1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Union (American Civil War)
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The Union was opposed by 11 southern slave states that formed the Confederate States, or the Confederacy. All of the Unions states provided soldiers for the U. S. Army, the Border states played a major role as a supply base for the Union invasion of the Confederacy. The Northeast provided the resources for a mechanized war producing large quantities of munitions and supplies. The Midwest provided soldiers, food, horses, financial support, Army hospitals were set up across the Union. Most states had Republican governors who energetically supported the war effort, the Democratic Party strongly supported the war in 1861 but in 1862 was split between the War Democrats and the anti-war element led by the Copperheads. The Democrats made major gains in 1862 in state elections. They lost ground in 1863, especially in Ohio, in 1864 the Republicans campaigned under the National Union Party banner, which attracted many War Democrats and soldiers and scored a landslide victory for Lincoln and his entire ticket. The war years were quite prosperous except where serious fighting and guerrilla warfare took place along the southern border, prosperity was stimulated by heavy government spending and the creation of an entirely new national banking system. The Union states invested a great deal of money and effort in organizing psychological and social support for soldiers wives, widows, orphans, and for the soldiers themselves. Most soldiers were volunteers, although after 1862 many volunteered to escape the draft, Draft resistance was notable in some larger cities, especially New York City with its massive anti-draft riots of 1863 and in some remote districts such as the coal mining areas of Pennsylvania. In the context of the American Civil War, the Union is sometimes referred to as the North, both then and now, as opposed to the Confederacy, which was the South. The Union never recognized the legitimacy of the Confederacys secession and maintained at all times that it remained entirely a part of the United States of America, in foreign affairs the Union was the only side recognized by all other nations, none of which officially recognized the Confederate government. The term Union occurs in the first governing document of the United States, the subsequent Constitution of 1787 was issued and ratified in the name not of the states, but of We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union. Union, for the United States of America, is repeated in such clauses as the Admission to the Union clause in Article IV. Even before the war started, the preserve the Union was commonplace. Using the term Union to apply to the non-secessionist side carried a connotation of legitimacy as the continuation of the political entity. In comparison to the Confederacy, the Union had a large industrialized and urbanized area, additionally, the Union states had a manpower advantage of 5 to 2 at the start of the war. Year by year, the Confederacy shrank and lost control of increasing quantities of resources, meanwhile, the Union turned its growing potential advantage into a much stronger military force
3.
Infantry
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Infantry is the general branch of an army that engages in military combat on foot. As the troops who engage with the enemy in close-ranged combat, infantry units bear the largest brunt of warfare, Infantry can enter and maneuver in terrain that is inaccessible to military vehicles and employ crew-served infantry weapons that provide greater and more sustained firepower. In English, the 16th-century term Infantry describes soldiers who walk to the battlefield, and there engage, fight, the term arose in Sixteenth-Century Spain, which boasted one of the first professional standing armies seen in Europe since the days of Rome. It was common to appoint royal princes to military commands, and the men under them became known as Infanteria. in the Canadian Army, the role of the infantry is to close with, and destroy the enemy. In the U. S. Army, the closes with the enemy, by means of fire and maneuver, in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat. In the U. S. Marine Corps, the role of the infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy fire and maneuver. Beginning with the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, artillery has become a dominant force on the battlefield. Since World War I, combat aircraft and armoured vehicles have become dominant. In 20th and 21st century warfare, infantry functions most effectively as part of a combined arms team including artillery, armour, Infantry relies on organized formations to be employed in battle. These have evolved over time, but remain a key element to effective infantry development and deployment, until the end of the 19th century, infantry units were for the most part employed in close formations up until contact with the enemy. This allowed commanders to control of the unit, especially while maneuvering. The development of guns and other weapons with increased firepower forced infantry units to disperse in order to make them less vulnerable to such weapons. This decentralization of command was made possible by improved communications equipment, among the various subtypes of infantry is Medium infantry. This refers to infantry which are heavily armed and armored than heavy infantry. In the early period, medium infantry were largely eliminated due to discontinued use of body armour up until the 20th century. In the United States Army, Stryker Infantry is considered Medium Infantry, since they are heavier than light infantry, Infantry doctrine is the concise expression of how infantry forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, not a set of hard, doctrine provides a very common frame of reference across the military forces, allowing the infantry to function cooperatively in what are now called combined arms operations. Doctrine helps standardise operations, facilitating readiness by establishing common ways of accomplishing infantry tasks, doctrine links theory, history, experimentation, and practice
4.
Springfield Model 1861
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The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the Springfield, it was the most widely used U. S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability. The barrel was 40 inches long, firing a.58 caliber Minié ball, the Springfield had a general effective range of 200 to 300 yards but could reliably hit man sized targets out to 500 yards when used by marksmen, and used percussion caps to fire. Well-trained troops were able to fire at a rate of three aimed shots per minute while maintaining accuracy up to 500 yards, though firing distances in the war were much shorter. The most notable difference between the Model 1861 and the earlier Model 1855 was the elimination of the Maynard tape primer for the Model 1861, further, unlike the Model 1855, the Model 1861 was never produced in a two-banded rifle configuration. The Springfield was aimed using flip-up leaf sights, the sight had two leaves, one for 300 yards and the other for 500 yards, and with both leaves down, the sight was set for a range of 100 yards. While the Enfields sights did allow finer range settings, the Springfields simple leaves were more rugged and were expensive to produce. The Enfields sights extended to 900 yards, compared to the 500 yard maximum range of the Springfields sights, realistically, though, hitting anything beyond 600 yards with either weapon was mostly a matter of luck. While the sight designs were different, the two weapons were otherwise very similar, and had very similar effective ranges. The Springfield Rifle cost $20 each at the Springfield Armory where they were officially made, overwhelmed by the demand, the armory opened its weapons patterns up to twenty private contractors. The most notable producer of contract Model 1861 Springfields was Colt, who made several design changes in their version. These changes included redesigned barrel bands, a new hammer, several of these changes were eventually adopted by the Ordnance Department and incorporated into the Model 1863 rifled musket. The Springfield Model 1861 was equipped with a square socket bayonet, the Model 1861 was relatively scarce in the early years of the Civil War. It is unlikely any of these were available for use in the First Battle of Bull Run. However, over time, more and more regiments began receiving Model 1861 rifled muskets, over 1,000,000 Model 1861 rifles were produced, with the Springfield Armory increasing its production during the war by contracting out to twenty other firms in the Union. The number of Model 1861 muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1,1861 and December 31,1863, according to United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines by Arcadi Gluckman Colonel Infantry, United States Army, published 1949. The Model 1861 was certainly a forward in U. S. small arms design. However, some argue that its impact on the Civil war has been overstated, while more accurate in the hands of an experienced marksman, the rifled muskets accuracy was often lost in the hands of recruits who received only limited marksmanship training
5.
Battle of Chancellorsville
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The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6,1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, two related battles were fought nearby on May 3 in the vicinity of Fredericksburg. The campaign pitted Union Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers Army of the Potomac against a less than half its size. Chancellorsville is known as Lees perfect battle because his risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a larger enemy force resulted in a significant Confederate victory. The Chancellorsville Campaign began with the crossing of the Rappahannock River by the Union army on the morning of April 27,1863, Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. George Stoneman began a long distance raid against Lees supply lines at about the same time. Crossing the Rapidan River via Germanna and Elys Fords, the Federal infantry concentrated near Chancellorsville on April 30, combined with the Union force facing Fredericksburg, Hooker planned a double envelopment, attacking Lee from both his front and rear. Despite the objections of his subordinates, Hooker withdrew his men to the lines around Chancellorsville. On May 2, Lee divided his army again, sending Stonewall Jacksons entire corps on a march that routed the Union XI Corps. While performing a reconnaissance in advance of his line, Jackson was wounded by fire from his own men. Stuart temporarily replaced him as corps commander and that same day, Sedgwick advanced across the Rappahannock River, defeated the small Confederate force at Maryes Heights in the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, and then moved to the west. The Confederates fought a delaying action at the Battle of Salem Church and by May 4 had driven back Sedgwicks men to Banks Ford. Sedgwick withdrew across the early on May 5, and Hooker withdrew the remainder of his army across U. S. Ford the night of May 5–6, the campaign ended on May 7 when Stonemans cavalry reached Union lines east of Richmond. In the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, the objective of the Union had been to advance and seize the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. In the first two years of the war, four attempts had failed, the first foundered just miles away from Washington. Robert E. Lee in the Seven Days Battles and that summer, Maj. Gen. John Popes Army of Virginia was defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run. In January 1863, the Army of the Potomac, following the Battle of Fredericksburg, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside decided to conduct a mass purge of the Army of the Potomacs leadership, eliminating a number of generals who he felt were responsible for the disaster at Fredericksburg. In reality, he had no power to anyone without the approval of Congress
6.
Union Army
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The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War,1861 to 1865. It included the permanent regular army of the United States, which was augmented by numbers of temporary units consisting of volunteers as well as conscripts. The Union Army fought and eventually defeated the Confederate Army during the war, at least two and a half million men served in the Union Army, almost all were volunteers. About 360,000 Union soldiers died from all causes,280,000 were wounded and 200,000 deserted. When the American Civil War began in April 1861, there were only 16,000 men in the U. S. Army, and of these many Southern officers resigned and joined the Confederate army. The U. S. Army consisted of ten regiments of infantry, four of artillery, Lincolns call forced the border states to choose sides, and four seceded, making the Confederacy eleven states strong. The war proved to be longer and more extensive than anyone North or South had expected, the call for volunteers initially was easily met by patriotic Northerners, abolitionists, and even immigrants who enlisted for a steady income and meals. Over 10,000 Germans in New York and Pennsylvania immediately responded to Lincolns call, as more men were needed, however, the number of volunteers fell and both money bounties and forced conscription had to be turned to. Nevertheless, between April 1861 and April 1865, at least two and a million men served in the Union Army, of whom the majority were volunteers. It is a misconception that the South held an advantage because of the percentage of professional officers who resigned to join the Confederate army. At the start of the war, there were 824 graduates of the U. S, Military Academy on the active list, of these,296 resigned or were dismissed, and 184 of those became Confederate officers. Of the approximately 900 West Point graduates who were civilians,400 returned to the Union Army and 99 to the Confederate. Therefore, the ratio of Union to Confederate professional officers was 642 to 283, the South did have the advantage of other military colleges, such as The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute, but they produced fewer officers. The Union Army was composed of numerous organizations, which were generally organized geographically, Military Division A collection of Departments reporting to one commander. Military Divisions were similar to the modern term Theater, and were modeled close to, though not synonymous with. Department An organization that covered a region, including responsibilities for the Federal installations therein. Those named for states usually referred to Southern states that had been occupied and it was more common to name departments for rivers or regions. District A subdivision of a Department, there were also Subdistricts for smaller regions
7.
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
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Schuylkill County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 148,289, the county was created on March 1,1811, from parts of Berks, Northampton, and Northumberland counties and named for the Schuylkill River. Schuylkill County comprises the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area and it is located in the heart of the anthracite Coal Region of Eastern Pennsylvania. In the year 1754, the area that would become Schuylkill County was settled by Germans, as were areas that are now part of Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lehigh counties. The earliest settlers in southeastern Schuylkill County, which was part of Northampton County, were primarily Moravian missionaries from Saxony. Other early settlers in southern Schuylkill County were German Palatines, an early mill in the county was built in 1744 by John Finscher, but it later burned down. The first log church in the county was built in 1755, Native American massacres were commonplace in Schuylkill County between 1755 and 1765. Warrant for tracts of land in the vicinity of McKeansburg were in existence as early as 1750, Schuylkill County was created via an Act of Assembly on March 1,1811, from portions of Berks, Lancaster, and Northampton counties. More land was added to the county in 1818, from Columbia, an early book of Schuylkill County history was written by Daniel Deibert in 1802. McKeansburg was the first community in Schuylkill County to be laid out, initial construction of the community was done in 1803, and the community was expanded in 1809. During the early years of Schuylkill County, there was an attempt to make McKeansburg the county seat of the new county, the community of Orwigsburg was also a contender for the county seat. Orwigsburg was agreed upon to be the county seat, as it was deemed to be well-suited for industries, Kelayres Massacre On November 5,1934, a parade marched through the Village of Kelayres, Kline Township. A crowd of Democratic Party supporters walked toward the home of Republican Party leader, frustration with Bruno family control of the school board and other local offices had been growing for years. Shots were fired from the Bruno home and yard located at Fourth & Centre Streets, Several people were killed and more than 20 marchers were injured. Coal mined by Lehigh Coal and Navigation in the Tamaqua and Coaldale areas was shipped down the Lehigh Canal from Jim Thorpe in neighboring Carbon County. To the north, Broad Mountain was a barrier to navigation. Other means would be required to transport out of the rich basin of the Mahanoy Valley. Numerous railroads were begun north of the headwaters of the Schuylkill Canal, through the 1830s and 1840s, short railroads sprouted up at numerous areas in the county
8.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 49,673, it is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth and it lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River,107 miles west of Philadelphia. The Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area is made up of six counties in south central Pennsylvania, Harrisburg played a notable role in American history during the Westward Migration, the American Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution. The U. S. Navy ship USS Harrisburg, which served from 1918 to 1919 at the end of World War I, was named in honor of the city. The Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest free indoor agriculture exposition in the United States, was first held in Harrisburg in 1917 and has held there every early-to-mid January since then. Harrisburg is also known for the Three Mile Island accident, which occurred on March 28,1979 near Middletown, in 2010 Forbes rated Harrisburg as the second best place in the U. S. to raise a family. Despite the citys recent financial troubles, in 2010 The Daily Beast website ranked 20 metropolitan areas across the country as being recession-proof, the financial stability of the region is in part due to the high concentration of state and federal government agencies. The finances of the city however, were poorly managed. Harrisburgs site along the Susquehanna River is thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC, in 1719, John Harris, Sr. an English trader, settled here and 14 years later secured grants of 800 acres in this vicinity. In 1785, John Harris, Jr. made plans to lay out a town on his fathers land, in the spring of 1785, the town was formally surveyed by William Maclay, who was a son-in-law of John Harris, Sr. In 1791, Harrisburg became incorporated, and in October 1812 it was named the Pennsylvania state capital, the assembling here of the highly sectional Harrisburg Convention in 1827 led to the passage of the high protective-tariff bill of 1828. In 1839, Harrison and Tyler were nominated for President of the United States at the first national convention of the Whig Party of the United States, which was held in Harrisburg. Before Harrisburg gained its first industries, it was a scenic, pastoral town, typical of most of the day, compact, in 1822, the impressive brick capitol was completed for $200,000. It was Harrisburg’s strategic location which gave it an advantage over other towns. It was settled as a trading post in 1719 at an important to Westward expansion. The importance of the location was that it was at a pass in a mountain ridge, the Susquehanna River flowed generally west to east at this location, providing a route for boat traffic from the east. The head of navigation was a distance northwest of the town. Persons arriving from the east by boat had to exit at Harrisburg, Harrisburg assumed importance as a provisioning stop at this point where westward bound pioneers transitioned from river travel to overland travel
9.
39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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The 39th New York Infantry Regiment, known as the Garibaldi Guard, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. On May 27,1861, they deployed to Washington D. C. having been authorized for a period of three years by New York State. Initially, the regiment was divided into companies of men of different national heritage. On May 31,1863, the regiment was consolidated into four companies, the regiment expanded as new companies were recruited in the field. On December 8,1863, Company E was added, on December 14,1863, on December 19,1863, Company G was added, and on December 30,1863 Company H joined. Companies I and K joined in January,1864, companies A, B, C and D were mustered out in New York city June 24,1864. Enlistees who were not entitled to be discharged were transferred to companies within the regiment. Six companies, E, F, G, H, I and K, in October,1864, a new Company D, mustered mostly from Malone, New York joined the regiment for one year. On June 2,1865, the members of the regiment not eligible to be mustered out were transferred into the 185th Infantry, augustus Funk, July I,1865, except Company D, which had been mustered out, June 7,1865, at Alexandria, Va. In total,278 men died while in service in the regiment, of those,1 officer and 99 enlisted men died while captured by the Rebel army. The regiment suffered a total of 274 fatalities, eight officers and 107 enlisted men were killed in action or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 158 enlisted men died of disease. A Social History Of The 39th New York Volunteer Infantry, The University of Texas at Austin,1989, Ph. D. http, //www. civilwarhome. com/italian. htm http, //www. daddezio. com/italy/garibaldi/index. html
10.
Manassas National Battlefield Park
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The peaceful Virginia countryside bore witness to clashes between the armies of the North and the South, and it was there that Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson acquired his nickname Stonewall. Today the National Battlefield Park provides the opportunity for visitors to explore the terrain where men fought. More than 900,000 people visit the battlefield each year, as a historic area under the National Park Service, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15,1966. The center offers the orientation film Manassas, End of Innocence, stone House, used as a hospital during both battles. It is near the intersection of Sudley Road and Lee Highway, stone Bridge, which the Union retreated across after Second Bull Run. It crosses just north of Lee Highway at the Fairfax-Prince William Co. line, Brawners Farm, the opening phase of the second battle. The parking lot is off of Pageland Lane at the edge of the battlefield. It has recently renovated to become a museum dedicated to the Second Battle of Bull Run. Battery Heights, where Confederate batteries were deployed to fire on the attacking Union troops at nearby Brawners Farm and it is off of Lee Highway. Matthews Hill, the phase of the 1st battle. It is off of Sudley Road, the Unfinished Railroad Grade, where Jackson deployed his men before the second battle after capturing Popes supply depot. The Deep Cut, where Pope launched the bulk of his attacks against the Grade and it is off of Featherbed Lane, before you reach the Railroad Grade. Groveton, an extinct Civil War era village, all that remains is the small frame house that Lucinda Dogan lived in. New York Monuments, two dedicated to the 5th and 10th NY Regts. Hazel Plain, the plantation of the Chinn family and it now sits in ruins, and only the foundation remains. Directly across from the Henry Hill Visitors Center, Chinn Ridge, across from Hazel Plain. General James Longstreets massive counterattack during the 2nd battle took place here, a trail leads to a boulder for Union Colonel Fletcher Webster, the son of the famous orator Daniel Webster, who was killed leading a failed attempt at repulsing the Confederate Counterattack. Portici, the plantation of Francis Lewis, now in ruins and this served as the Confederate Headquarters during the 1st battle, and on the plains surrounding it minor skirmishes between companies
11.
John S. Mosby
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John Singleton Mosby, also known by his nickname, the Gray Ghost, was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. The area of northern central Virginia in which Mosby operated with impunity was known during the war, after the war, Mosby became a Republican and worked as an attorney and supported his former enemys commander, U. S. President Ulysses S. Grant. He also served as the American consul to Hong Kong and in the U. S. Department of Justice, Mosby was born in Powhatan County, Virginia on December 6,1833, to Virginia McLaurine Mosby and Alfred Daniel Mosby, a graduate of Hampden–Sydney College. His father was a member of an old Virginian family of English origin whose ancestor, Richard Mosby, was born in England in 1600 and settled in Charles City, Mosby was named after his paternal grandfather, John Singleton. Mosby began his education at a school called Murrells Shop, when his family moved to Albemarle County, Virginia in about 1840, John attended school in Frys Woods before transferring to a Charlottesville school at the age of ten years. Because of his stature and frail health, Mosby was the victim of bullies throughout his school career. In fact, the time he did not lose a fight was when an adult stepped in. In 1847, Mosby enrolled at Hampden–Sydney College, where his father was an alumnus, unable to keep up with his mathematics class, Mosby left the college after two years. On October 3,1850, he entered the University of Virginia, taking Classical Studies and joining the Washington Literary Society and he was far above average in Latin, Greek, and literature, but mathematics was still a problem for him. In his third year a quarrel erupted between Mosby and a bully, George R. Turpin, a tavern keepers son who was robust. When Mosby heard from a friend that Turpin had insulted him, Turpin became enraged and declared that on their next meeting, he would eat him up raw. Mosby decided he had to meet Turpin despite the risk, to run away would be dishonorable, on March 29 the two met, Mosby having brought with him a small pepper-box pistol in the hope of dissuading Turpin from an attack. When the two met and Mosby said, I hear you have been making assertions, Turpin put his head down and charged. At that point, Mosby pulled out the pistol and shot his adversary in the neck, the distraught 19-year-old Mosby went home to await his fate. He was arrested and arraigned on two charges, unlawful shooting and malicious shooting, after a trial that almost resulted in a hung jury, Mosby was convicted of the lesser offense but received the maximum sentence. Mosby later discovered that he had expelled from the university before he was brought to trial. While serving time, Mosby won the friendship of his prosecutor, when Mosby expressed his desire to study law, Robertson offered the use of his law library. Mosby studied law for the rest of his incarceration, friends and family used political influence in an attempt to obtain a pardon
12.
Army of the Potomac
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The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in April. The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps. Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell, and it was the army fought the wars first major battle. The arrival in Washington, D. C. of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan dramatically changed the makeup of that army, on July 26,1861, the Department of the Shenandoah, commanded by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. The men under Bankss command became a division in the Army of the Potomac. The army started with four corps, but these were divided during the Peninsula Campaign to produce two more, after the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Army of the Potomac absorbed the units that had served under Maj. Gen. John Pope. It is a popular, but mistaken, belief that John Pope commanded the Army of the Potomac in the summer of 1862 after McClellans unsuccessful Peninsula Campaign, on the contrary, Popes army consisted of different units, and was named the Army of Virginia. The Army of the Potomac underwent many changes during its existence. The army was divided by Ambrose Burnside into three divisions of two corps each with a Reserve composed of two more. Thereafter the individual corps, seven of which remained in Virginia, Hooker also created a Cavalry Corps by combining units that previously had served as smaller formations. In late 1863, two corps were sent West, and—in 1864—the remaining five corps were recombined into three, burnsides IX Corps, which accompanied the army at the start of Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign, rejoined the army later. For more detail, see the section Corps below, the Army of the Potomac fought in most of the Eastern Theater campaigns, primarily in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. After the end of the war, it was disbanded on June 28,1865, the Army of the Potomac was also the name given to General P. G. T. Beauregards Confederate army during the early stages of the war. However, the name was changed to the Army of Northern Virginia. In 1869 the Society of the Army of the Potomac was formed as a veterans association and it had its last reunion in 1929. Because of its proximity to the cities of the North, such as Washington. Philadelphia, and New York City, the Army of the Potomac received more media coverage than the other Union field armies
United States
