Robert E. Lee- General-in-chief of the Confederate Army
George McClellan-General-in-chief of the Union Army 1861-1862 then again in late
1863
Ambrose Burnside- General in-chief of the Union Army Nov 10th 1862- Early 1863
Joseph Hooker- General-in-chief of the Union Army (shortly during 1863)
George Meade- General-in-chief of the Union Army 1863-1864
Ulysses S. Grant- General-in-chief of the Union Army 1864- 1865
“Stonewall” Jackson- At the war’s outbreak, Jackson accepted orders as a Colonel of
Virginia militia and commanded at Harper’s Ferry. Jackson then took on the title of
Brigadier general and led troops in the epic battle of First Manassas, where he and his
brigade earned him the title “Stonewall.” So began Jackson’s status as a military
celebrity. In November of 1861 he was promoted to major general and dispatched to
the Shenandoah Valley to defend the south from Federal troops headed towards
Richmond. Jackson organized extremely successful military maneuvers at Front Royal,
Winchester, Cross Keys, and Port Republic in the spring of 1862. These led up to the
Seven Days Battle around Richmond, where Jackson’s nonplussed performance on the
outset gradually gained momentum. He made more epic showings at Second
Manassas and then again in Sharpsburg at the Battle of Antietam. Following these
events the Army of Northern Virginia was reorganized and Jackson was designated
lieutenant general.
In December of 1862, Jackson commanded a victory at Fredericksburg, and then the
famous flank march at Chancellorsville in May. The same night as that victory, May 2,
1863, Jackson was wounded by friendly fire while making a reconnaissance with a
member of his staff. He died eight days later on May 10 from pneumonia, a complication
of having his left arm amputated from the incident.
William T. Sherman- Brigadier General most famous for his “march to the sea” see
below for details
Military Terms:
Infantry- Units on foot
Artillery- Units with heavy machinery such as cannons
Cavalry- Units on horseback
Fort Sumter- On April 12, 1861, General P.G.T. Beauregard, in command of the
Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor, opened fire on the Union garrison
holding Fort Sumter. At 2:30pm on April 13 Major Robert Anderson, garrison
commander, surrendered the fort and was evacuated the next day. Confederate Victory
First Bull Run (Manassas)- This was the first major land battle of the armies in
Virginia. On July 16, 1861, the untried Union army under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell
marched from Washington against the Confederate army, which was drawn up behind
Bull Run beyond Centreville. On the 21st, McDowell crossed at Sudley Ford and
attacked the Confederate left flank on Matthews Hill. Fighting raged throughout the day
as Confederate forces were driven back to Henry Hill. Late in the afternoon,
Confederate reinforcements extended and broke the Union right flank. The Federal
retreat rapidly deteriorated into a rout. Thomas J. Jackson earned the nom de guerre
“Stonewall.” By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington.
Confederate Victory
Shiloh- On the morning of April 6, 1862, 40,000 Confederate soldiers under the
command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston poured out of the nearby woods and struck a
line of Union soldiers occupying ground near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River.
The overpowering Confederate offensive drove the unprepared Federal forces from
their camps and threatened to overwhelm Ulysses S. Grant’s entire command. Some
Federals made determined stands and by afternoon, they had established a battle line
at the sunken road, known as the “Hornet's Nest.” Repeated Rebel attacks failed to
carry the Hornet's Nest, but massed artillery helped to turn the tide as Confederates
surrounded the Union troops and captured, killed, or wounded most. During the first
day’s attacks, Gen. Johnston was mortally wounded and was replaced by P.G.T.
Beauregard. Fighting continued until after dark, but the Federals held. By the next
morning, the reinforced Federal army numbered about 40,000, outnumbering
Beauregard’s army of less than 30,000. Grant’s April 7th counteroffensive overpowered
the weakened Confederate forces and Beauregard’s army retired from the field. The two
day battle at Shiloh produced more than 23,000 casualties and was the bloodiest battle
in American history at its time.
Union Victory
Antietam- The Army of the Potomac, under the command of George McClellan,
mounted a series of powerful assaults against Robert E. Lee’s forces near Sharpsburg,
Maryland, on September 17, 1862. The morning assault and vicious Confederate
counterattacks swept back and forth through Miller’s Cornfield and the West Woods.
Later, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the Sunken Road
pierced the Confederate center after a terrible struggle. Late in the day, the third and
final major assault by the Union army pushed over a bullet-strewn stone bridge at
Antietam Creek. Just as the Federal forces began to collapse the Confederate right, the
timely arrival of A.P. Hill’s division from Harpers Ferry helped to drive the Army of the
Potomac back once more. The bloodiest single day in American military history ended
in a draw, but the Confederate retreat gave Abraham Lincoln the “victory” he desired
before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
Union Victory
Fredericksburg- On November 14, Burnside, now in command of the Army of the
Potomac, sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg. The rest
of the army soon followed. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind
the town. On December 11, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the
Rappahannock under fire. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over, and on
December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and
Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. Meade’s division, on the Union
left flank, briefly penetrated Jackson’s line but was driven back by a counterattack.
Union generals C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and Confederate generals
Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. On December 15, Burnside called off
the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign.
Confederate Victory
Vicksburg- In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged
on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John
Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This
was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the
loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy
was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation,
leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies.
Union Victory
Gettysburg- Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrated his army around
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, upon the approach of Union Gen. George G. Meade’s
forces. On July 1, Confederates drove Union defenders through Gettysburg to
Cemetery Hill. The next day Lee struck the flanks of the Union line resulting in severe
fighting at Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Culp’s Hill and
East Cemetery Hill. Southerners gained ground but failed to dislodge the Union host.
On the morning of July 3rd, fighting raged at Culp’s Hill with the Union regaining its lost
ground. That afternoon, after a massive artillery bombardment, Lee attacked the Union
center on Cemetery Ridge and was repulsed with heavy losses in what is known as
Pickett’s Charge. Lee's second invasion of the North had failed.
Union Victory
Sherman’s March to the Sea- The March to the Sea, the most destructive campaign
against a civilian population during the Civil War (1861-65), began in Atlanta on
November 15, 1864, and concluded in Savannah on December 21, 1864. Union general
William T. Sherman abandoned his supply line and marched across Georgia to the
Atlantic Ocean to prove to the Confederate population that its government could not
protect the people from invaders. He practiced psychological warfare; he believed that
by marching an army across the state he would demonstrate to the world that the Union
had a power the Confederacy could not resist. "This may not be war," he said, "but
rather statesmanship."
Union Victory
Appomattox Court House- Harried mercilessly by Federal troops and continually cut
off from turning south, Lee headed west, eventually arriving in Appomattox County on
April 8. Heading for the South Side Railroad at Appomattox Station, where food
supplies awaited, the Confederates were cut off once again and nearly surrounded by
Union troops near the small village of Appomattox Court House. Despite a final
desperate attempt to escape, Lee’s army was trapped. General Lee surrendered his
remaining troops to General Grant at the McLean House on the afternoon of April 9.
Union Victory