrival there was a swarm of Confederates who arrived. The problem was, that while the Confederates moved into position, General Burnside had to wait for pontoon builders so they could cross the Rappahannock River. (See Map1) He had requested pontoons from Harper’s Ferry but they hadn’t arrived yet and came two weeks later. This gave the Confederates time to get an advantageous position over the Union. While Burnside waited he looked at the town from on top of a ridge.
It all began with the secession of South Carolina. After this an understanding was established between the authorities in Washington and the members of Congress from South Carolina. They both agreed that the forts, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, would not be attacked, or seized as an act of war, until proper negotiations for their cession to the state. At the time of this Fort Sumter was in an unfinished state and did not have a garrison. (www.civilwarhome.com/CMHsumter.htm)
After giving an introduction of the events leading up to the Vicksburg campaign, you see the reasons why they attacked. To gain full control of the Mississippi River. By discussing Pemberton’s action of moving a majority of his army towards Grant’s army. Resulting in great loss of life and moral for his troops. The communication problems which caused Pemberton’s army to be unprepared for Grant’s fast approaching army. That the capture of Jackson, Mississippi was harmful for the city of Vicksburg. Without supplies running through Jackson they had no way to feed themselves. By then going over the large defenses of Vicksburg and how much it mattered to the Confederates. Then going over the remainder of the war and how Vicksburg’s fall effected it. After all of the researching I found the answer. Without supplies an army can’t function and the Confederates relied on one location for that. The battle of Vicksburg was the most important battle in the Civil War because it cut off the supply route between the two divisions of the Confederates. If Robert E. Lee’s army actually did win the battle of Gettysburg but lost Vicksburg, the outcome of the war would have been the same. A Union victory over the Confederate Army. The Union would most likely still win if it was the other way around but it would have lasted longer. We will never know this for sure but a Gettysburg loss was better than a Vicksburg loss. Most people who do not research into this are taught that Gettysburg was more important. It was important but not nearly as important as the Battle of
The Civil War split our nation, Americans fighting Americans, brother against brother. The war lasted four long years, a key battle fought westward was the turning point in the war: the Battle of Vicksburg.
The Confederate army’s high command had charged him with the task of defending western Virginia from an invasion by Union troops. With an army of some 15,000 to 18,000 troops, Jackson repeatedly outmaneuvered a superior Union force of more than 60,000 men. Jackson’s army moved so quickly during the campaign that they dubbed themselves “foot cavalry.” President Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) had split the Union army into three parts, and Jackson used his mobility to attack and confuse the divided forces over the course of the campaign. He won several key victories over armies of larger size. By the campaign’s end in June, he had earned the admiration of Union generals and had become the South’s first great war hero. Jackson had prevented the Northerners from taking the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and had done so in the face of unfavorable odds. “On June 8, 1862, Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson attacked and defeated Shield's division that had been pursuing him up the Valley. In the wake of this defeat, Union General Carl Schurz sent a confidential dispatch to president Abraham Lincoln analyzing Federal problems in the Shenandoah
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.
Jackson was then charged with the task of defending the western part of Virginia from an invasion by Union forces. Jackson had an army with about 15,000 troops while the union forces had an army of upwards of 60,000. Clearly outmatched and outsized, Jackson would overcome the Union army by outmaneuvering them. Jackson, because of President Lincoln dividing the Union into three parts, used his squad’s quickness and mobility to attack the Union’s divided forces. Due to his leadership and his quickness in battle he was able to achieve several key victories over armies of larger size. By the campaign’s end, he became the South’s first war hero and he gained the admiration from the Union generals. Stonewall Jackson also stopped Union forces from seizing the capital of operations for the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. His name continues to grow from his continuance of succeeding in battle and both sides acknowledge his
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...
...f wearing down the north's patience. The south's idea of northerns as "city slickers" who did not know how to ride or shoot was wrong. Many of the men who formed the Union forces came from rural backgrounds and were just as familiar with riding and shooting as their southern enemies. Finally, the south's confidence in its ability to fund through sales of export crops such as cotton did not take into consideration the northern blockade. France and Britain were not willing to become involved in a military conflict for the sake of something they had already stockpiled. The help the south had received from France and Britain turned out to be a lot less than they expected. In conclusion, while all the south's reasons for confidence were based on reality, they were too hopeful. The south's commitment to a cause was probably what caused their blindness to reality.