VII. War Beginnings
Part I
A. First Rumblings of War
• Everyone believed that it would be a 90 day
war
• CSA had time on their side (Why?)
• Union was feeling pressure to attack (Why?)
• The first battle was a battle of amateurs
– Inexperience caused everything to go wrong
• The first battle would serve as a great
awakening for the entire nation
• Ended the dream of a short, glorious, and
bloodless war
B. The Participants
• Union Army
– General Irvin McDowell
– 35, 000 men
– Union believed they
could march straight to
Richmond and end the
war quickly
– Union would have to
march through Manassas
Junction to get there
• CSA Army
– General PGT
Beauregard
– 22,000 men
– Defending a strategic
road & rail junction
– Beauregard knew the
Union was coming
• Possessed good
intelligence in
Washington DC
C. Winchester, VA
• Key element in the defense of Manassas
– 12,000 men under General Joseph E. Johnston
– 18,000 men under Major General Robert Patterson
• Patterson’s job was to keep Johnston from
reinforcing Beauregard
• Beauregard ordered Johnston to reinforce Manassas
without Patterson knowing
• Johnston moved forward making Patterson believe
he was about to attack
• Patterson prepared defenses for the oncoming
assault
• Under the cover of a cavalry screen by
General J.E.B. Stuart, Johnston loads his
men in rail cars and heads for Manassas
D. Problems Marching to
Manassas
• Began July 16, 1861
• On July 18- they were still 6 miles out
• Lack of training and discipline hindered the
march south
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–
–
–
The was due to civilians in the military
Men would tire and stop to rest
They would break rank to gather berries
They did not know the discipline of the regular
army
Washington DC
Manassas
Richmond
E. First Battle of Manassas
(Bull Run)
1) General Tyler performs an artillery feint @ 6 am
2) Union forces attempt to flank the CSA left @
Sudley Springs
3) CSA reorganizes and sets up defenses on
Matthew’s Hill
4) Col. William T. Sherman flanks the CSA by
fording Bull Run Creek
5) CSA defensive line holds firm led by Gen. Thomas
J. Jackson on Henry House Hill- Jackson will earn
the nickname “Stonewall”
6) At a critical moment, Cpt. Rickets mistakes blue
clad CSA for Union Soldiers and his battery is
overrun
7) Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrives by rail with
reinforcements from Winchester, VA at 4pm
8) Col. Jubal A. Early flanks the remaining Union
forces causing them to retreat
9) The federal retreat becomes a rout when an
overturned carriage blocks the Cub Run Bridge
Captain’s Report
• Gen. Irvin
McDowell
• 35,000
• 2,645 casualties
• Gen. PGT
Beauregard & Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston
• 32,000
• 1,981 casualties
G. Aftermath of Bull Run
• Wilmur McClean had the distinction of having the
war begin in his front yard and end in his front
parlor
• Soldiers on both sides were awakened to a bloody
conflict
• Before another campaign could happen, a real army
needed to be assembled & trained
• George B. McClellan is given command of the
Army of the Potomac
– Organization
– Training
– Discipline
• McClellan was too cautious
• He applied himself to the creation of an army made
up of volunteer regiments who signed 3-year papers
– No more 90 day vets
• Nov. 1861: General Winfield Scott resigns due to
failing health & age
• McClellan is appointed by Lincoln General-in-Chief
of the Union Forces
– “Little Napoleon”
– “I can do it all”
H. Real Warfare Begins
• Union Command in the
West
– General Fremont was
initially in charge, but
proved to be
incompetent
– He managed two things
• The creation of
gunboats
• Appointing Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant in
charge at Cairo, MS
• CSA Command in the
West
– General Leonidas Polk
commanded the west but
was quickly replaced
– General Albert Sydney
Johnston took command
of all western activities
I. Road to Shiloh
• CSA strategy in the west was to protect the areas
between the Appalachian Mts. and the Mississippi
River.
– Not enough men to accomplish this
• Union is struggling with command
– Gen. Fremont is replaced by Henry Halleck
– Halleck is in charge of the west up to the Cumberland
Gap
– Gen. Don Carlos Buell was in charge of everything east
of the Cumberland Gap & Kentucky (also in the west)
• Union chain of command was based on equality
• CSA chain of command was based on territory
J. Attacking the Forts
• Feb. 1862: Halleck orders Grant to move on Ft.
Henry on the Tennessee River
• Halleck ordered a flotilla of gunboats, under the
command of Andrew Foote, to accompany Grant
• Ft. Henry was surprisingly weak & Foote’s gunboats
leveled the fort with ease
• Grant then turned his attention to Ft. Donelson, 11
miles away on the Cumberland River
• Ft. Donelson was a lot tougher
• Johnston reinforced Donelson with 15,000 men
• Johnston took the rest of his men to secure Nashville
• Donelson held for three days but Grant and the
gunboats proved to be too much for the fort
• Ft. Donelson was commanded by Generals Floyd
and Pillow
• Floyd & Pillow planned to break out of the fort to
join Johnston at Nashville
• The initial attack catches the Union off guard and
the CSA inflict 2,800 casualties
• Floyd & Pillow get cold feet and retreat back inside
the fort and choose to surrender
– Nathan Bedford Forrest refused to surrender and escaped
the fort with his cavalry to Nashville
• Floyd and Pillow give command over the General
Simon Buckner (a personal friend of Grant’s)
– Floyd & Pillow declared themselves too valuable to be
caught so they escaped by boat that night
• Buckner asked his friend for surrender terms and
was shocked when he heard “unconditional
surrender”
• Grant had asked for complete a total surrender
which was unheard of
– He gains the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant
• Buckner was forced to surrender on Feb 16
– 12,000 men, 65 cannons, 20,000 rifles, and 4,000 horses
• Johnston had no choice but to evacuate
Nashville, leaving it in Union hands
• Beauregard, who had been unhappy in
Virginia, was transferred to the West to be
Johnston’s 2nd in command
• They met in Corinth, MS
K. Moving to Shiloh
• To end the confusion, Halleck was promoted to
overall command in the west
• Grant was promoted to Maj. General and Halleck
orders him to move up the TN River with his 45,000
• Halleck also sends Buell down from Nashville to
meet Grant’s forces
• Grant situated his men on the TN River at Pittsburgh
Landing
– Most were camped near Shiloh Church, 20 miles from
Corinth, MS
• Johnston’s only hope was a sneak attack before
Buell arrived to reinforce Grant
L. Battle of Shiloh
• 1and 2) CSA strike at dawn overrunning the illprepared encampments of Brig. Gen. Benjamin M.
Prentiss and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman
• 3 and 4) Some units from Maj. Gen. John A.
McClernand’s division join with units from
Sherman’s to form a makeshift defensive line. They
hold their position for several hours on Woolfe Field
before falling back to River Road
• 5) CSA advances on the Union left were wasted due
to confusion in the ranks of Bragg & Breckinridge.
General Albert S. Johnston comes to direct the
soldiers personally. While leading, Johnston is shot
behind the left knee. He refuses treatment and
bleeds to death. PGT Beauregard assumes
command.
• 6) Precious time is bought as Gen. Prentiss and his
men stage a daring defensive stand at a sunken road
known as the Hornet’s Nest. Prentiss holds for 6
hours buying precious time for the Union
– WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
• 7) When the CSA breaks the Hornet’s Nest, they
realize that Grant has established a defensive line
with cannons.
• 8) Grant is backed by the gunboats Tyler &
Lexington- the CSA charge is repulsed and day 1
ends
• 9) Gen. Don Carlos Buell arrives with 25,000 fresh
soldiers to reinforce Grant
• 10) Gen. Lew Wallace arrives on the field after
being lost for most of the first day. He adds 10,000
soldiers
• 11) Grant launches an all-out assault on the CSA
position regaining all of the land lost the previous
day. CSA retreats all the way to Corinth, MS
ASJ
memorial
Shiloh
Church
Grant’s
Line
Pittsburgh Landing
Hornet’s Nest
M. Captain’s Report
• Ulysses S. Grant
• 63,000
• 13,047 Casualties
• Albert S. Johnston
PGT. Beauregard
• 40,000
• 10,694 Casualties
N. War Back East
• McClellan was moving with extreme caution
• He was distrusted by Republicans, especially Sec. of
War Edwin Stanton
– Some people saw McClellan as a traitor for his inaction
• Lincoln finally removes McClellan as General-inChief and limits him to command of the Army of the
Potomac
• McClellan was ordered to march on Richmond, but
he declined and proposed an alternate plan
– He would take his men at Ft. Monroe by steamboat and
advance up the peninsula to Richmond- having rivers on
either side protecting his flanks
• Lincoln & Stanton reluctantly agreed only because it
was the first sign of action from McClellan
• McClellan was going to leave Washington without
leaving men behind to protect the capitol. Lincoln
requested soldiers, but McClellan left very few
– Lincoln then pulled McDowell’s Corps from McClellan
to see to the defense of Washington
• Lincoln also created a separate army specifically for
the Shenandoah Valley
– Lincoln placed Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks in charge of
this army
– McClellan would have 90,000 men instead of his original
130,000 he anticipated
O. Peninsula Campaign
• McClellan arrives and moves into Yorktown- facing
him was Gen. John B. Magruder with 15,000 CSA
• Magruder knew he was vastly outnumbered so he
had a regiment of men march up & down the same
hill in a circle making his force to appear larger than
it really was
• McClellan surmised that Magruder had at least
100,000 men- McClellan began immediately setting
up elaborate defenses which would take him a
month to complete
• On May 4, McClellan readied for his attack only to
discover that the CSA had already evacuated
• These tactics would be used until Richmond
P. Shenandoah Valley
• The Shenandoah Valley was the lifeline for the CSA
• It provided food such as grain, beef, and fruit to feed
the soldiers
• Its all-weather roads and railroads made travel quick
& easy
• It was seen as the gateway between Tennessee and
Virginia (the two major theatres of the war)
• 30 miles wide (Allegheny to Blue Ridge Mts.)
• 160 miles long (Lexington to Harper’s Ferry)
• The valley was vital to the survival of the CSA
Q. Shenandoah Valley Campaign
• The CSA took advantage of Lincoln’s sensitivity to
DC’s safety
• The CSA sent Stonewall Jackson into the Valley
with 8,000 men with two goals in mind
– Preserve CSA control of the valley
– Tie down Banks and prevent him from reinforcing
McClellan
• Banks had 38,000 men & his job was to push
Jackson out of the Valley and then rejoin McClellan
• Banks thought he had accomplished that and left
only one division under Brig. Gen. Shields to
occupy Winchester
• Jackson marched his men 50 miles in two days to
Winchester to pursue Shields
• Jackson suffers a defeat at Winchester & relieves
Gen. Richard Garnett from command for retreating
and causing the loss
• The CSA did manage to keep Banks in the Valley
with their presence therefore keeping Banks from
reinforcing McClellan
• Davis’ military advisor chose to reinforce Jackson
– Why?
– Who was the military advisor?
• Reinforcing Jackson meant the Union had to
reinforce Banks instead of McClellan
• Jackson was reinforced with Brig. Gen. Richard S.
Ewell and 9,000 men- Jackson now commanded
17,000 men
• Jackson left Ewell with a small force to watch Banks
while he took the remaining soldiers & disappeared
– Jackson loaded his men on a train and left the valley
– Banks believed Jackson had left
– Jackson then looped the train back into the valley and
defeats Fremont, then reunites with Ewell
• Jackson swept down the valley deceiving Banks of
his whereabouts & defeating his army parts at a time
• Jackson broke Banks’ supply line & Banks was
forced to leave the valley- The valley was cleared
• 1) Jackson is tactically defeated at KernerstownMar. 23
– Forces Union to maintain a strong presence in the valley
• 2) Jackson followed with victories at McDowellMay 8
• 3) Front Royal- May 23
• 4) Winchester- May 25
• 5) Cross Keys- June 8
• 6) Port Republic- June 9
R. The Peninsula Campaign Continues
• The Battle of Seven Pines proved to be a hard
fought, two day standoff
• General Joseph Johnston was seriously wounded in
the battle
• The CSA turns to a new commander in the eastRobert E. Lee take control of the Army of Northern
Virginia
• Due to the success of the valley campaign,
McClellan’s army lay on both sides of the
Chickahominy River with less strength than
expected
• McClellan had 106,000 men with 25,000 on the
other side of the river
• Lee’s army was reinforced to 92,000
• Lee left approximately 30,000 men to guard
Richmond and took 62,000 to the north side of the
river and hit the exposed Union left flank
S. Seven Days Battle
• Mechanicsville- June 26, 1862
– 1&2) Brig Gen. McCall’s division repels frontal
assaults by Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill’s division
– 3) Jackson is supposed to attack the Union right
flank, but he is lost in the woods and suffering
from illness- Union withdraw that night
• Gaines Mill- June 27, 1862
– 1&2) Union V Corps repel a series of frontal
assaults that afternoon
– 3&4) Follow-up attacks on the Union right by
Brig. Gen. D.H. Hill and Ewell fail
– 5) at 5:30pm, Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood’s Texas
brigade breaks the Union center
– 6) Hood’s men held against a mounted
counterattack and capture the position
– 7) Union retreats across the Chickahominy River
• Frayser’s Farm- June 30, 1862
– 1) Lee attacks the Union V Corps with 2 divisions
at a critical road junction
– 2) The attack is repulsed by the Union
– 3) A flank attack by Jackson is not carried out
– 4) This allowed the Union to escape on Quaker
Road
• Malvern Hill- July 1, 1862
– 1&2) In a series of attacks, Lee’s men are blasted
by Union artillery
– 3) The attacks were aided by Union gunboats
– 4) McClellan retreats to Harrison Landing
W. Captain’s Report
• General George B.
McClellan
• 115,000 men
• 15,849 casualties
•
•
•
•
General Robert E. Lee
85,000 men
17,136 casualties
CSA Victory
X. Battle of New Orleans
• April 1862, Adm. David G. Farragut
– 24 warships
– 19 mortar boats
– 15,000 men
• Farragut overran Ft. Jackson and Ft. St. Phillips
• He occupied the city running the CSA out of New
Orleans
• The CSA now controlled the Mississippi River only
from Baton Rouge to Vicksburg & they lost a major
port
Y. Ironclads
• Merrimack
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Resurfaced after being scuttled earlier in the war
Rebuilt in ironclad fashion
Top speed was 9 knots
10 cannons, took 30-40 minutes to turn
Recomissioned the CSS Virginia
• USS Monitor
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–
John Erikson
Most of the hull was underwater
Pointed at both ends, flat rotating cylinder
Two 11 inch guns
CSS Virginia
USS Monitor
Z. Hampton Roads
• March 8, 1862: CSS Virginia goes hunting
– Three boats run aground trying to get out of its way
– USS Cumberland was rammed and sunk
– USS Congress was destroyed by fire
• March 9, 1862: Monitor v. Virginia
– Early morning sees the Virginia charging the USS
Minnesota
– Monitor fires at point blank range
– Both fire on each other causing little to no damage
– Both suffer from mechanical failures
– The Monitor’s pilot house is hit & loses control
– Virginia thinks it has won & leaves as Monitor returns to
the fight- both sides proclaim victory