How Did Richmond Changed And Shaped During The American Revolution?

He moved forward toward the Confederate capital in Richmond. This allowed General Robert E. Lee to collect his soldiers in Fredericksburg. In the Battle of Fredericksburg Burnside made many horrible and failed attacks on Lee’s armies. Lee had gained another Confederate victory with almost 13,000 Union deaths.

General Ulysses S. Grant's brilliant siege of Vicksburg had a significant impact on the surrender of the Confederacy. This Vicksburg campaign was significant due to the fact that it basically gave the Union total control of the Mississippi River. This meant the isolation of the West and basically a clear waterway for supplies to reach the Deep South. Once this waterway was open arms, food, and soldiers could be provided for the Union soldiers in the South and open a devastating wound in the heart of the Confederacy. Once Vicksburg had been taken the West would basically be isolated and under the Unions control; in addition Grant could focus on the heart of the South. Once Vicksburg was captured, and Grant advanced

After fighting their way southward from Illinois and northward from Gulf of Mexico. Until by late summer of 1862, only Vicksburg and Port Hudson appeared to be major constraints to the Union of the two posts, Vicksburg was by far the strongest and most important. Setting high over looking a bend in the river, protected by artillery and dangerous swamps. So far the city had defined Union efforts to force into submission. (Williams 1)

The battle took place in the tangled woods of what is now Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Park about 10 miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia along Orange Plank Road and Orange Turnpike. The Federals held the land to the east and the confederates to the west. The land was nearly impassable, proving a nightmare for both moving men and logistics. The importance of the location, however, was significant. Railways and roads led to Washington and were logistically important. For two years, fighting for the land surrounding the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers led to stalemate. Twice previously, Lee had been able to withstand attack from the Federals; attacks led by Joseph Hooker and George Meade. Lee’s plan was, likely, to take Washington, which he believed would decidedly win

The Battle of Philippi was fought on June 3, 1861 in what is now western Virginia. It was known as “the first land battle of the Civil War” or “the first inland battle of the Civil War.” “A minor affair that lasted less than 20 minutes and resulted in no fatalities, it would barely be a footnote of the American Civil War except that it marked the first inland clash between significant numbers of troops.”(http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-philippi). The town Philippi, consisted of less than 500 people,who had little military training. The real town that was meant to be attacked was Grafton. General Robert E. Lee, who was commander of all military forces in Virginia, sent Col. George Porterfield to organize the troops assembling at Grafton and hold the rail lines. He finally received very few reinforcements and about 1,000 rusty muskets, and at least 1,500 percussion caps meant for shotguns. Since he was unable to hold Grafton, Porterfield and the troops left to Philippi. “At the governor’s suggestion, Porterfield burned a few bridges to slow any movements against him from Wheeling in the state’s northern panhandle.”(http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-philippi). This opened an opportunity for Major General George B. McClellan, commander of the Department of Ohio. Porterfield and McClellan had been held by by their superior officers who were still pending on Virginia’s vote to secede. They were on the north side

George A. Porterfield engaged in one of the first land battles of the war on June 3, 1861 (Wolfe 9). Philippi was a strategic town, south of Grafton, and the Union forces determined to control the region and drove the Rebel forces back to secure an early victory in the war. As a result of the Union victory, Rebels were denied access to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which hurt their efforts in the western regions of Virginia, while Union resolve in western Virginia was strengthened. Such a victory brought great political strength to region of western Virginia, consequently weakening the political hierarchy of eastern Virginia. Unmoved by the Union victory at Philippi, eastern politicians sought to secede from the Union. As a result, they crafted the Virginia ordinance of secession and had the political numbers to annul the ordinance at the Wheeling Convention. Moreover, the convention named eastern politician Francis H. Pierpont as Virginia governor after the federal government and state government offices at Richmond fell vacant (Sullivan 159). The “restored” government of Virginia took control, but the political differences between the western and eastern Virginia had only just begun.

William Freehling in his book argues and displays how the Union overwhelmed the Confederacy. By studying the activities of the two large and populated

South General Robert E. Lee´s supply line to Petersburg, Virginia, is not open when North (union) forces under General Ulysses S. Grant closes down the end of Lee´s lines close to Petersburg. The South suffer large casualties, and the war triggered Lee´s withdraw from Petersburg as the two armies started a race that would close a week later at Appomattox Court House. For close to a year, Grant had laid siege to Lee´s team in an elaborate network of trenches that ran from Petersburg to the Confederate capital at Richmond, 25 miles north. Lee’s hungry army steadily diminished through the winter of 1864-65 as Grant’s army swelled with well fed reinforcements. On March 25, Lee attacked some of the North trenches at Fort Stedman in a desperate attempt to break the siege

This battle started when the Union tried to take Virginia, which was the capital of the Confederate states. They thought that by taking their capital, it would put an end to the fighting sooner.

The Civil War had many impacts on Washington not only with being nearly on the border of the Union and the Confederacy, but with the internal structure of the city as well. The Civil War incited changes that those who were a part of the Confederacy didn’t want to happen. Throughout the war there was a level of corruption began to form within the government of the nation’s capital, & a new form of sabotage within the war came about. For many, there was a formation of a life threatening addiction to opiates, alcohol, & other drugs. Although war may seem like a beneficial thing at the time, there are many drawbacks to it, of which I will explain the above relating to their impact on Washington.

The Seven Days Campaign of 1862 was a sequence of battles that took place along the Virginia Peninsula east of Richmond, between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Virginia Army from 26 June through 2 July. The campaign consisted of the following six battles: Mechanicsville, Gaines ' Mill, and Savage Station, engagement at Oak Swamp Bridge, and battles of Frazier 's Farm and Malvern Hill over a seven-day period. Major General George B. McClellan led the Union Army of nearly 104,000 soldiers, while the newly appointed commander, General Robert Edward Lee led the Confederate Army of nearly 92,000 soldiers during this campaign. General Lee’s major objective was to protect and defend the City of Richmond against the Union Army. General Lee’s usage of the mission command principles and battlefield management during the Seven Days Campaign secured a quick and significant victory for the Army of Northern Virginia, and drove the Major General McClellan Union troops to retreat down the Virginia Peninsula. His ability to build a cohesive team through mutual trust, provide a clear commander’s intent, create shared understanding, and accept prudent risk led to the successful defense of Richmond. General Lee’s triumph in those seven days remains among the most important battles in the Army of Northern Virginia’s history as it served as a turning point in the Civil War.

On February 18, 1861, the provisional Congress of the Confederate States made him provisional president. He was elected to the office by popular vote the same year for a 6-year term and was inaugurated in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, on February 22, 1862. Davis failed to raise sufficient money to fight the American Civil War and could not obtain recognition and help for the Confederacy from foreign governments. He was in constant conflict with extreme exponents of the doctrine of states' rights, and his attempts to have high military officers appointed by the president were opposed by the governors of the states. The judges of state courts constantly interfered in military matters through judicial decisions. Davis was nevertheless responsible for the raising of the formidable Confederate armies, the notable appointment of General Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Virginia, and the encouragement of industrial enterprise throughout the South. His zeal, energy, and faith in the cause of the South were a source of much of the tenacity with which the Confederacy fought the Civil War. Even in 1865 Davis still hoped the South would be able to

On December 20th, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. During this time, 85 federal soldiers under the command of Major Robert Anderson were stationed at Fort Moultrie, which is also located near the Charleston Harbor. To protect the federal strong hold in the south, Major Anderson moved his troops to Fort Sumter in the dark of night on December 26th. When the people of Charleston heard the news of the invasion on the fort, it did not sit well with them and other Southern states. Fort Sumter was built to protect the harbor in Charleston, now it was a military threat.

Economically the Union was very strong and greatly outweighed the South. President Lincoln, as the war had begun, quickly declared a blockade, as described earlier, against the main Confederate ports. This was supposed to be under an international treaty, that hadn’t been signed yet, which had created the controversial political issues for Lincoln. Fortunate enough for the Union, when war broke out the United States Navy was small like it’s army, and its ships were scattered around the oceans. Of the American ships that were in surrounding waters, ten were partially destroyed or destroyed to prevent them from going to the Confederates when Virginia seceded. If they did this would have taken the Norfolk naval base with it.

This was considered a campaign but was mostly know as the Siege Of Petersburg. It was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia. The commander of the Union forces leading these battles was General Grant and theses battles were fought from June 9,1864 to March 25,1865. During these battles the Union Forces dug trench lines that extended over 30 miles from Richmond, Virginia and Petersburg. Petersburg had many supplies lines leading into the city mainly because of General Robert E. Lee’s army who was stationed there. Since the Union army could cut off all the supplies lines leading into the city's General Robert Lee made the decision of calling off all the supplies lines. Lee finally abandoned the city leading to his retreat and then later