Download CHAPTER 25 World War II

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
September 22, 1862
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation.
I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Commander-in-chief of the
Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war
will be prossecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the
United States, and each of the states, and the people thereof, in which states that relation is, or
may be suspended, or disturbed.
That it is my purpose, upon the next meeting of Congress to again recommend the adoption of a
practical measure tendering pecuniary aid to the free acceptance or rejection of all slave-states,
so called, the people whereof may not then be in rebellion against the United States, and which
states, may then have voluntarily adopted, or thereafter may voluntarily adopt, immediate, or
gradual abolishment of slavery within their respective limits; and that the effort to colonize
persons of African descent, with their consent, upon this continent, or elsewhere, with the
previously obtained consent of the Governments existing there, will be continued.
That on the first day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixtythree, all persons held as slaves within any state, or designated part of a state, the people whereof
shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free;
and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority
thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to
repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
That the executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the
States, and parts of states, if any, in which the people thereof respectively, shall then be in
rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any state, or the people thereof shall, on that
day be, in good faith represented in the Congress of the United States, by members chosen
thereto, at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such state shall have
participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive
evidence that such state and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United
States.
That attention is hereby called to an act of Congress entitled "An act to make an additional
Article of War" approved March 13, 1862, and which act is in the words and figure following:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That hereafter the following shall be promulgated as an additional article of war for the government of the army of
the United States, and shall be obeyed and observed as such:
Article---. All officers or persons in the military or naval service of the United States are prohibited from employing
any of the forces under their respective commands for the purpose of returning fugitives from service or labor, who
may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is claimed to be due, and any officer who shall
be found guilty by a court-martial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the service.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect from and after its passage.
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Also to the ninth and tenth sections of an act entitled "An Act to suppress Insurrection, to punish
Treason and Rebellion, to seize and confiscate property of rebels, and for other purposes,"
approved July 17, 1862, and which sections are in the words and figures following:
SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That all slaves of persons who shall hereafter be engaged in rebellion against the
government of the United States, or who shall in any way give aid or comfort thereto, escaping from such persons
and taking refuge within the lines of the army; and all slaves captured from such persons or deserted by them and
coming under the control of the government of the United States; and all slaves of such persons found on (or) being
within any place occupied by rebel forces and afterwards occupied by the forces of the United States, shall be
deemed captives of war, and shall be forever free of their servitude and not again held as slaves.
SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That no slave escaping into any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia,
from any other State, shall be delivered up, or in any way impeded or hindered of his liberty, except for crime, or
some offence against the laws, unless the person claiming said fugitive shall first make oath that the person to whom
the labor or service of such fugitive is alleged to be due is his lawful owner, and has not borne arms against the
United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid and comfort thereto; and no person engaged in the
military or naval service of the United States shall, under any pretence whatever, assume to decide on the validity of
the claim of any person to the service or labor of any other person, or surrender up any such person to the claimant,
on pain of being dismissed from the service.
And I do hereby enjoin upon and order all persons engaged in the military and naval service of
the United States to observe, obey, and enforce, within their respective spheres of service, the
act, and sections above recited.
And the executive will in due time recommend that all citizens of the United States who shall
have remained loyal thereto throughout the rebellion, shall (upon the restoration of the
constitutional relation between the United States, and their respective states, and people, if that
relation shall have been suspended or disturbed) be compensated for all losses by acts of the
United States, including the loss of slaves.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be
affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this twenty second day of September, in the year of our Lord,
one thousand eight hundred and sixty two, and of the Independence of the United States, the
eighty seventh.
By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99sep/9909lincemanc1.htm
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The Emancipation Proclamation, 1864
By the President of the United States of America: A PROCLAMATION
Whereas on the 22nd day of September, A.D. 1862, a proclamation was issued by the
President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:
"That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any
State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the
United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the
United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the
freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any
efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
"That the executive will on the 1st day of January aforesaid, by proclamation,
designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall
then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State or the people thereof
shall on that day be in good faith represented in the Congress of the United States by members
chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such States shall have
participated shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive
evidence that such State and the people thereof are not then in rebellion against the United
States."
Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power
in me vested as Commander-In-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of
actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and
necessary war measure for supressing said rebellion, do, on this 1st day of January, A.D. 1863,
and in accordance with my purpose so to do, publicly proclaimed for the full period of one
hundred days from the first day above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of
States wherein the people thereof, respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States
the following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (except the parishes of St. Bernard, Palquemines, Jefferson, St.
John, St. Charles, St. James, Ascension, Assumption, Terrebone, Lafourche, St. Mary, St.
Martin, and Orleans, including the city of New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia (except the forty-eight counties designated as West
Virginia, and also the counties of Berkeley, Accomac, Morthhampton, Elizabeth City, York,
Princess Anne, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which
excepted parts are for the present left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all
persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward
shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and
naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence,
unless in necessary self-defense; and I recommend to them that, in all case when allowed, they
labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
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And I further declare and make known that such persons of suitable condition will be
received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and
other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution
upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of
Almighty God.
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/emanc.html
John A. McClernand
Category:
Union General
Born:
30 May 1812 at Hardinsburg, Kentucky,
US
Died:
Overview:
20 Sep 1900 at Springfield, Illinois, US
A political general that vied with Grant for fame and control of the army, he was finally
sent back to Illinois.
Biography:
John McClernand nurtured a long career as a public servant, serving as a legislator, a
general, and a judge. He was born on May 30, 1812 in Breckenridge County, Kentucky
but grew up in Shawneetown, Illinois. McClernand passed the bar in 1832, after which he
worked as a trader for a couple of years and later established a newspaper, the
Shawneetown Democrat. He was elected to the Illinois Legislature four times (1836,
1840, 1842, and 1843) and to Congress for the first time in 1843, serving four terms,
leaving in 1851. He was again elected to Congress in 1861 but shortly resigned to take a
commission as a Brigadier General in the Union Army, even though he lacked military
experience (he had served briefly in the Black Hawk War.)
McClernand was given a brigade in Missouri, serving under General Ulysses S. Grant,
and performed well at the engagement at Belmont, Missouri, where the Union forces
surprised the Confederates and pushed them from their positions. Believing the day was
won the Union soldiers began celebrating and McClernand started a political speech.
However, the Confederates ferried reinforcements across the Mississippi, rallied, and
routed the attackers. McClernand cut short his harangue. In February 1862, Grant
elevated McClernand to command of the 1st Division, Department of the Missouri, which
he led in the advances on Forts Henry and Donelson. The U. S. Navy, under the
command of Admiral Foote, took Fort Henry without any help from the Army. But at Fort
Donelson, McClernand, on the right flank, was attacked by the Confederates and was
being pushed back when Grant arrived just in time to take control and stop the
Confederate advance.
In March 1862, McClernand was promoted to Major General and commanded the 1st
Division, Army of the Tennessee. He led the division at Shiloh and Corinth and was soon
back in Illinois to raise troops, a job at which he excelled. After his recruitment duties,
Lincoln put him in charge of the Vicksburg operation, but Grant, who didn’t like
McClernand (and vice versa), started the campaign—a campaign which began with
Sherman’s defeat at Chickasaw Bayou—before McClernand arrived to take command.
McClernand, however, with an independent command, did succeed in capturing Fort
Hindman on the Red River, but the results were of little consequence in the over all
campaign against Vicksburg. After McClernand’s Red River raid, he was put in command
of the lead corps of Grant’s army marching down the west bank of the Mississippi to
cross the river and assault and besiege Vicksburg. However, on June 19, General Grant
relieved McClernand of command after his poor performance in the assault on Vicksburg
and his subsequent letter-writing campaign to newspapers disparaging other Union
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officers for not supporting him in his attacks on the city. He briefly commanded a corps in
the Department of the Gulf in early 1864, but, due to illness, he resigned after a month.
After the war, McClernand practiced law in Illinois. In 1870, he was elected to the circuit
court and served on the bench for 3 years. He stayed politically active, even presiding at
the 1876 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, which nominated
Samuel J. Tilden to run for president against Rutherford B. Hayes. McClernand died on
September 20, 1900 in Springfield, Illinois, and is buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.Cfm?PID=50
Joseph Hooker, (Fighting Joe)
Overview:
Biography:
Known as:
Fighting Joe
Category:
Union General
Born:
13 Nov 1814 at Hadley, Massachusetts, US
Died:
31 Oct 1879 at Garden City, New York, US
Commander of the Army of the Potomac but relieved after being defeated at
Chancellorsville.
Joseph Hooker was a better conniver and carouser than army commander, but he was a
solid Corps commander.
He’d been to West Point (class of 1837) and served in the artillery and on the staff in
Mexico. He won three brevets but also mixed in politics with his superiors, testifying
against Winfield Scott in a Court of Inquiry. He took two years of leave (procedures were
looser in those days, but was also a way for tempers to cool) and then resigned to make
money in California, farming and speculating in land.
When the Civil War broke out he became a colonel in the California Militia, but it didn’t
take him long to drop that and come east to see what he could find. He watched the first
battle of Manassas as a civilian, and felt that he could do better. He wrote to Lincoln
saying as much and was made a Brigadier General of Volunteers (the Regular Army
wasn’t so keen to have him back). He commanded first a brigade, then a division as the
Army of the Potomac trained around Washington, and he stayed at the head of his
division as McClellan undertook the Peninsular Campaign. In the siege of Yorktown he
took good care of his men (he always looked out for the men in the ranks, a point in his
favor), then did particularly well at Williamsburg. Neither of these actions need have been
fought if McClellan had been bolder, but it takes nothing away from Hooker that he did
well in unnecessary battles. He was promoted to Major General (still of the Volunteers)
for his work at Williamsburg.
He fought at Seven Pines, then through the Seven Days Battles, even regaining some
laurels for McClellan’s humiliated army by recapturing Malvern Hill after the Army of the
Potomac had evacuated it. He was given his nickname by a journalists or telegraphers
slip in a report; there was fighting, and there was Joe Hooker, but there wasn’t really a
Fighting Joe.
His division was transferred back to Washington, then around to serve with John Pope,
and so he ended up fighting at Second Manassas. He may have had ideas about what
went wrong the first time, but he wasn’t able to improve the result on the replay. Still, he’d
done well. With the problems the Army of the Potomac had, Hooker was one of the
brighter spots, and he was promoted to command the I Corps just in time for Lee’s
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invasion of Maryland. He led his men at South Mountain, then in the early morning attack
at Antietam, where he was soon wounded.
He was only out of action for six weeks, and put in charge of the V Corps for a week
before Burnside (the new commander of the Army of the Potomac) reorganized it into
three two-Corps ‘Grand Divisions’. Hooker was given the Center Grand Division, which
saw little action at Fredericksburg and none during the Mud March.
When Burnside was dropped, Hooker replaced him. Lincoln had confidence in Hooker’s
fighting skills, but qualms about his leadership overall. Hooker had never backed off his
criticism of his superiors, never stopped writing to politicians to let them know other
people’s shortcomings. Lincoln chided him about this, and didn’t think much of Hooker’s
support for a military dictatorship in wartime. Critics within the army (and there were
many; if Hooker showed concern for the enlisted men, he was hard on his subordinate
officers) were quick to point out the drinking and loose women around his headquarters,
reports that circulated freely among the political circles that Hooker had entered via his
letters.
Hooker actually stopped drinking when he began the spring 1863 campaign against Lee.
His plan was excellent; he pinned Lee’s depleted forces (Longstreet was detached to
southeastern Virginia) at Fredericksburg, then moved the bulk of his troops around to the
open west flank. But he made some mistakes: he’d sent his cavalry away on a futile raid
and couldn’t scout the Confederate position; he misjudged Lee and expected him to
withdraw once he flank was turned. Lee was far more aggressive than that, and checked
Hooker’s leading formation. Hooker then sat still, not really forming a defensive line and
certainly not attacking Lee. This gave Lee the intitiative, and he sent Jackson on a
sweeping flank march that brought him onto the open Union flank. The XI Corps
crumpled in a few minutes, earning themselves the nickname of the Flying Dutchmen
(there were many German immigrants in the Corps) and only dark prevented a deeper
Confederate advance. Hooker never took charge of the battle on May 2 either; he
withdrew his forces from a dominating hill, allowing the Confederate batteries to take a
position from which they could pound at will. One of their shot actually hit the porch-pillar
that Hooker was leaning against, and he was stunned for the rest of the day. That was
the charitable explanation of his conduct; his enemies could smirk that he should have
kept on drinking.
He extracted the Army of the Potomac from Lee’s grasp and led it back northwards, after
yet another defeat. He stayed in command until someone was chosen to replace him –
George Meade, appointed just days before Gettysburg. Actually Hooker resigned, picking
a fight with Lincoln over control of the Harper’s Ferry garrison. Lincoln was happy to have
the fight, since it was the perfect excuse to remove Hooker.
Unlike so many unsuccessful generals he was not retired nor put out to grass in a
backwater command. After a few months on the shelf, he was sent with two Corps from
the Army of the Potomac to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, besieged at
Chattanooga after the catastrophe at Chickamauga. He fought well in opening a supply
line to the forces trapped in the city and was important in the taking of Lookout Mountain.
Grant, however, played up Sherman’s role in the fighting. There was little Hooker could
do: the politicians in whom he always confided were paying him less attention.
Over the winter of 1863-64 he received the Thanks of Congress for not botching the
opening of the Gettysburg Campaign. His command was also reduced, with the
amalgamation of the two weak Corps to form one strong one. Under Sherman’s
leadership he fought down through north Georgia and around Atlanta. Just before Atlanta
fell he was passed over for command of the Army of the Tennessee: McPherson had
been killed and Howard (who had commanded the Flying Dutchmen at Chancellorsville)
was chosen over Hooker.
This was too much. He asked for a transfer, and got it. He finished the war in charge of
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the Northern Department, overseeing various issues in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and
Michigan
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=42
Ulysses S. Grant
Overview:
Biography:
Category:
Union General
Born:
27 Apr 1822 at Point Pleasant, Ohio, US
Died:
23 Jul 1885 at Mount McGregor, New York, US
Commander in chief of the Union armies in the latter part of the war. He first gained fame after taking
both Fort Henry and Donelson. He served as the 18th President of the United States after the war.
Ulysses Simpson Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 22, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio,
where his father worked as a tanner. In 1839, he received an appointment to West Point from
Congressman Thomas Hamer, graduating 21 out of 37 in 1843.
Grant was assigned to the 4th Infantry and saw service in the Mexican War. His main job in the
war was Quartermaster General for the regiment, where he performed well above average.
However, he did see some action, occasionally serving as a company commander. He received
two brevets for his bravery at the battles of Molino del Rey and Chapultepec. After the war, Grant
was assigned to duty on the west coast, resigning his commission in 1854 to return home to his
wife Julia Dent Grant. He tried his hand at farming and real estate, failing at both, and eventually
ended up working in his father’s store in Galena, Illinois.
When Civil War broke out, Grant offered his services as a colonel to the state of Illinois but was
rebuffed. Eventually he did receive an appointment from the governor of Illinois as a colonel and
entered service. He served first as the Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry regiment and was
quickly promoted to Brigadier General. He led a raid on the Confederate positions at Belmont,
Missouri. The Union troops surprised the Confederates, but the Confederates rallied, and,
reinforced, drove Grant’s men back up the river. His first major success was the capture of Forts
Henry and Donelson in 1862. It was at Fort Donelson where Grant received the nickname
“Unconditional Surrender” Grant, for when the Confederates asked Grant what his terms were for
surrendering, he just replied “unconditional surrender.” After the success at Forts Henry and
Donelson, Grant suffered the embarrassment of being surprised by Confederate forces at Shiloh.
He secured a victory on the second day of the battle, but his critics, and there were many, claimed
he was caught unprepared.
In 1863, Grant secured the surrender of Vicksburg by crossing the Mississippi from the Arkansas
side and working his was back up the Mississippi side through a series of battles at Jackson,
Champion Hill, and Big Black River Bridge, and laying siege to the city. On July 4, 1863, just one
day after the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, General Pemberton
surrendered Vicksburg and his army to Grant. The surrender of Vicksburg, along with the
Confederate surrender at Port Hudson, brought the entire Mississippi River under Union control
and cut the Trans-Mississippi off from the rest of the Confederacy. After the surrender, Grant was
promoted to Major General.
After Vicksburg, Grant oversaw the Union victory at Chattanooga, and was promoted to the newly
reinstated rank of Lieutenant General. President Lincoln brought him east and gave him command
of the Army of the Potomac and direction of the whole Union forces. As commander of the Army of
the Potomac, Grant pursued a policy of constant attacks against Lee and the Army of Northern
Virginia, but not without costs. He suffered severe casualties at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and
Cold Harbor. He finally forced Lee into defensive trenches around Petersburg in 1864. When Lee
left the Petersburg trenches in 1865 in an attempt to unite with Confederate forces in North
Carolina, Grant followed, eventually surrounding Lee and the remnants of his army at Appomattox
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Court House, forcing Lee to surrender.
In 1868, Grant was elected President of the US on the Republican ticket and served two terms
noted for slack administration and corruption. He died on July 23, 1885 and is buried in Grant’s
Tomb in NY City. http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=35
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William S. Rosecrans
Category:
Union General
Born:
6 Sep 1819 at Little Taylor Run, Ohio, US
Died:
11 Mar 1898 at Redondo Beach, California, US
Overview:
Led the Army of the Cumberland. Won the battle of Stones River against Bragg. Was later
removed after being defeated at the battle of Chickamauga.
Biography:
William Rosecrans was an Ohioan, and after finishing school locally he went to West Point
(class of 1842). He was posted to the Engineers (he’d finished fifth in his class) but a series
of tedious peacetime assignments (teaching at West Point, various surveys, internal
improvements) didn’t fire his imagination. After a dozen years in the Army (and still only a
1st Lieutenant) he resigned to do something more profitable and interesting in business.
He returned to Ohio and worked as an architect and civil engineer, ran the Coal River
Navigation Company, and founded the Preston Coal Oil Company. This was a kerosene
company, and in 1859 he was burned in an industrial accident.
He returned to the army in 1861, first as Colonel of Ohio engineers, then Colonel of the 23rd
Ohio Infantry, then Brigadier General of Volunteers. And all this was within three months of
rejoining the colors. Rosecrans started out on McClellan’s staff in western Virginia (he knew
something of the region from the Coal River Navigation Company) and won a battle, but not
the recognition, which McClellan snatched. When McClellan went to Washington Rosecrans
inherited the whole district. After a couple more successful battles the egregious John
Fremont was appointed over him.
That was enough, and he got himself moved out west. He served with Pope and Grant in
western Tennessee. He fought at Iuka, then Corinth, and was promoted to replace Buell in
command of the Army of the Cumberland. For a long time he just watched Braxton Bragg’s
Confederates, but he finally moved, and moved skillfully. He held on for victory at
Murfreesboro (earning the Thanks of Congress), then maneuvered Bragg out of Tennessee
and into Georgia almost without fighting in the Tullahoma Campaign.
With Bragg retreating, in September 1863 Rosecrans took Chattanooga, clinching Union
control of central Tennessee by blocking Confederate access. But Rosecrans made his
worst mistake. He thought he’d thrashed Bragg’s forces, and started a pursuit, spreading his
army to gain control of as much ground as possible. Instead the Confederates had
reinforced, recognizing the importance of Chattanooga, and counter-attacked. The result
was the battle of Chickamauga, and the eclipse of Rosecrans’ reputation. He held the line
on the first day, but made his mistake on the second: moving troops to cover a reported gap,
he created a real one. Two-thirds of his army was routed, and George Thomas’ stand (“the
rock of Chickamauga”) probably saved everything.
Rosecrans was replaced the following month, booted out to thorny Missouri, with plenty of
political but minor military problems. He kept on top of those until Sterling Price raided in
mid-1864. Rosecrans blunted Price’s advance, which captured nothing major at the cost of
heavy casualties. But the problem was that Price’s raid was a surprise: Rosecrans looked
bad, and in December 1864 he was again removed. He never received another command,
and resigned in disgust in 1867.
He moved to California, settling in the small town of Los Angeles. Andrew Johnson made
him Minister to Mexico (1868-9) and he later returned to engineering. He ran the Safety
Powder Company, then served two terms in Congress (1881-85) where he gained some
satisfaction against Grant, the man who fired him in 1864. Grant was owed some back pay,
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but Rosecrans and his fellow Democrats blocked the payment. He later served as a Regent
of the California State University.
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=60
Braxton Bragg
Category:
Confederate General
Born:
22 Mar 1817 at Warrenton, North
Carolina, US
Died:
27 Sep 1876 at Galveston, Texas, US
Overview:
Commanded the Confederate Army of Tennesse.
Biography:
Braxton Bragg was a talented and brave soldier whose merits took him to high rank; his
drawback was that he made enemies easily.
He was a North Carolinian, a West Pointer (class of 1837) and a Mexican War veteran.
He’d served with the artillery, bringing horse artillery ideas and effectiveness to the
United States Army. He won three brevets (so he had the authority of a Lieutenant
Colonel, but was paid as a Captain) for his service, almost always at the front. He’d also
seen service in the Seminole Wars, but resigned in 1856 to become a Louisiana planter.
He was prominent in the Militia, being a Colonel and then Major General even before the
Civil War reached his adopted state. For a few weeks he was in charge of Confederate
forces in Louisiana, but was moved to the Pensacola area, where a large Confederate
force was forming, trying to force the Union garrison out of the forts that blocked the port.
He was there for nearly a year (March 1861- February 1862) and earned a reputation as
a stickler for discipline and a strong trainer of men. His disciplinary reputation was
deserved (he was rumored to have forwarded letters of complaint to himself when he
held two overlapping positions) but his men weren’t as well trained as the forces in
Virginia.
From west Florida he moved to northern Mississippi, taking charge of the forces
assembling for the attack at Shiloh until relieved by A.S. Johnston. He led a Corps during
the battle, afterwards being promoted to full General for his role in it. With Johnston dead,
Beauregard was in command of the army, but he fell ill and Bragg assumed command.
The army had fallen back to Corinth after its defeat at Shiloh, and when Halleck moved
towards the Confederates with overwhelming force Bragg had to retreat. But Halleck
moved so slowly that Bragg evacuated Corinth at his leisure, and got all stores, supplies,
and men away.
Bragg moved onto the offensive, moving through east-central Tennessee into Kentucky,
trying to lever the Union forces out of central Tennessee, and also rally Kentucky for the
Confederacy. They moved north without much resistance as the Union forces moved to
react to the unexpected incursion. But Bragg lacked the strength to make good on the
threat. South of Cincinnati and Louisville his advance was checked by Buell at Perryville
in a medium-sized battle – because Bragg didn’t employ all his men. The Confederates
fell back into Tennessee, reorganized and re-supplied, and planned to go into winter
quarters around Murfreesboro. William Rosecrans had other plans, and led his army out
of Nashville on a winter campaign. On the last day of 1862 Bragg attacked the Union
right flank, but couldn’t break through. The battle was renewed on January 2nd, 1863 and
again Bragg made some progress but not enough. He had to retreat from Tennessee but
was pinned in the Tullahoma area by the threat of Rosecrans’ army. He couldn’t beat
Rosecrans, nor could he detach major forces to help around Vicksburg.
Rosecrans finally took the offensive, and pushed Bragg back a little, then took the
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opportunity to move on Chattanooga. He took the city, but Bragg counterattacked the
Union forces at Chickamauga. While he routed two-thirds of the Union forces, the rest
held and covered the retreat; Bragg was not successful in outflanking George Thomas’
force and didn’t turn the tactical victory into the destruction of the Union Army of the
Cumberland. The toll was very high, over 15,000 total casualties for each side, in the
Confederate’s only major victory in the western theater.
Bragg’s character didn’t help either. He didn’t follow up his success, but merely observed
the Union forces penned up in Chattanooga. They were slowly starving, inadequately
supplied over roads that Nathan Forrest was harassing, but Bragg spent his time
quarrelling with his subordinates (Polk, Longstreet, Hardee, and others – about the only
man Bragg didn’t quarrel with was Jefferson Davis) rather than pursuing his advantage.
Grant took the opportunity handed to him to re-open the supply lines, then launched an
attack up Seminary Ridge that unexpectedly broke Bragg’s line. The whole fruits of
Chickamauga had turned to ashes.
Bragg couldn’t be kept on as an army commander, but Davis protected him, appointing
him as an advisor. He couldn’t do much: in the eastern theater the real decisions were
always made by Lee, and the western commanders had the advantage of distance when
they disagreed with orders from Richmond. Eventually he stopped twiddling his thumbs
and went to North Carolina, but he didn’t do much to bolster Fort Fisher and the second
Union attack succeeded. The Confederacy was now without a single major port, and
Lee’s army was starving that much faster. In early March 1865 Joe Johnston took
command in North Carolina, since he had the only sizeable force there. Bragg, from
being commander of all Confederate forces in the west was reduced to overseeing
Hoke’s single division of North Carolinians. The only result was that he had to surrender
the division instead of Hoke.
After the war he moved to Alabama, putting his engineering knowledge to work, then
moved on to Texas.
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=10
Ambrose E. Burnside
Category:
Union General
Born:
23 May 1824 at Liberty, Indiana, US
Died:
13 Sep 1881 at Bristol, Rhode Island, US
Overview:
Commanded a brigade at First Manassas and later succeeded McClellan as the head of
the Army of the Potomac. He was removed by Lincoln after Fredericksburg.
Biography:
Ambrose Burnside generally knew his limits, but despite that was promoted beyond his
capability.
He was born in Indiana, went to seminary for a while, then West Point (class of 1847)
and served in Mexico. He saw no action, only garrison duty. Against the Indians it was
different: he was wounded in 1849 in the New Mexico Territory. He resigned in 1853 to
make his fortune by inventing a breech-loading carbine. The Army wouldn’t buy it and he
went bankrupt trying. (His creditors had to be happy with the patent, which made them
millions during the Civil War, when the Army was happy to have the gun.) He moved to
Illinois and became treasurer of the Illinois Central.
11
He dropped that in 1861, raising and becoming Colonel of the 1st Rhode Island. He was
acting as brigade commander at First Manassas, and didn’t show much insight, leading a
series of piecemeal attacks rather than concentrating for an overwhelming one in the
important early stages of the battle. He and his men were mustered out in August 1861
(their enlistments had run out) but four days later he was a Brigadier General and in
charge of an independent force.
Burnside was in charge of the North Carolina expedition, and grabbed (against light
opposition) bases on Roanoke Island, and the port of New Bern. He wasn’t brilliant, and
there wasn’t the strength to press inland, but he certainly helped the Union blockade.
Success anywhere, anyhow, was enough for promotion and he pinned up his second
star, and Lincoln offered him command of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside wisely
declined, letting John Pope have a turn. When Pope proved incompetent, Lincoln made
Burnside the same offer, but it was again declined.
Instead Burnside was given oversight of two Corps (I and IX) during the Antietam
campaign. At the actual battle they were on opposite ends of the Union line, and he
stationed himself with IX Corps, which made slow progress crossing the Antietam Creek.
Burnside, the professional soldier, saw a bridge and apparently assumed the creek was
to deep to ford. Successive attacks across the bridge failed, while he could simply have
pushed across the stream and flanked the few Confederate defenders. (He also
detached men from the main effort, scattering his forces.) He finally cleared the bridge
and seemed to be pushing through into Lee’s rear, unopposed, but he’d waited too long.
A.P. Hill’s Light Division slammed into Burnside’s flank and sent the Union troops reeling.
With McClellan removed after the battle, Lincoln told Burnside to take command. He was
still hesitant but felt he could not refuse an order. He stole a march on Lee and attacked
Fredericksburg, again after delays actually crossing the river. The delays meant Lee
could concentrate, and the Army of the Potomac paid heavily for it, in their most onesided defeat. Having tricked Lee once in December 1862, Burnside tried it again in
January 1863. This time it turned into the “Mud March” and Lee hardly needed to
respond, while Union soldiers drowned in mud. Burnside was sacked, after saying he
wanted out and also wanted a batch of officers court-martialed.
Burnside was useful, but not great, and Lincoln sent him to the Department of the Ohio.
He had political duties, since Abolition sentiment was not as strong there; there were also
some Confederate raids. When he led his troops south he easily took Knoxville, but had
trouble staying there, since the Confederates besieged him. Sherman had to come and
bail him out. He was voted the Thanks of Congress for not making a bigger mess of it.
In 1864 he rebuilt the his old IX Corps (enlistments had expired) and went east. He
fought, without distinction, through the Overland Campaign and to Petersburg. The Battle
of the Crater was his idea, both good and bad parts. It was a novel idea that might have
broken the Confederate line, but Burnside changed his mind late and sent in undertrained troops and botched the tactics.
That was the end. He was sent on leave, and new orders never arrived. He resigned in a
week after Appomattox. In 1866 he was elected Governor of Rhode Island, and in 1870
he went to Europe to try and mediate in the Franco-Prussian War. From 1874 until his
death he served in the Senate.
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=15
James Longstreet, (Old Pete)
12
Overview:
Biography:
Known as:
Old Pete
Category:
Confederate General
Born:
8 Jan 1821 at Edgefield District, South Carolina, US
Died:
2 Jan 1904 at Gainesville, Georgia, US
One of Lee's primary generals.
James Longstreet was a thoughtful career soldier, whose thoughts sometimes caused controversy.
He went to West Point (class of 1842) and fought in the Mexican War. He earned two brevets and was
wounded at Chapultepec. He was a major on the staff when he resigned to follow his state (South
Carolina, although he went to West Point from Alabama). He was instantly a Brigadier General in the
Confederate Army of the Potomac.
His brigade was stationed behind Blackburn’s Ford on Bull Run when Irvin McDowell probed there.
McDowell’s effort was neither strong nor forceful; a few volleys from Longstreet’s men sent the Yankees
packing. During the main battle McDowell swung away from Blackburn’s, although making a
demonstration there. Longstreet just watched. After the main Union effort was broken Beauregard ordered
a pursuit, but Longstreet didn’t have his full force and was slow to move. Others judged he could have
taken many prisoners, but he and Milledge Bonham disagreed about seniority and nothing was done.
Over the winter of 1861-62 he trained his men, a full division once he was promoted to Major General. His
moved down to the James-York Peninsula in response to McClellan’s amphibious flanking movement. He
led his men at Yorktown, Williamsburg, then Seven Pines, and the Seven Days Battles. Towards the end
of the Seven Days, Lee was already grooming Longstreet for larger commands, and subordinated A. P.
Hill’s division to the senior man. The force had various names before the Confederate Congress
authorized Corps commanders (October), but Lee was not waiting to make it effective. Longstreet fought
brilliantly at Second Manassas, hammering John Pope’s forces against Jackson’s anvil. He went on the
Maryland expedition, fighting at South Mountain and then helping hold the line at Antietam. Neither
Jackson nor Longstreet played much role at Antietam, as Lee juggled divisions one-by-one to successive
crises.
Longstreet was already appreciating the effects of entrenchments before Fredericksburg, and his men
suffered far fewer casualties than Jackson’s men at that battle, and yielded no ground. To be fair, Jackson
had been stationed several miles away, and couldn’t fortify everywhere. In the early spring of 1863 he and
his men were shifted to southeastern Virginia, partly to operate against Union garrisons there, partly to
shift the logistical burden off central Virginia. He did not distinguish himself there, the first of a series of
disappointing independent commands.
He thus missed Chancellorsville, but when Lee decided on another plunge into the North he called up
various scattered forces. At Gettysburg he disagreed with Lee’s tactics. Lee preferred to attack, while
Longstreet wanted to find a flank and pry Meade’s forces out of their position. Longstreet was formulating
his tactical views, that offensive maneuver should be matched with tactical defense. The circumstances
proved him right, something that Lee’s admirers have had trouble tolerating.
In September 1863, with the eastern theater looking stable, Lee detached Longstreet a second time, this
time to the west. He reinforced Bragg’s Army of Tennessee and made possible the battle of Chickamauga.
His performance was good, but, like so many, he criticized Bragg and was detached to operate against
Knoxville. Again, he was not very effective in independent command, and in April 1864 his Corps was
shifted back east. They joined Lee in time for the savage fighting in The Wilderness. Lee may have
thought it was a bewitched patch of ground, for again he lost a Corps commander wounded by friendly fire
in May, in The Wilderness.
Longstreet recovered slowly, but in October returned to command of his men, now mired in the trenches
around Richmond and Petersburg. Lee put Longstreet in charge of the forces north of the James, having
general oversight of Longstreet but keeping a closer eye on the less-talented commanders at Petersburg.
13
When the Union broke the Petersburg lines Longstreet stayed with Lee all the way to Appomattox, urging
surrender along with all the other subordinate commanders.
He maintained a surprising friendship with Grant (they had been friends before the war) and switched to
the Republican Party – two things that cost him popularity with Southerners. Grant posted him as Minister
to Turkey, and he was also a railroad commissioner. His disagreements with Lee, and his ‘dubious’ politics
put him at the center of a swirl of controversy with his former colleagues. He didn’t shirk the battle, and
wrote his memoirs From Manassas to Appomattox to tell his side of the story. He also had the advantage
over many of his critics: he lived longer than they did, and could tell his story.
http://www.ehistory.com/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=48
14
Antietam
Other Names: Sharpsburg
Location: Washington County
Campaign: Maryland Campaign (September 1862)
Date(s): September 16-18, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: Armies
Estimated Casualties: 23,100 total
Description: On September 16, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan confronted Lee’s Army of
Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. At dawn September 17, Hooker’s corps mounted
a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank that began the single bloodiest day in American
military history. Attacks and counterattacks swept across Miller’s cornfield and fighting
swirled around the Dunker Church. Union assaults against the Sunken Road eventually
pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. Late in the
day, Burnside’s corps finally got into action, crossing the stone bridge over Antietam Creek
and rolling up the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, A.P. Hill’s division arrived from
Harpers Ferry and counterattacked, driving back Burnside and saving the day. Although
outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than
three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the
night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to
skirmish with McClellan throughout the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the
river. McClellan did not renew the assaults. After dark, Lee ordered the battered Army of
Northern Virginia to withdraw across the Potomac into the Shenandoah Valley.
Result(s): Inconclusive (Union strategic victory.)
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/md003.htm)
Chickasaw Bayou
Other Names: Chickasaw Bluffs, Walnut Hills
Location: Warren County
Campaign: Operations against Vicksburg (1862-1863)
Date(s): December 26-29, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman [US]; Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton
[CS]
15
Forces Engaged: Right Wing, XIII Army Corps [US]; Department of Mississippi and East
Louisiana [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 1,983 total (US 1,776; CS 207)
Description: On December 26, 1862, three Union divisions, under Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman, disembarked at Johnson's Plantation on the Yazoo River to approach the
Vicksburg defenses from the northeast while a fourth landed farther upstream on the 27th.
On the 27th, the Federals pushed their lines forward through the swamps toward Walnut
Hills, which were strongly defended. On the 28th, several futile attempts were made to get
around these defenses. On December 29, Sherman ordered a frontal assault which was
repulsed with heavy casualties. Sherman then withdrew. This Confederate victory frustrated
Grant's attempts to take Vicksburg by direct approach.
Result(s): Confederate victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ms003.htm)
Perryville
Other Names: None
Location: Boyle County
Campaign: Confederate Heartland Offensive (1862)
Date(s): October 8, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell [US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio [US]; Army of the Mississippi [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 7,407 total (US 4,211; CS 3,196)
Description: Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg’s autumn 1862 invasion of Kentucky had
reached the outskirts of Louisville and Cincinnati, but he was forced to retreat and regroup.
On October 7, the Federal army of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, numbering nearly 55,000,
converged on the small crossroads town of Perryville, Kentucky, in three columns. Union
forces first skirmished with Rebel cavalry on the Springfield Pike before the fighting became
more general, on Peters Hill, as the grayclad infantry arrived. The next day, at dawn,
fighting began again around Peters Hill as a Union division advanced up the pike, halting
just before the Confederate line. The fighting then stopped for a time. After noon, a
Confederate division struck the Union left flank and forced it to fall back. When more
Confederate divisions joined the fray, the Union line made a stubborn stand,
counterattacked, but finally fell back with some troops routed. Buell did not know of the
happenings on the field, or he would have sent forward some reserves. Even so, the Union
troops on the left flank, reinforced by two brigades, stabilized their line, and the Rebel
attack sputtered to a halt. Later, a Rebel brigade assaulted the Union division on the
Springfield Pike but was repulsed and fell back into Perryville. The Yankees pursued, and
skirmishing occurred in the streets in the evening before dark. Union reinforcements were
threatening the Rebel left flank by now. Bragg, short of men and supplies, withdrew during
the night, and, after pausing at Harrodsburg, continued the Confederate retrograde by way
16
of Cumberland Gap into East Tennessee. The Confederate offensive was over, and the Union
controlled Kentucky.
Result(s): Union strategic victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ky009.htm)
Stones River
Other Names: Murfreesboro
Location: Rutherford County
Campaign: Stones River Campaign (1862-63)
Date(s): December 31, 1862-January 2, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans [US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Cumberland [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 23,515 total (US 13,249; CS 10,266)
Description: After Gen. Braxton Bragg’s defeat at Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862,
he and his Confederate Army of the Mississippi retreated, reorganized, and were
redesignated as the Army of Tennessee. They then advanced to Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
and prepared to go into winter quarters. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans’s Union Army of
the Cumberland followed Bragg from Kentucky to Nashville. Rosecrans left Nashville on
December 26, with about 44,000 men, to defeat Bragg’s army of more than 37,000. He
found Bragg’s army on December 29 and went into camp that night, within hearing distance
of the Rebels. At dawn on the 31st, Bragg’s men attacked the Union right flank. The
Confederates had driven the Union line back to the Nashville Pike by 10:00 am but there it
held. Union reinforcements arrived from Rosecrans’s left in the late forenoon to bolster the
stand, and before fighting stopped that day the Federals had established a new, strong line.
On New Years Day, both armies marked time. Bragg surmised that Rosecrans would now
withdraw, but the next morning he was still in position. In late afternoon, Bragg hurled a
division at a Union division that, on January 1, had crossed Stones River and had taken up a
strong position on the bluff east of the river. The Confederates drove most of the Federals
back across McFadden’s Ford, but with the assistance of artillery, the Federals repulsed the
attack, compelling the Rebels to retire to their original position. Bragg left the field on the
January 4-5, retreating to Shelbyville and Tullahoma, Tennessee. Rosecrans did not pursue,
but as the Confederates retired, he claimed the victory. Stones River boosted Union
morale. The Confederates had been thrown back in the east, west, and in the TransMississippi.
Result(s): Union victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/tn010.htm)
17
Fredericksburg I
Other Names: Marye’s Heights
Location: Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg
Campaign: Fredericksburg Campaign (November-December 1862)
Date(s): December 11-15, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: 172,504 total (US 100,007; CS 72,497)
Estimated Casualties: 17,929 total (US 13,353; CS 4,576)
Description: 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. Burnside initiated a new offensive in January 1863, which quickly bogged down
in the winter mud. The abortive “Mud March” and other failures led to Burnside’s
replacement by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in January 1863.
Result(s): Confederate victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va028.htm)
Raymond
Other Names: None
Location: Hinds County
Campaign: Grant’s Operations against Vicksburg (1863)
Date(s): May 12, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson [US]; Brig. Gen. John Gregg [CS]
Forces Engaged: XVII Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee [US]; Gregg’s Task Force
(equivalent to a brigade) [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 1,011 total (US 442; CS 569)
18
Description: Ordered by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton, Confederate commander at
Vicksburg, Brig. Gen. John Gregg led his force from Port Hudson, Louisiana, to Jackson,
Mississippi, and out to Raymond to intercept approaching Union troops. Before dawn on May
12, Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson had his XVII Army Corps on the march, and by 10:00 am
they were about three miles from Raymond. Gregg decided to dispute the crossing of
Fourteen Mile Creek and arrayed his men and artillery accordingly. As the Yankees
approached, the Rebels opened fire, initially causing heavy casualties. Some Union troops
broke, but Maj. Gen. John A. Logan rallied a force to hold the line. Confederate troops
attacked the line but had to retire. More Yankees arrived and the Union force
counterattacked. Heavy fighting ensued that continued for six hours, but the overwhelming
Union force prevailed. Gregg’s men left the field. Although Gregg’s men lost the battle, they
had held up a much superior Union force for a day.
Result(s): Union victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ms007.htm)
Big Black River Bridge
Other Names: Big Black
Location: Hinds County and Warren County
Campaign: Grant’s Operations against Vicksburg (1863)
Date(s): May 17, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Bowen
[CS]
Forces Engaged: XIII Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee [US]; Bridgehead Defense Force
(three brigades) [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 2,273 total (US 273; CS 2,000)
Description: Reeling from their defeat at Champion Hill, the Confederates reached Big
Black River Bridge, the night of May 16-17. Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton ordered Brig. Gen.
John S. Bowen, with three brigades, to man the fortifications on the east bank of the river
and impede any Union pursuit. Three divisions of Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand’s XIII Army
Corps moved out from Edwards Station on the morning of the 17th. The corps encountered
the Confederates behind breastworks and took cover as enemy artillery began firing. Union
Brig. Gen. Michael K. Lawler formed his 2nd Brigade, Carr’s Division, which surged out of a
meander scar, across the front of the Confederate forces, and into the enemy’s
breastworks, held by Vaughn’s East Tennessee Brigade. Confused and panicked, the Rebels
began to withdraw across the Big Black on two bridges: the railroad bridge and the
steamboat dock moored athwart the river. As soon as they had crossed, the Confederates
set fire to the bridges, preventing close Union pursuit. The fleeing Confederates who arrived
in Vicksburg later that day were disorganized. The Union forces captured approximately
1,800 troops at Big Black, a loss that the Confederates could ill-afford. This battle sealed
Vicksburg’s fate: the Confederate force was
bottled up at Vicksburg.
19
Result(s): Union victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ms010.htm)
Vicksburg
Other Names: None
Location: Warren County
Campaign: Grant’s Operations against Vicksburg (1863)
Date(s): May 18-July 4, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton
[CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee [US]; Army of Vicksburg [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 19,233 total (US 10,142; CS 9,091)
Description: 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.
Result(s): Union victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ms011.htm)
Chancellorsville
Other Names: None
Location: Spotsylvania County
Campaign: Chancellorsville Campaign (April-May 1863)
Date(s): April 30-May 6, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen.
Thomas J. Jackson [CS]
Forces Engaged: 154,734 total (US 97,382; CS 57,352)
20
Estimated Casualties: 24,000 total (US 14,000; CS 10,000)
Description: On April 27, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker led the V, XI, and XII Corps on a
campaign to turn the Confederate left flank by crossing the Rappahannock and Rapidan
Rivers above Fredericksburg. Passing the Rapidan via Germanna and Ely’s Fords, the
Federals concentrated near Chancellorsville on April 30 and May 1. The III Corps was
ordered to join the army via United States Ford. Sedgwick’s VI Corps and Gibbon’s division
remained to demonstrate against the Confederates at Fredericksburg. In the meantime, Lee
left a covering force under Maj. Gen. Jubal Early in Fredericksburg and marched with the
rest of the army to confront the Federals. As Hooker’s army moved toward Fredericksburg
on the Orange Turnpike, they encountered increasing Confederate resistance. Hearing
reports of overwhelming Confederate force, Hooker ordered his army to suspend the
advance and to concentrate again at Chancellorsville. Pressed closely by Lee’s advance,
Hooker adopted a defensive posture, thus giving Lee the initiative. On the morning of May
2, Lt. Gen. T.J. Jackson directed his corps on a march against the Federal left flank, which
was reported to be “hanging in the air.” Fighting was sporadic on other portions of the field
throughout the day, as Jackson’s column reached its jump-off point. At 5:20 pm, Jackson’s
line surged forward in an overwhelming attack that crushed the Union XI Corps. Federal
troops rallied, resisted the advance, and counterattacked. Disorganization on both sides and
darkness ended the fighting. While making a night reconnaissance, Jackson was mortally
wounded by his own men and carried from the field. J.E.B. Stuart took temporary command
of Jackson’s Corps. On May 3, the Confederates attacked with both wings of the army and
massed their artillery at Hazel Grove. This finally broke the Federal line at Chancellorsville.
Hooker withdrew a mile and entrenched in a defensive “U” with his back to the river at
United States Ford. Union generals Berry and Whipple and Confederate general Paxton were
killed; Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded. On the night of May 5-6, after Union
reverses at Salem Church, Hooker recrossed to the north bank of the Rappahannock. This
battle was considered by many historians to be Lee’s greatest victory.
Result(s): Confederate victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va032.htm)
Brandy Station
Other Names: Fleetwood Hill
Location: Culpeper County
Campaign: Gettysburg Campaign (June-August 1863)
Date(s): June 9, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Pleasonton [US]; Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps (22,000 total)
Estimated Casualties: 1,090 total
Description: At dawn June 9, the Union cavalry corps under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton
launched a surprise attack on Stuart’s cavalry at Brandy Station. After an all-day fight in
which fortunes changed repeatedly, the Federals retired without discovering Lee’s infantry
21
camped near Culpeper. This battle marked the apogee of the Confederate cavalry in the
East. From this point in the war, the Federal cavalry gained strength and confidence. Brandy
Station was the largest cavalry battle of the war and the opening engagement of the
Gettysburg Campaign.
Result(s): Inconclusive
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va035.htm)
Gettysburg
Other Names: None
Location: Adams County
Campaign: Gettysburg Campaign (June-August 1863)
Date(s): July 1-3, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: 158,300 total (US 83,289; CS 75,054)
Estimated Casualties: 51,000 total (US 23,000; CS 28,000)
Description: Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrated his full strength against Maj. Gen. George G.
Meade’s Army of the Potomac at the crossroads county seat of Gettysburg. On July 1,
Confederate forces converged on the town from west and north, driving Union defenders
back through the streets to Cemetery Hill. During the night, reinforcements arrived for both
sides. On July 2, Lee attempted to envelop the Federals, first striking the Union left flank at
the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and the Round Tops with Longstreet’s and Hill’s
divisions, and then attacking the Union right at Culp’s and East Cemetery Hills with Ewell’s
divisions. By evening, the Federals retained Little Round Top and had repulsed most of
Ewell’s men. During the morning of July 3, the Confederate infantry were driven from their
last toe-hold on Culp’s Hill. In the afternoon, after a preliminary artillery bombardment, Lee
attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. The Pickett-Pettigrew assault (more
popularly, Pickett’s Charge) momentarily pierced the Union line but was driven back with
severe casualties. Stuart’s cavalry attempted to gain the Union rear but was repulsed. On
July 4, Lee began withdrawing his army toward Williamsport on the Potomac River. His train
of wounded stretched more than fourteen miles.
Result(s): Union victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/pa002.htm)
Chickamauga
Other Names: None
22
Location: Catoosa County and Walker County
Campaign: Chickamauga Campaign (1863)
Date(s): September 18-20, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas
[US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg and Lt. Gen. James Longstreet [CS]
Forces Engaged: The Army of the Cumberland [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 34,624 total (US 16,170; CS 18,454)
Description: After the Tullahoma Campaign, Rosecrans renewed his offensive, aiming to
force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps comprising Rosecrans’ s
army split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. In early September, Rosecrans
consolidated his forces scattered in Tennessee and Georgia and forced Bragg’s army out of
Chattanooga, heading south. The Union troops followed it and brushed with it at Davis’
Cross Roads. Bragg was determined to reoccupy Chattanooga and decided to meet a part of
Rosecrans’s army, defeat them, and then move back into the city. On the 17th he headed
north, intending to meet and beat the XXI Army Corps. As Bragg marched north on the
18th, his cavalry and infantry fought with Union cavalry and mounted infantry which were
armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Fighting began in earnest on the morning of the 19th,
and Bragg’s men hammered but did not break the Union line. The next day, Bragg
continued his assault on the Union line on the left, and in late morning, Rosecrans was
informed that he had a gap in his line. In moving units to shore up the supposed gap,
Rosencrans created one, and James Longstreet’s men promptly exploited it, driving onethird of the Union army, including Rosecrans himself, from the field. George H. Thomas took
over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill.
Although the Rebels launched determined assaults on these forces, they held until after
dark. Thomas then led these men from the field leaving it to the Confederates. The Union
retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights.
Result(s): Confederate victory
(http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ga004.htm)
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