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Battle of Shiloh
Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, the Battle of Shiloh took place
from April 6 to April 7, 1862, and was one of the major early engagements of the
American Civil War (1861-65).
The battle began when the Confederates launched a surprise attack on Union
forces under General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85) in southwestern Tennessee. At
first, the Confederate soldiers were winning. They broke through the Northern front
lines, and they gained a lot of ground, but they are unable to defeat Grant’s last line
of defense, and they were pushed back.
Though it was a Union victory, the number causalities shocked everyone North
and South, and the North did not see it as a victory because of the shock over the
violence. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with more than 23,000 total casualties,
deaths were 1, 728 Confederate soldiers and 1, 754 Union soldiers, and the level of
violence shocked North and South alike.
RESULTS:
 Everyone, North and South, realized that there will not be a decisive
battle that ends this war but that it is going to be a long, bloody series
of battles without clear winners.
 Grant loses favor with the North for the high number of casualties
despite winning the battle.
The Seven Days Battle
The seven days battle was actually a series of battles fought to protect Richmond from the Union
army. With a Union army of more than 100,000 well-supplied soldiers waiting just outside the city,
the citizens of Richmond, Virginia waited for news from the battlefield. Would the Union Army take
Richmond as its ultimate prize? Would the Confederacy come to a quick end in the summer of 1862?
General McClellan, advanced toward Richmond. In the summer of 1862 (June 25), General
Robert E. Lee met him with 85,000 soldiers. The two fought on even terms before McClellan, thinking
he was hopelessly outnumbered, gave the order to retreat. Richmond was saved. This was a huge error
on the part of McClellan, who could have captured Richmond if he had not been overly cautious and
wrong about the Southern forces. It also gave Lee the popular title of ‘Savior of the South’ for saving the
Southern capital. Lee continued to push the Northern army back for seven days, clearing McClellan
and the Union forces out of the region entirely.
.
RESULTS:

Lee is a hero in the South.

Lincoln grows deeply frustrated with McClellan believing he is too quick to retreat.
The Second Battle of Bull Run
The new Union commander put in charge just before this battle is Major
General John Pope. McClellan is still in charge of a regiment, but Pope has
been placed in charge of the army.
Lee went on the offensive against the Union forces on August 28–30,
1862 in Northern Virginia, in the same area as the first major battle of the Civil
War. In this second battle, Major General Pope was soundly and
completely beaten by Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army, even though the Union
army had almost twice as many soldiers.
One reason for the defeat was Pope’s confusion and his inability to make
clear decisions, but also McClellan, who was nearby with his own regiment, did
not come to help Pope even after receiving the news he was being attacked.
McClellan said he needed to stay back in case the Confederates came to attack
the capital.
Confederate lieutenant
general Thomas J. "Stonewall"
Jackson and Confederate Lt. Gen.
James Longstreet surrounded and
crushed the Federals (Union). The
one good thing for the Union was
that unlike the full-scale rout of
inexperienced Union troops that
occurred during the First Battle of
Bull Run, in Second Bull Run,
Pope and his more experienced
troops made a determined stand that allowed the army to retreat in an
orderly fashion after darkness fell.
Results:


Lincoln puts McClellan back in power, despite his failures,
believing McClellan’s popularity with the troops will help
encourage his faltering army.
The South is becoming more confident in their abilities.
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM
General Lee now decided to invade Union territory, hoping that a victory in the North
would bring more help from foreign countries. But the Battle of Antietam, fought in Maryland,
resulted in heavy losses. An estimated 24,000 Northern and Southern troops were killed in one
of the bloodiest battles of the war. (13,000 Union soldiers and 11,000 Confederate soldiers). Lee
was forced to retreat into Virginia. It is widely believed that had the Union army
followed Lee and attacked as he retreated, the war could have been won. However,
General McClellan did not pursue Lee after his victory at Antietam. President
Lincoln lost patience with his overcautious commander and replaced him with General Ambrose
E. Burnside.
Results:



The Union gets a victory, but the victory is tainted by the leadership’s decision not to
pursue the enemy, therefore letting them regroup.
The South, and Lee, has changed tactics, from defending to attacking.
Burnside (we get the word for sideburns from his
name—look at his picture to see why!!) takes over
command of the Union forces.
FREDERICKSBURG/
On November 14, Burnside, now in command of the Army of the Potomac, sent troops to take
over Fredericksburg, Virginia. The rest of the army soon followed. Lee reacted by entrenching his
army on the heights behind the town. Starting on December 13, Burnside ordered frontal assaults on
Lee’s troops stationed on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights. This resulted in staggering casualties,
in total the Union deaths would be around 10,000 (we do not have exact numbers for this battle)
while Confederate losses would be around 3,500. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive,
ending this battle. Burnside resigned, and General Joseph Hooker took command.
Notice that the CSA had higher ground and the Union forces are trying to attack UPHILL!
How does this explain the great difference in casualties in this battle.
Results:


Burnside resigns. Hooker takes over command of the Union forces.
Lee once again is victorious against a larger force.
Chancellorsville
Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s well-executed crossing of the Rappahannock on April
30, 1863 placed his rejuvenated and reorganized Army of the Potomac on Lee’s
vulnerable flank (the back of his forces where they are more vulnerable). Rather than
retreat before this sizable Federal force, Lee opted to attack Hooker while he was still
within the thick wilderness. Late on May 1, 1863, Lee and Stonewall Jackson conceived
one of the boldest plans of the war. Jackson, with 30,000 Confederates, would follow a
circuitous route to the Union right and from there conduct a surprise attack on the Union.
The May 2, 1863 attack stunned the Union threatened Hooker’s position. The
Confederacy was victorious. On May 3, 1863, the Confederates resumed their offensive
and drove Hooker’s larger army back to a new defensive line nearer the fords. Lee's
victory at Chancellorsville is widely considered to be his greatest of the entire war.
Unfortunately, after his amazing attack on the Union right, Jackson had taken his
horse out to check the lines, and one of his men mistakenly identified him as a Union
soldier. It was dusk, and the Jackson was riding fast towards the troops in what appeared
to a group of soldiers to be an attack. Jackson was shot, and died a few days later at his
home.
Results:
 Lincoln is desperate for a new commander that can get results.
 Lee feels unstoppable.
 Stonewall Jackson dies, and the South loses one of their best commanders.