Civil War Changes

No other war seems to hold our focus like the Civil War. Scholars have chosen to make it their life's work, authors have written reams about it, and we all feel some kind of connection to the Civil War. This paper was created to highlight some of the major battles that took place during that conflict. Major battles usually marked a drastic change in the momentum from one side to the other or led to massive losses of troops. These battles and their results all played a huge part in the outcome of the war.

The Union believed that if they defeated the Confederacy no further attacks would be carried out. In addition, President Lincoln aimed to re-establish Federal law in the Southern states that had seceded from the nation. He also wanted the Union Army to stop Confederate legislators from meeting in the new Southern capitol of Richmond, Virginia. President Lincoln believed that this would bring a speedy end to the war. BG Beauregard held a strong position in Manassas Junction. Manassas offered railroad access which would lead to the center of Virginia, by way of Orange and Alexandria Railroads. It was essential that Beauregard was able to maintain this position.

During the American Civil War, leadership within the Union’s army was constantly an issue. Within the Union, various generals were found at times to be at odds with the political leaders in Washington. This was especially evident in the relationship between General George McClellan and President Lincoln. This tension was the result of McClellan’s approach to waging war. By examining the differing approaches to waging war of U.S. Grant and George B. McClellan one can gain a better appreciation for the decision making that was necessary by leaders like Lincoln, in selecting military

The war, however, was not won on attitude and preparedness alone. Military leadership played a large role in winning the war. The land advantage went to the Confederacy at the beginning of the war as it did not need to conquer the North. It could win the war simply by defending its territory and by waiting for the North to become discouraged. Fighting in the South also provided an advantage to the Confederacy as the men were fighting on their own land and had a better knowledge of it than the Yankees as well as a better incentive to defend it against invasion (Perman, 235). Confederate General Robert E. Lee managed to outmatch almost every Union general with the exception of Ulysses S. Grant, who eventually overcame Lee by force of numbers and determination of will. The fatal flaw of Lee was that he held on to the belief that his army would win the war in a single,

Vicksburg was an important position because it was the last confederate stronghold on the mississippi river. Once the union took control they decided what went from the west coast to the east coast. Lincoln in one of his speeches claimed that vicksburg was the key to winning the war. An important reason for the union gaining Vicksburg was on how it split the confederacy. After General pemberton lost the battle of vicksburg's the south's army didn't trust him to be in a leadership position. Once the confederacy was split

In this plan, they would capture Richmond, control the Mississippi River, and place a naval blockade on the South. While the Union failed the follow through on much of this plan in the beginning of the war, their willingness to take initiative displayed their commitment to the war. At the Battle of Antietam, the Union took the offense again as they attempted to weaken the Confederate forces that were moving closer to the North (Doc E). While General McClellan led his army to a Union victory, he wasted a huge opportunity to attack the Confederacy efficiently, allowing them to retreat. In context, McClellan was known for being hesitant, and he was just one of a few of Lincoln’s weak commanders. After struggling through a couple years worth of incapable generals, including Winfield Scott, John Pope, and McClellan, Lincoln finally found Ulysses S Grant, who was able to properly handle the war.

A bad brush with field command in western Virginia-in a campaign marked by military rivalries, lack of supplies, wretched weather, and overly ambitious strategy on Lee's part-tarnished the new general's reputation. Davis still regarded him highly and sent him to organize southern Atlantic coastal defenses. Lee pursued this task efficiently until recalled to the Confederate capital, Richmond. In his role as presidential adviser, he tried to smooth the abrasive personalities of Davis and General Joseph E. Johnston and to utilize the daring of General Stonewall Jackson to frustrate Federal plans for sending aid to General George B. McClellan's army, which was approaching Richmond.

During the Civil War, great advancements in technology and weaponry were happening. Both the Union and Confederate side of the war used what were considered typical weapons. For example, they both used knives, swords, pistols, rifles, and muskets. Artillery such as cannons were also very popular. Though all these weapons were used in wars before the Civil war, such as the Mexican War, advancements were made to better the pre-existing weapons. Better bullets were made for rifles. Rifle barrels were advanced to make them more precise and shoot farther distances. Advancements were also made in the naval department. Before the Civil war, battleships were made out of wood, but around the civil war, iron started to be added to battleships. This newly

Failure to attack would have been a marked change from the aggressive tactics used by Lee in the rest of the campaign and may have given McClellan the confidence to remain in Virginia, which would be a major blow to the Confederacy. The entire Army of Northern Virginia would be needed to contain these Union forces, and even on the coast the enemy was near Richmond, the heart of the Confederate cause. Any threat to Richmond had to be removed immediately as the fall of Richmond would act as a symbol for the fall of the Confederacy and would boost the willingness of the North to continue to prosecute the invasion of the Southern states. Given the lack of industry and manpower in the South, the best hope was simply to break the Union's will to fight since the Confederacy was incapable of sustaining war for as long as North. As if this blow would not be enough, a significant portion of the South's limited industry was located in Richmond (“Capital Cities of the Confederacy”). Already outmatched by the North, loss of this industrial base would prove nearly as devastating as the symbolical fall of the capital. Therefore, on an operational and

There is always strategy involved or else all is lost to the opponent. “Despite the defeat at Peach Tree Creek, Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood still had hopes of driving William Sherman’s Yankees from the outskirts of Atlanta with an offensive blow.” ("The Battle of Atlanta Summary & Facts") During the battle, John Hood wanted to push the union out of Atlanta. He planned a fifteen mile hike, then a flank attack that would be carried out by Hardee and his men. Hardee’s army ended up off schedule because of the poor conditions of his troops, but he still carried out the attack.("The Battle of Atlanta Summary & Facts") “The battle is not only known for its strategic and military significance but for its political importance.” ("Battle Of Atlanta") The Union had the luck of the day, because McPherson predicted the attack and accidentally placed his army to meet right with Hardee’s troops. The attack by the Confederates had failed, thankfully because of McPherson’s quick thinking. “The victory greatly increased northern morale…” ("Battle Of Atlanta") Without this event during the Battle of Atlanta the Union might had never won. In the end of it all, out of all the soldiers, 74,000 did not walk out of the campaign alive. The Union, once again, was victorious. Though Hood’s strategy was tricky and well thought out, McPherson and his troops, as well as Sherman, were blessed with luck and

Since the final battle of the American Civil War was fought in 1865, scholars have debated the reasons for the Union’s victory over the Confederacy. Historians have attributed the war’s outcome to many factors, some of which include Lincoln’s superior leadership, the South’s failure to diplomatically secure foreign intervention, emancipated slaves enlisting in the Union army, and the military strategies employed by the North’s generals. Both the Union and Confederacy expected a quick victory, each believing it possessed several advantages over the other. In the end, however, the North’s overwhelming

The Civil War was not the defeat of a hopeless rebellion. The Confederates had legitimate opportunity to win independence, but they failed to capitalize on it. The South’s chances at victory were not remote; rather they could expect to win. The ultimate cause of the South’s failure was a lack of aggression in all aspects. The two times the Confederates attacked the North at Antietam and Gettysburg, the results were catastrophic because of a lack of strategy. An offensive plan of war does not necessarily mean charging right at an opponent, who in this case had more than three times the number of men as the Confederates. Rather, an effective form of offense would be to attack northern factories, farms, and cities. This would damage the

For my battle analysis assignment, I have chosen to examine the battle of Shiloh. This battle began April 6 – 7 1862, in the Pittsburg Landing area of Tennessee. In Hebrew Shiloh, means “peace” nonetheless, this battlefield was far from a place of peace from April 6-7 1862. This battle was the bloodiest civil war battle to date and occurred between the Union and Confederate armies. Having analyzed the battle from multiple sources, I have discovered a number of operational, tactical, and logistical mistakes that contributed to the Confederate losses suffered. My sources include documentaries, historical videos, books, and articles from historians and civil war experts who have spent their lives studying and dissecting the civil war, its battles, commanders, and tactics. As part of my analysis, I will highlight the Confederate mistakes that could have produced a different outcome of this historical battle.

In May 1863, after winning the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Confederate Robert E. Lee felt confident to move Army, to second invasion of the North, Pennsylvania, which his intention was to take supplies from abundant farms, intimidate the Northern cities. Also, if he wins a major war on the Northern cities, they would create a political and militar crises for the Federal government. On the hand, the successor of Gen. Hooker, Gen. George G. Meade, move his Union Army, toward Pennsylvania. Knowing that the Union army were in Pennsylvania, Gen. Lee concentrated his army around Gettysburg, “The Battle of Gettysburg would pit perhaps 70,000 to 75,000 Confederates against 85,000 to 90,000 Union troops.” (Melton); which led three days of bloody battle between two armies.

Prior to the Battle at Gettysburg, Lee deemed his troops could defeat the Army of the Potomac. The Army of Northern Virginia, up to that point, had rarely been defeated in a strategically or tactically. In fact, we could dispute that the Confederate Army under Lee had yet to be beaten in a major battle up to July 3, 1864. Lee's army, nevertheless, firmly believed that if they confronted the allies on equal terms they would triumph. This battle, resulted in many casualties on both sides, confirmed to Lee and his army that the allied army was willing to acquire any number of losses to stop the Confederates, and this realization provided an emotional collapse to the Confederates making this a significant turning point in their belief and