THE CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865

The Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) July 16-21, 1861 The Union were led by General Irvin McDowell, and had 35,000 troops. The Confederates were led by General Joseph Johnston, and Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, and had 32,000 troops.

First Bull Run Fought over the course of several days, the First Bull Run was a slowly fought battle, the largest in North America up to that point. Neither side was prepared to deal with such a large enemy, and no organized pursuit was carried out. By 6:30pm, on July 21, the Federal army was in full retreat. The failure of Beauregard to pursue and destroy the Union army let an opportunity to march on Washington D.C. slip through the Confederacy’s fingers.

The Confederate victory at Bull Run was highlighted only because their center held during the Union counter-attack. Stonewall Jackson’s brigade was key in this section of the battle. However, what Bull Run also demonstrated for both sides was a general unpreparedness to fight major campaigns against large enemy forces, for both the Union and Confederate forces.

The Union lost 2700 men, killed and wounded The Union lost 2700 men, killed and wounded. The Confederates lost approximately 2000. Both commanding generals were average, at best. McDowell tried to control every aspect of the battle instead of allowing his sub-commanders to lead individual fights. Beauregard gave his unit commanders unclear and vague orders that were often not followed. The next day, July 22, 1861, President Lincoln ordered the call for an additional 500,000 volunteers, each to serve for three years.

Shiloh - April 6-7, 1862 Carelessness almost cost the Union Army a victory at Shiloh. General U.S. Grant placed his army in a poor defensive position on April 5, with even poorer security and no patrolling, despite being only a few miles away from the Confederate position. The Confederate force, led by Gen. A.S. Johnston, attacked early on April 6, surprising the Union army and achieving initial success. Johnston was mortally wounded however, his second-in command, P.G.T. Beauregard, took over, suspending the attack for a day.

The Confederate pause gave the Union forces time to introduce reinforcements to the battle on April 7, and regain the lost territory from the day before. Grant’s army drove the Confederates from Shiloh, and forced Beauregard to retreat to the town of Corinth. The Union lost 13,000 men from their original strength of 63,000. The Confederates lost 11,000 casualties from their original 40,000 men.

The Peninsular Campaign The Union invasion of Virginia was designed to capture Richmond and put an end to the war in final campaign. Union commander General McClellan failed miserably to unify his entire army into an organized force capable of defeating the Confederate Army.

Antietam – September 17, 1862 General Lee invaded Maryland to force the Federal troops out of Virginia, and return to defend the northern cities of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. McClellan failed to send in his reserve corps into the assault, and the Confederates closed their lines, preventing a Union victory.

The Outcome at Antietam Of the 70,000 Union soldiers at Antietam, over 13,000 were killed, wounded or missing. The Confederates lost 10,000 of their original 40,000 troops. Lee’s army had the advantage of interior lines that allowed him to move his troops around more quickly and defeat the larger Federal Army. McClellan failed to attack the next day, allowing Lee to withdraw across the Potomac River.

The Emancipation Proclamation President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, using the victory at Antietam as a platform from which to free all slaves in states that were in rebellion (the Confederacy), as of January 1, 1863. By the end of the Civil War, over 180,000 African- Americans would serve in the Union Army.

Fredericksburg- December 13, 1862 President Lincoln has fired General McClellan and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside, who commands all Union soldiers at Fredericksburg. Burnside wasted a perfect opportunity to occupy Fredericksburg and take the heights west of town, by mid-November. Instead, he waited for pontoon bridges to cross his army over the Rappahannock River, allowing Lee to position his army on Marye’s Heights.

Crossing the Rappahannock River, Burnside ordered the Union troops to conduct an uphill frontal assault against Lee’s dug in and well defended position, west of Fredericksburg. Over the course of several days, Federal troops were unable to take Marye’s Heights, losing 12,000 men. The Confederates lost 5300 men. Following the Battle of Fredericksburg, both armies went into a winter camp on both sides of the river.