The civil war, one of the most bloodiest and climacteric battles in the history of the United States. Many battles took place during this pivotal, yet traumatic time in the United States of America. Like any battle, there have moving parts. Within Battles they contain, Scouts, Calvary, Infantry, and Field Artillery. Of all the moving parts on the battle field, the Field Artillery plays an important and triumphant role, within the battlefield infrastructure. The civil war, like other wars, ubiquitous use of artillery was important; artillery was the key to winning battles. One battle in particular, relied densely on the field artillery. Malvern Hill was that important battle. The history of Malvern Hill is one of many puzzle pieces, …show more content…
This battle in particular was the final of a succession of battles known as the Seven Days Battle, or the Peninsula Campaign. Over the course of the first six days General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces managed to hold off General George G. McClellan’s offensive on the peninsula in an attempt to take the confederate capitol in Richmond (Gabriel, 2011). On the night of June 30th General McClellan’s Army on the Potomac took its place atop Malvern Hill. After doing a hasty inspection of the area General McClellan left to board a gun ship approximately one mile north on the James River. He left General Fitz-John Porter in charge of the positon on the hill. Given the Advantage in terrain, General Porter Strategically placed his infantry in a U-shape with approximately 36 guns on the western and northern slopes of the hill. The Army had heavy artillery in reserve on the southern of Malvern Hill which consisted of 20 and 30 pound parrot rifles (Gabriel, 2011). This was a battle in which artillery played a very heavy role on both sides. Although the Union and Confederate were somewhat equal in numbers, communication proved to be key in the Unions favor. During Confederate attacks the Union laid down effective artillery gun fire that took many casualties. General’s James Longstreet and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson of the Confederacy constructed an excellent strategy where they would …show more content…
The confederate army under the control of General Lee, was set up in various positions around the crest of the hill, to be able to drop a converging fires on the union batteries (Krick, 2014). The cross fire of the confederate batteries had failed of plan a course of attack. The confederate continued to fire at the union army. The orders issued by the confederate were misunderstood and bungled. The union under control of General Porter had set the main tempo of defense of the battle (Krick, 2014). The union only had room for approximately 30 to 35 cannons on the slender crest of the hill. With the union set up on the slender crest this left the confederates no cover when approaching the exposed hill. Every time the confederate’s infantry approached they were stopped and stalled off in front of the union’s wall of cannon defense (Krick, 2014). When the confederates would retreat after confronting the unions wall of cannon defense they would face a lot of friendly fire from the confederates cannon batteries (Krick, 2014). The confederates would periodically expel all its ammo of a six gun batteries; once depleted a ready team would fill in for replacement. The confederates finally found a new line to approach the hill on the western slope of the hill to be able to protect their route (Krick, 2014). With this new route the confederates would only be able to get
The next morning, July 3rd, Chamberlain’s men moved to the center of the center of the Union line, where they are supposed to be safe. At the Confederate camp, Longstreet tries to convince Lee to take the army to Washington, D.C. but Lee refuses. Longstreet then agrees to attack the center of the line. The Confederates began with an artillery barrage in an attempt to weaken the Union artillery on the other side. Not much damage is dealt to the Union batteries, since the Confederate artillery shoots too high. The Confederate attack began as the troops start marching across the open field toward the Union troops. The Union fired cannons, blew huge holes in the Confederate line and killed hundreds of men. Then the Union soldiers fire their guns, and killed hundreds more. The Confederates soon retreat and the Battle of Gettysburg comes to its
General Robert E. Lee hoped that the Armory at Harper’s Ferry Virginia would be evacuated once the Army of Northern Virginia came up the Shenandoah Valley. On September 9, Lee divided his army into three groups under the leadership of Stonewall Jackson. He gave them orders to seize Harper’s Ferry. Meanwhile, Colonel Dixon S. Miles, the Union Commander at Harper’s Ferry, prepared to defend the Arsenal. The surrounding area, however, made it really difficult to defend. Harper’s Ferry is surrounded by three tall hills. Miles decided to defend two of the three hills, under the assumption that the Confederates wouldn’t be able to attack from that point. The soldiers Miles posted on the hills were very inexperienced. He kept most of the trained militia
The second phase of the Battle of Shiloh starts as reinforcements from General Buell’s Army of the Ohio and a unit of Grant’s own reserve division joined the Union Army now positioned at Pittsburg Landing. These reinforcements added over 22,500 men to the Union lines13 bringing the total number of Union forces to over 45,000, which is more than they had on 6 April, the first day of fighting.14 On April 7, General Grant renewed the fighting with an aggressive counteract.15 Greatly outnumbered (Confederate forces now around 25,000) and disorganized the Confederate forces now under General Beauregard fought hard but eventually had to retreat to back Corinth.16 The second phase of the Battle of Shiloh was won by General Grant and his Union forces due to two main reasons. The first, Union troop numbers greatly outnumbered their enemy, over 45,000 to 25,000 respectively. And secondly, the reinforcements received by General Grant had not fought the day before and were fresh and excited to fight, unlike the exhausted remaining Confederate troops.17 This was the bloodiest battle fought on American soil up to that point, with 23,746 casualties (Union: 13,047; Confederate: 10,699).18 The Union lost more men but claimed the victory because the Confederate Army retreated back to Corinth, Mississippi.
Throughout the battle only three soldiers died for both the Confederate and the Union and a compact total of 35 soldiers wounded. Braxton Bragg’s report of this battle is surprisingly short for over a 10-day battle. Bragg’s report was only two pages long and only four paragraphs long. In this report, there is only one time where the reports of an important detail are correct between the Union and Confederate. Bragg was on watch and was quick to respond when he received information because he knew that the Union had outnumbered them. Also, the confederate had no horses and hardly any weapons or artillery. “The enemy exceeded us in numbers, and was well intrenched from sea to river, a distance not exceeding one mile.” (Bragg
Confederate troops would make an uphill attack in an attempt to take a ridge from
Around noon, Union and Confederate cavalry troops battled three miles east of Gettysburg but Stuart was eventually repulsed by cannon fire led in part by Gen. George Custer and the Union Cavalry. The diversion attempt failed. Back at the main battle site, just after 1 p.m. about 170 Confederate cannons opened fire on the Union position on Cemetery Ridge to pave the way for the Rebel Charge. This was the heaviest artillery barrage of the war. The Federals returned heavy cannon fire and soon the battlefield was covered in smoke and dust. Around 2:30 p.m. the Federals slowed their rate of fire, then stopped firing, to conserve ammunition and to fool the Rebels into thinking the cannons were knocked out-and that's exactly what the Rebels thought too. But as the Rebels got within range, Federal cannons opened fire using grapeshot which is a shell containing iron balls that flew apart when fired, and they also used deadly waves of rifle fire. Soon the Rebel army was torn apart but they still moved forward. Pickett’s charge was almost more after the once majestic army of 13,000 had its numbers of troops dwindle.. The Rebels still move forward, shooting then charging with bayonets. The battle lasted for about an hour mostly of hand-to-hand combat. Finally what was left of Pickett’s charge (5,500) retreated. Lee admitted this was his mistake and the tide of war now turned in the North’s favor. The Union lost (either dead, wounded, or missing) about 23,000, and the Confederates lost about
After crossing the Illinois River under artillery fire, Herron positioned his artillery and exchanged fire with the Confederate cannon. The superior range and number of Union cannon soon silenced the Southern guns, allowing the Union infantry to prepare to attack the ridge. Before the infantry advanced, the Union artillery pounded the Southern position on the ridge for about two
The three day battle was action packed from start to finish. It all started at about 5:30 am, with a single shot fired over Marsh Creek. After a single shot, all hell broke loose. The Union suffered important losses, most notably the loss of General Reynolds. General Lee arrived on the battlefield near noon, after receiving word of the battle. A single Confederate division drove back two Union brigades, who retreated to Cemetery Hill. General Lee decided to attack the Union soldiers at Cemetery Hill to prohibit reinforcements. General Ewell declined the option to attack, and the first day of battle came to an end. Meanwhile, the Union gathered reinforcements as General Lee feared.
At Henry Hill, Gen. Jackson along with several others formed a large defensive line in order to support the disorganized retreated troops. The Union and the Confederates spent the beginning of the battle with their artillery firing at each other. But, the Union lacks the support for their artillery batteries and the Confederates take advantage of that fact. This is where the Union begins to crumble. The Union sends its troops in piece by piece, unable to permanently hold their artillery pieces. While
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.
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 Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil war. General Robert E. Lee was the commanding officer of the Confederate army. During the battle of Gettysburg Lee’s military strategy was to fight offensive. Lee’s goal during the battle was to seize the high ground and out last the union army. The Union army had outnumbered the Confederate soldiers. General Lee’s first hand man was General James Longstreet. Longstreet believes the new technology in warfare would make attacking the Union army bloody for the Confederate soldiers. Longstreet suggests to Lee that defensive warfare tactics such as using trenches and rocks for cover and concealment would be the Confederacy’s best fighting chance. Lee denies Longstreet’s ideas and continued with the plan to fight out in the open and attack the enemies head on. After three days of fighting the Confederate army lost the battle at Gettysburg. Lee’s tactical approaches that led to this lost included the lack of communication and the absence of and with General J.E.B Stuart, Lee’s continuation to pursue offensive attacks and Pickett’s charge.
The three-day Battle of Gettysburg, starting on July 1st in 1863, would be known to be one of the most memorable and important battles in history. It would become the major outcome of the Civil War. The day of the outburst of the Battle of Gettysburg was a hot humid day on the first of July. It was between two sides. One side was the Union, which was the Army of Potomac Commanded by General George G. Meade, along with other notable commanders such as John F Reynolds, Winfield Scott Hancock, Daniel E. Sickles, George Sykes, John Sedgwick, Oliver O. Howard, Henry W. Slocum, and Alfred Pleasonton (“Battle of Gettysburg,” 2016). The other side was the Confederate Soldiers called the Army of Northern Virginia who was commanded by General Robert E. Lee, along with other notable commanders as well, which were James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, A. P. Hill, and J.E.B. Stuart (“Battle of Gettysburg,” 2016). Between these two sides, the Army of Potomac had a great advantage with 93,700 men and 372 guns, while the Army of Northern Virginia were outmanned and outgunned with only 70,100 men and 280 guns. The Army of Potomac’s mission was to defeat the Army of Northern Virginia as well as to make sure Washington, D.C. remained safe. It may seem like the Army of Potomac would be the clear winner at the Battle of Gettysburg yet the Army of Northern Virginia had a strategy that would help to attempt to beat the Union which was to go on the aggression and confront them. This would
Johnston originally planned to attack Grant on April 4, but delays postponed it until the 6th. Attacking the Union troops on the morning of the 6th, the Confederates surprised them, routing many. Some Federals made determined stands and by afternoon, they had established a battle line at the sunken road, known as the "Hornets Nest." Repeated Rebel attacks failed to carry the Hornets Nest, but massed artillery helped to turn the tide as Confederates surrounded the Union troops and captured, killed, or wounded most. Johnston had been mortally wounded earlier and his second in command, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, took over. The Union troops established another line covering Pittsburgh Landing, anchored with artillery and augmented by Buell’s men who began to arrive and take up positions. Fighting continued until after dark, but the Federals held. By the next morning, the combined Federal forces numbered about 40,000, outnumbering Beauregard’s army of less than 30,000. Beauregard was unaware of the arrival of Buell’s army and launched a counterattack in response to a two-mile advance by William Nelson’s division of Buell’s army at 6:00 am, which was, at first, successful. Union troops stiffened and began forcing the Confederates back. Beauregard ordered a counterattack, which stopped the Union advance but did not break its battle line. At this point, Beauregard realized that he could not win and, having suffered too many
One of the largest casualty producing battles in American history was the Battle of Gettysburg, and it was largely attributed to the artillery. Due to effective leadership, advanced tactics superior fires, the Union Army was able to influence the tide of the battle. The Artillery used during the Battle of Gettysburg was essential to the Union forces’ victory.