1.
American Civil War
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The American Civil War was an internal conflict fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The Union faced secessionists in eleven Southern states grouped together as the Confederate States of America, the Union won the war, which remains the bloodiest in U. S. history. Among the 34 U. S. states in February 1861, War broke out in April 1861 when Confederates attacked the U. S. fortress of Fort Sumter. The Confederacy grew to eleven states, it claimed two more states, the Indian Territory, and the southern portions of the western territories of Arizona. The Confederacy was never recognized by the United States government nor by any foreign country. The states that remained loyal, including border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North, the war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the dissolution of the Confederate government in the spring of 1865. The war had its origin in the issue of slavery. The Confederacy collapsed and 4 million slaves were freed, but before his inauguration, seven slave states with cotton-based economies formed the Confederacy. The first six to declare secession had the highest proportions of slaves in their populations, the first seven with state legislatures to resolve for secession included split majorities for unionists Douglas and Bell in Georgia with 51% and Louisiana with 55%. Alabama had voted 46% for those unionists, Mississippi with 40%, Florida with 38%, Texas with 25%, of these, only Texas held a referendum on secession. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession, outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincolns March 4,1861 inaugural address declared that his administration would not initiate a civil war, speaking directly to the Southern States, he reaffirmed, I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. After Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy, efforts at compromise failed, the Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on King Cotton that they would intervene, but none did, and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12,1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, while in the Western Theater the Union made significant permanent gains, in the Eastern Theater, the battle was inconclusive in 1861–62. The autumn 1862 Confederate campaigns into Maryland and Kentucky failed, dissuading British intervention, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal. To the west, by summer 1862 the Union destroyed the Confederate river navy, then much of their western armies, the 1863 Union siege of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River. In 1863, Robert E. Lees Confederate incursion north ended at the Battle of Gettysburg, Western successes led to Ulysses S. Grants command of all Union armies in 1864
American Civil War
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New Orleans the largest cotton exporting port for New England and Great Britain textile mills, shipping Mississippi River Valley goods from North, South and Border states.
American Civil War
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Clockwise from top:
Battle of Gettysburg,
Union Captain John Tidball's artillery,
Confederate prisoners,
ironclad USS Atlanta, ruins of
Richmond, Virginia,
Battle of Franklin
American Civil War
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Sen. Stephen Douglas, author of the
Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854
American Civil War
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Sen. John J. Crittenden, of the 1860
Crittenden Compromise
2.
Alfred R. Waud
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Alfred Rudolph Waud was an American artist and illustrator, born in London, England. He is most notable for the sketches he made as an artist correspondent during the American Civil War, Waud was christened Alfred Robert Waud but used Rhudolph as a middle name while living in America. He was the eldest son of Alfred Waud Sr. born London 1796, wauds mother was Mary Fitz-John, born 1806 in Lougher, near Swansea, South Wales. Waud sailed from London aboard the sailing ship Hendrik Hudson in 1850 for New York and his brother William followed in 1855 aboard the sailing ship Hermann, also for New York. Waud was naturalized as an American citizen on January 10,1870 and he married Mary Gertrude Jewell from New York circa 1855 or 1856. They lived in Orange, New Jersey, where they raised their family, before immigration, Alfred Waud had entered the Government School of Design at Somerset House, London, with the intention of becoming a marine painter. This did not come to fruition, but as a student and he intended to pursue that work in the United States, when he immigrated in 1850, seeking employment with actor and playwright John Brougham. In the 1850s, he worked variously as an illustrator for a Boston periodical, the Carpet-Bag, the period during the American Civil War was a time when all images in a publication had to be hand drawn and engraved by skilled artists. Photography existed but there was no way to transfer a photograph to a printing plate since this was well before the advent of the process for printing photographs. Photographic equipment was too cumbersome and exposure times were too slow to be used on the battlefield, an artist such as Waud would do detailed sketches in the field, which were then rushed by courier back to the main office of the newspaper they were working for. There a staff of engravers would use the sketches to create engravings on blocks of boxwood, since the blocks were about 4 inches across they would have to be composited together to make one large illustration. The wood engraving was then copied via the process which produced a metal printing plate for publication. In 1860, Alfred Waud became an illustrator or special artist for the New York Illustrated News, in April 1861, the newspaper assigned Waud to cover the Army of the Potomac, Virginias main Union army. He first illustrated General Winfield Scott in Washington, D. C. Waud followed a Union expedition to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina the next month and witnessed the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries. That autumn, he sketched army activity in the Tidewater region of Virginia, Waud joined Harpers Weekly toward the end of 1861, continuing to cover the war. In 1864 Alfreds brother, William Waud, joined Alfred on the staff of Harpers, Alfred Waud attended every battle of the Army of the Potomac between the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 and the Siege of Petersburg in 1865. Alfred was one of two artists present at the Battle of Gettysburg. His depiction of Picketts Charge is thought to be the only visual account by an eyewitness, Waud continued to be a prolific illustrator, doing numerous illustrations for Harpers Weekly and other prominent publications, achieving his greatest fame in his post-War work
Alfred R. Waud
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Alfred Waud photographed in 1863 by
Timothy H. O'Sullivan sitting in
Devil's Den after the
Battle of Gettysburg.
Alfred R. Waud
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"Kennesaw's Bombardment, 64", sketch of the
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, scanned from the original and digitally restored.
3.
Henrico County, Virginia
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Henrico County /hɛnˈraɪkoʊ/, officially the County of Henrico, is in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 306,935, in 2015, the population was estimated to be 320,717, making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia and the sixth-most populous county-equivalent in Virginia. Henrico County is included in the Greater Richmond Region, named after the Citie of Henricus, Henrico became one of the eight original Shires of Virginia in 1634. It is one of the oldest counties in the United States, the City of Richmond was officially part of Henrico County until 1842, when it became a fully independent city. The present-day Henrico County curves around the City of Richmond, surrounding it to the west, the north, the county is bounded by the Chickahominy River to the north and the James River and Richmond to the south. Richmond International Raceway is in the portion of Henrico County near Mechanicsville. Additionally, Richmond International Airport is located in the portion of Henrico County in Sandston. Top private employers in the county include Capital One, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, in 1611, Thomas Dale founded the Citie of Henricus on a peninsula in the James River that is now called Farrars Island. Henricus was named for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales and was destroyed during the Indian massacre of 1622, in 1634, Henrico Shire became one of the eight original Shires of Virginia established by the British in the Virginia Colony. Since then,10 counties and 3 independent cities have formed from the original territory of Henrico Shire. Since becoming independent in 1842, the City of Richmond has successfully annexed portions of Henrico five times, chesterfield County annexed the site of Henricus in 1922. Richmond attempted to merge with Henrico in 1961, but 61% of the votes in a referendum in Henrico voted against the merger. In 1965, Richmond attempted to annex 145 square miles of Henrico County, however, after a lengthy court battle, the city was only given permission to annex 17 square miles. Since the city would have had to reimburse Henrico a hefty $55 million, in 1981, the Virginia General Assembly placed a moratorium on all annexations throughout the state. Henricos borders have not changed since Richmonds 1942 annex, the original county seat was at Varina, at the Varina Farms plantation across the James River from Henricus. John Rolfe built this plantation, where he lived with his wife, henricos government was located at Varina from around 1640 until 1752. In 1752, Henrico relocated its seat to a central location inside the city Richmond between Church Hill and what is now Tobacco Row. The county seat remained at 22nd and Main St in Richmond even after the government became fully independent of the county in 1842
Henrico County, Virginia
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The Old Henrico County Courthouse in
Richmond.
Henrico County, Virginia
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Cannons at the site of the
Battle of Malvern Hill
4.
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
United States
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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764
United States
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Flag
United States
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The signing of the
Mayflower Compact, 1620.
United States
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The
Declaration of Independence: the
Committee of Five presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress in 1776
5.
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
Union (American Civil War)
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Charleston Mercury Secession Broadside, 1860 - "The Union" had been a way to refer to the American Republic
Union (American Civil War)
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Map of the division of the states during the American Civil War. Blue (the U.S. Army's uniform color) indicates the Union states; light blue represents Union states which permitted slavery (
border states). Red represents states in rebellion, also known as the
Confederate states. Unshaded areas were U.S. territories.
Union (American Civil War)
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The Union had large advantages in men and resources at the start of the war; the ratio grew steadily in favor of the Union. In the chart, "cauc men" means white men.
Union (American Civil War)
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An anti-Lincoln Copperhead pamphlet from 1864
6.
Confederate States of America
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The Confederate States, officially the Confederate States of America, commonly referred to as the Confederacy, was a breakaway country of 11 secessionist slave states existing from 1861 to 1865. It was never recognized as an Independent country, although it achieved belligerent status by Britain. A new Confederate government was established in February 1861 before Lincoln took office in March, after the Civil War began in April, four slave states of the Upper South – Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina – also declared their secession and joined the Confederacy. The government of the United States rejected the claims of secession, the Civil War began with the April 12,1861, Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter, a Union fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. In spring 1865, after four years of fighting which led to an estimated 620,000 military deaths, all the Confederate forces surrendered. Jefferson Davis later lamented that the Confederacy had disappeared in 1865, Missouri and Kentucky were represented by partisan factions from those states, while the legitimate governments of those two states retained formal adherence to the Union. Also fighting for the Confederacy were two of the Five Civilized Tribes located in Indian Territory and a new, but uncontrolled, Confederate Territory of Arizona. Efforts by certain factions in Maryland to secede were halted by federal imposition of law, while Delaware, though of divided loyalty. A Unionist government in parts of Virginia organized the new state of West Virginia. With the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,1863, the Union made abolition of slavery a war goal, as Union forces moved southward, large numbers of plantation slaves were freed. Many joined the Union lines, enrolling in service as soldiers, teamsters and laborers, the most notable advance was Shermans March to the Sea in late 1864. Much of the Confederacys infrastructure was destroyed, including telegraphs, railroads, plantations in the path of Shermans forces were severely damaged. Internal movement became increasingly difficult for Southerners, weakening the economy and these losses created an insurmountable disadvantage in men, materiel, and finance. Public support for Confederate President Jefferson Daviss administration eroded over time due to repeated military reverses, economic hardships, after four years of campaigning, Richmond was captured by Union forces in April 1865. Shortly afterward, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, President Davis was captured on May 10,1865, and jailed in preparation for a treason trial that was ultimately never held. The U. S. government began a process known as Reconstruction which attempted to resolve the political and constitutional issues of the Civil War. By 1877, the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction in the former Confederate states, Confederate veterans had been temporarily disenfranchised by Reconstruction policy. The prewar South had many areas, the war left the entire region economically devastated by military action, ruined infrastructure
Confederate States of America
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Alexander Stephens CSA Vice President; old Whig friend of Lincoln; author of 'Cornerstone Speech'
Confederate States of America
–
Flag (1861–1863)
Confederate States of America
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William L. Yancey, Alabama Fire-Eater, "The Orator of Secession".
Confederate States of America
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William Henry Gist, Governor of South Carolina, called the Secessionist Convention.
7.
George B. McClellan
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George Brinton McClellan was an American soldier, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician. A graduate of West Point, McClellan served with distinction during the Mexican-American War, although McClellan was meticulous in his planning and preparations, these very characteristics hampered his ability to challenge aggressive opponents in a fast-moving battlefield environment. He chronically overestimated the strength of units and was reluctant to apply principles of mass. McClellan organised and led the Union army in the Peninsula Campaign in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862 and it was the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. General McClellan failed to maintain the trust of President Abraham Lincoln and he did not trust his commander-in-chief and was privately derisive of him. McClellan went on to become the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee in the 1864 presidential election against Lincoln, the effectiveness of his campaign was damaged when he repudiated his partys platform, which promised an end to the war and negotiations with the Confederacy. He served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881 and he eventually became a writer, and vigorously defended his Civil War conduct. Most modern authorities have assessed McClellan as a battlefield general. Some historians view him as a capable commander whose reputation suffered unfairly at the hands of pro-Lincoln partisans who made him a scapegoat for the Unions military setbacks. After the war, Ulysses S. Grant was asked for his opinion of McClellan as a general and he replied, McClellan is to me one of the mysteries of the war. Also, when Robert E. Lee was asked who was the best Union general, George Brinton McClellan was born in Philadelphia, the son of a prominent surgeon, Dr. George McClellan, the founder of Jefferson Medical College. His fathers family was of Ulster Scots heritage and his mother was Elizabeth Sophia Steinmetz Brinton McClellan, daughter of a leading Pennsylvania family, a woman noted for her considerable grace and refinement. The couple had five children, a daughter, Frederica, then three sons, John, George, and Arthur, and finally a daughter, Mary. McClellan was the great-grandson of Revolutionary War general Samuel McClellan, of Woodstock and he attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1840 at age 13, resigning himself to the study of law. After two years, he changed his goal to military service, with the assistance of his fathers letter to President John Tyler, young George was accepted at the United States Military Academy in 1842, the academy having waived its normal minimum age of 16. At West Point, he was an energetic and ambitious cadet, deeply interested in the teachings of Dennis Hart Mahan and his closest friends were aristocratic Southerners such as James Stuart, Dabney Maury, Cadmus Wilcox, and A. P. Hill. He graduated in 1846, second in his class of 59 cadets and he was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. McClellans first assignment was with a company of engineers formed at West Point and he arrived near the mouth of the Rio Grande in October 1846, well prepared for action with a double-barreled shotgun, two pistols, a saber, a dress sword, and a Bowie knife
George B. McClellan
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1861 portrait by
Mathew Brady
George B. McClellan
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A portion of the
Julian Scott portrait of McClellan in the
National Portrait Gallery in
Washington, D.C.
George B. McClellan
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George B. McClellan and Mary Ellen Marcy (Nelly) McClellan
George B. McClellan
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Patriotic cover honoring the arrival of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 1861.
8.
Joseph E. Johnston
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Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U. S. He was unrelated to Albert Sidney Johnston, another high-ranking Confederate general during the Civil war, Johnston was trained as a civil engineer at the U. S. Military Academy, graduating in the class as Robert E. Lee. He served in Florida, Texas, and Kansas, and fought with distinction in the Mexican-American War and by 1860 achieved the rank of brigadier general as Quartermaster General of the U. S. Army. When his native state of Virginia declared secession from the Union, Johnston resigned his U. S. commission, to his dismay, however, he was appointed only the fourth ranking full general in the Confederate army. G. T. He defended the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, withdrawing under the pressure of a superior force under Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. In his only action during the campaign, he suffered a severe wound at the Battle of Seven Pines, after which he was replaced in command by his classmate at West Point. In 1863, in command of the Department of the West, he was criticized for his inaction, in 1864, he fought against Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign. Although he won a victory against Sherman at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Fed up with Johnstons constant withdrawal from Confederate territory, Davis relieved him of command after he withdrew from northwest Georgia to the outskirts of the city, in the final days of the war, he was returned to command of the small remaining forces in the Carolinas Campaign. Following a failed attempt to stall Shermans advance at the Battle of Bentonville, he surrendered his armies to Sherman at Bennett Place near Durham Station, North Carolina on April 26,1865. Two of his opponents, General Ulysses S. Grant and Sherman, made comments highly respectful of his actions in the war. After the war, Johnston was an executive in the railroad and he served a single term as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives and was commissioner of railroads under Grover Cleveland. He died of pneumonia after serving in inclement weather as a pallbearer at the funeral of his former adversary, Johnston was born at Longwood House in Cherry Grove, near Farmville, Virginia on February 3,1807. His grandfather, Peter Johnston, emigrated to Virginia from Scotland in 1726, Joseph was the seventh son of Judge Peter Johnston and Mary Valentine Wood, a niece of Patrick Henry. He was named for Major Joseph Eggleston, under whom his father served in the American Revolutionary War and his brother Charles Clement Johnston served as a congressman, and his nephew John Warfield Johnston was a senator, both represented Virginia. In 1811, the Johnston family moved to Abingdon, Virginia, a town near the Tennessee border, Johnston attended the United States Military Academy, nominated by John C. Calhoun while he was Secretary of War, days before he was inaugurated as vice president in 1825. He was moderately successful at academics and received only a number of disciplinary demerits
Joseph E. Johnston
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Johnston during the American Civil War
Joseph E. Johnston
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Portrait by
Benjamin Franklin Reinhart (c. 1860)
Joseph E. Johnston
–
Joseph E. Johnston and Robert E. Lee in 1869–70
Joseph E. Johnston
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Johnston statue in Dalton, Georgia, where he took command of the Army of Tennessee
9.
Gustavus Woodson Smith
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Gustavus Woodson Smith, more commonly known as G. W. Smith, was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, an engineer. Smith later served as Interim Confederate Secretary of War and in the Georgia state militia, Smith was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, and was a brother-in-law of Horace Randal and a distant relative of John Bell Hood. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point as a second lieutenant in 1842. Smith finished eighth out of 56 cadets while at West Point and he entered the Army Corps of Engineers afterward, and was promoted to second lieutenant on January 1,1845. Smith fought in the Mexican-American War, winning two brevet promotions for his actions there. On April 18,1847, he was appointed brevet first lieutenant for his service at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, in 1848 he became an original member of the Aztec Club of 1847. On March 3,1853, Smith was promoted to first lieutenant and he resigned his commission on December 18,1854, to become a civil engineer in New York City, and was Streets Commissioner there from 1858 to 1861. Smiths home state of Kentucky became a state when the Civil War broke out in 1861. Some months afterward, he presented himself at Richmond to serve the Confederate States of America. On May 31,1862, Smith briefly took command of the Army of Northern Virginia after Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines, however, Jefferson Davis replaced him with Robert E. Lee the following day, June 1. On June 2, Smith became ill and took a leave of absence to recuperate, in late August, Smith returned and took command of the defenses around Richmond, which was expanded to become the Department of North Carolina & Southern Virginia in September. In addition, he acted as interim Confederate States Secretary of War from November 17 through November 21,1862 and he resigned his commission as a major general on February 17,1863, and became a volunteer aide to General P. G. T. Beauregard for the rest of that year, Smith was paroled in Macon, Georgia, on April 20,1865, and moved to Tennessee to become an iron manufacturer from 1866 to 1870. He moved back to his native Kentucky to become Insurance Commissioner until 1876, Smith authored Noted on Insurance in 1870, Confederate War Papers in 1884, The Battle of Seven Pines in 1891, and Generals J. E. Johnston and G. T. Beauregard at the Battle of Manassas, July 1861 in 1892 and his final work, Company A, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. 1846–48, in the Mexican War, was published in 1896 after his death, in December 1894 he was one of nineteen founders of the Military Order of Foreign Wars - a military society for officers who were veterans of wars with foreign nations and their descendants. Smith died in New York City in 1896 and is buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London, list of American Civil War generals Eicher, John H. and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands
Gustavus Woodson Smith
–
Gustavus Woodson Smith, photo taken during the Civil War 1861–65
10.
Army of the Potomac
–
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
Army of the Potomac
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Commanders of the Army of the Potomac at Culpeper, Virginia, 1863. From the left:
Gouverneur K. Warren,
William H. French,
George G. Meade,
Henry J. Hunt,
Andrew A. Humphreys,
George Sykes.
Army of the Potomac
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The Army of the Potomac -- Our Outlying Picket in the Woods, 1862
Army of the Potomac
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Saint Patrick's Day celebration in the Army of the Potomac, depicting a
steeplechase race among the
Irish Brigade, March 17, 1863, by
Edwin Forbes.
Army of the Potomac
–
Scouts and guides, Army of the Potomac,
Mathew Brady
11.
Army of Northern Virginia
–
It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac. The name Army of Northern Virginia referred to its area of operation. The Army originated as the Army of the Potomac, which was organized on June 20,1861, on July 20 and July 21, the Army of the Shenandoah and forces from the District of Harpers Ferry were added. Units from the Army of the Northwest were merged into the Army of the Potomac between March 14 and May 17,1862, the Army of the Potomac was renamed Army of Northern Virginia on March 14. The Army of the Peninsula was merged into it on April 12,1862, Robert E. Lees biographer, Douglas S. Freeman, asserts that the army received its final name from Lee when he issued orders assuming command on June 1,1862. However, Freeman does admit that Lee corresponded with Joseph E. Johnston, his predecessor in command, prior to that date. In addition to Virginians, it included regiments from all over the Confederacy, some from as far away as Georgia, the first commander of the Army of Northern Virginia was General P. G. T. Beauregard from June 20 to July 20,1861 and his forces consisted of six brigades, with various militia and artillery from the former Department of Alexandria. During his command, Gen. Beauregard is noted for creating the flag of the army. The flag was designed due to confusion during battle between the Confederate Stars and Bars flag and the flag of the United States, the following day this army fought its first major engagement in the First Battle of Manassas. With the merging of the Army of the Shenandoah, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston took command from July 20,1861, First Corps – commanded by General P. G. T. Magruder Reserve – commanded by Maj. Gen. G. W. Smith Under the command of Johnston, on October 22,1861, the Department of Northern Virginia was officially created, officially ending the Army of the Potomac. The Department comprised three districts, Aquia District, Potomac District, and the Valley District, in April 1862 the Department was expanded to include the Departments of Norfolk and the Peninsula. Gen. Maj. Gen. Gustavus Woodson Smith commanded the ANV on May 31,1862, with Smith seemingly having a nervous breakdown, President Jefferson Davis drafted orders to place Gen. Robert E. Lee in command the following day. In the first year of his command, Lee had two principal subordinate commanders, the right wing of the army was under the command of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and the left wing under Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson. These wings were redesignated as the First Corps and Second Corps on November 6,1862. Following Jacksons death after the Battle of Chancellorsville, Lee reorganized the army into three corps on May 30,1863, under Longstreet, Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, and Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill. A Fourth Corps, under Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson, was organized on October 19,1864, on April 8,1865, the commanders of the first three corps changed frequently in 1864 and 1865
Army of Northern Virginia
–
Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard
Army of Northern Virginia
–
The flag of the Army of Northern Virginia during the command of
Robert E. Lee.
Army of Northern Virginia
–
Gen. J. E. Johnston
Army of Northern Virginia
–
General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
12.
Peninsula Campaign
–
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B, McClellan, was an amphibious turning movement against the Confederate States Army in Northern Virginia, intended to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. McClellan landed his army at Fort Monroe and moved northwest, up the Virginia Peninsula, Magruders defensive position on the Warwick Line caught McClellan by surprise. His hopes for a quick advance foiled, McClellan ordered his army to prepare for a siege of Yorktown, just before the siege preparations were completed, the Confederates, now under the direct command of Johnston, began a withdrawal toward Richmond. The first heavy fighting of the campaign occurred in the Battle of Williamsburg, in which the Union troops managed some tactical victories, an amphibious flanking movement to Elthams Landing was ineffective in cutting off the Confederate retreat. In the Battle of Drewrys Bluff, an attempt by the U. S. Navy to reach Richmond by way of the James River was repulsed. As McClellans army reached the outskirts of Richmond, a battle occurred at Hanover Court House. The battle was inconclusive, with casualties, but it had lasting effects on the campaign. On August 20,1861, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan formed the Army of the Potomac, with himself as its first commander. During the summer and fall, McClellan brought a degree of organization to his new army. It was an achievement, in which he came to personify the Army of the Potomac. He created defenses for Washington that were almost impregnable, consisting of 48 forts and strong points, on November 1,1861, Gen. Winfield Scott retired and McClellan became general in chief of all the Union armies. The president expressed his concern about the vast labor involved in the role of army commander and general in chief. On January 27, Lincoln issued an order that all of his armies to begin offensive operations by February 22. On January 31, he issued an order for the Army of the Potomac to move overland to attack the Confederates at Manassas Junction. Although Lincoln believed his plan was superior, he was relieved that McClellan finally agreed to begin moving, on March 8, doubting McClellans resolve, Lincoln called a council of war at the White House in which McClellans subordinates were asked about their confidence in the Urbanna plan. They expressed their confidence to varying degrees, after the meeting, Lincoln issued another order, naming specific officers as corps commanders to report to McClellan. McClellan retooled his plan so that his troops would disembark at Fort Monroe, Virginia, in the Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia defeated wooden U. S
Peninsula Campaign
–
George B. McClellan and
Joseph E. Johnston, respective commanders of the
Union and
Confederate armies in the Peninsula Campaign.
Peninsula Campaign
–
Brig. Gen.
Samuel P. Heintzelman
Peninsula Campaign
–
Brig. Gen.
Erasmus D. Keyes
Peninsula Campaign
–
Maj. Gen.
D. H. Hill
13.
Battle of Hampton Roads
–
The battle was a part of the effort of the Confederacy to break the Union blockade, which had cut off Virginias largest cities, Norfolk and Richmond, from international trade. The major significance of the battle is that it was the first meeting in combat of ironclad warships, i. e. the USS Monitor, the Confederate fleet consisted of the ironclad ram Virginia and several supporting vessels. On the first day of battle, they were opposed by several conventional, on that day, Virginia was able to destroy two ships of the Federal flotilla, USS Congress and USS Cumberland, and was about to attack a third, USS Minnesota, which had run aground. Determined to complete the destruction of Minnesota, Catesby ap Roger Jones, acting as captain in Buchanans absence, returned the ship to the fray the next morning, during the night, however, the ironclad Monitor had arrived and had taken a position to defend Minnesota. When Virginia approached, Monitor intercepted her, the two ironclads fought for about three hours, with neither being able to inflict significant damage on the other. The duel ended indecisively, Virginia returning to her home at the Gosport Navy Yard for repairs and strengthening, the ships did not fight again, and the blockade remained in place. The battle received worldwide attention, and it had immediate effects on navies around the world, the preeminent naval powers, Great Britain and France, halted further construction of wooden-hulled ships, and others followed suit. A new type of warship, monitor, was produced based on the principle of the original. The use of a number of very heavy guns, mounted so that they could fire in all directions was first demonstrated by Monitor. Shipbuilders also incorporated rams into the designs of warship hulls for the rest of the century, on April 19,1861, shortly after the outbreak of hostilities at Charleston Harbor, US President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of ports in the seceded states. On April 27, after Virginia and North Carolina had also passed ordinances of secession, even before the extension, local troops seized the Norfolk area and threatened the Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth. Merrimack burned only to the waterline, however, and her engines were more or less intact, the destruction of the navy yard was mostly ineffective, in particular, the large drydock there was relatively undamaged and soon could be restored. Without firing a shot, the advocates of secession had gained for the South its largest navy yard, as well as the hull and they had also seized more than a thousand heavy guns, plus gun carriages and large quantities of gunpowder. With Norfolk and its yard in Portsmouth, the Confederacy controlled the southern side of Hampton Roads. To prevent Union warships from attacking the yard, the Confederates set up batteries at Sewells Point and Craney Island, the Union retained possession of Fort Monroe, at Old Point Comfort on the Virginia Peninsula. They also held a small island known as the Rip Raps, on the far side of the channel opposite Fort Monroe. With Fort Monroe went control of the lower Peninsula as far as Newport News, forts Monroe and Wool gave the Union forces control of the entrance to Hampton Roads. The blockade, initiated on April 30,1861, cut off Norfolk, to further the blockade, the Union Navy stationed some of its most powerful warships in the roadstead
Battle of Hampton Roads
–
Chromolithograph depicting the Battle of Hampton Roads
Battle of Hampton Roads
–
CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack)
Battle of Hampton Roads
–
USS Monitor
Battle of Hampton Roads
–
The heart of battle, from an 1871 wood engraving published by A.S. Barnes & Co.
14.
Siege of Yorktown (1862)
–
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4,1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B, McClellans Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruders small Confederate force at Yorktown behind the Warwick Line, McClellan suspended his march up the Peninsula toward Richmond and settled in for siege operations. On April 5, the IV Corps of Brig. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes made initial contact with Confederate defensive works at Lees Mill, Magruders ostentatious movement of troops back and forth convinced the Union that his works were strongly held. As the two fought a artillery duel, reconnaissance indicated to Keyes the strength and breadth of the Confederate fortifications. McClellan ordered the construction of fortifications and brought his heavy siege guns to the front. In the meantime, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston brought reinforcements for Magruder, on April 16, Union forces probed a point in the Confederate line at Dam No.1. The Union failed to exploit the success of this attack. McClellan planned a massive bombardment for dawn on May 5, the battle took place near the site of the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, the final battle of the American Revolutionary War in the east. McClellan had chosen to approach the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia and his Army of the Potomac numbered 121,500 men, transported starting on March 17 by 389 vessels. McClellan planned to use U. S. Navy forces to envelop Yorktown, but the emergence of the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, the Confederate defenders of Yorktown, led by Maj. Gen. John B. This became known as the Warwick Line, McClellan and his staff, ignorant of the extent of Magruders line, assumed the Confederates had concentrated only in the immediate vicinity of Yorktown. On April 4,1862, the Union Army pushed through Magruders initial line of defense, the nature of the terrain made it difficult to determine the exact disposition of the Confederate forces. A victim of faulty intelligence, McClellan estimated that the Confederates had 40,000 troops in the defensive line and that Johnston was expected to arrive quickly with an additional 60,000. The Union IV Corps first encountered the right flank of Magruders line on April 5 at Lees Mill, its earthwork defenses manned by the division of Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws. The 7th Maine Infantry Regiment deployed as skirmishers and stopped about 1,000 yards before the fortifications, an artillery duel raged for several hours while Keyes ordered reconnaissance and additional units arrived, but there was no infantry fighting. They drove off the Confederate pickets and took some prisoners, Hancock considered this area a weak spot in the line, but orders from McClellan prevented any exploitation. Keyes, deceived by Magruders theatrical troop movements, believed that the Warwick Line fortifications could not be carried by assault, for the next 10 days, McClellans men dug while Magruder steadily received reinforcements
Siege of Yorktown (1862)
–
Union battery with 13-inch (330 mm) seacoast
mortars, Model 1861, during siege of
Yorktown, Virginia 1862.
Siege of Yorktown (1862)
–
Pursuit of the flying rebels from Yorktown Sunday morning.
Alfred R. Waud, artist.
Siege of Yorktown (1862)
–
Dam No. One Battlefield Site Plaque 1
15.
Battle of Williamsburg
–
Following up the Confederate retreat from Yorktown, the Union division of Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker encountered the Confederate rearguard near Williamsburg. Hooker assaulted Fort Magruder, an earthen fortification alongside the Williamsburg Road, Confederate counterattacks, directed by Maj. Gen. James Longstreet, threatened to overwhelm the Union left flank, until Brig. Gen. Philip Kearnys division arrived to stabilize the Federal position. Brig. Gen. Winfield S. Hancocks brigade then moved to threaten the Confederate left flank, Hancocks localized success was not exploited. The Confederate army continued its withdrawal during the night in the direction of Richmond and he also ordered Brig. Gen. William B. Franklins division to board transport ships on the York River in an attempt to move upstream, by May 5, Johnstons army was making slow progress on muddy roads and Stonemans cavalry was skirmishing with Brig. Gen. J. E. B. Brig. Gen. Joseph Hookers 2nd division of the III Corps was the infantry in the Union Army advance. It assaulted Fort Magruder and a line of pits and smaller fortifications that extended in an arc south-west from the fort. Hooker had expected Brig. Gen. William F. Baldy Smiths 2nd Division of the IV Corps, marching north on the Yorktown Road, to hear the sound of battle, however, Smith had been halted by Sumner more than a mile away from Hookers position. He had been concerned that the Confederates would leave their fortifications, longstreets men did leave their fortifications, but they attacked Hooker, not Smith or Sumner. The brigade of Brig. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox applied strong pressure to Hookers line, the Confederates were pushed off the Lees Mill Road and back into the woods and the abatis of their defensive positions. There, sharp firefights occurred until late in the afternoon, Early and posted them on the grounds of the College of William and Mary. Hearing the sounds of Union artillery, Early and Hill hurried in that direction and he personally led the 24th Virginia Infantry on a futile assault and was wounded by a bullet through the shoulder. Hancock had been ordered repeatedly by Sumner to withdraw his command back to Cub Creek, as the 24th Virginia charged, D. H. Hill emerged from the woods leading one of Earlys other regiments, the 5th North Carolina. He called off the assault after it had begun, but Hancock ordered a counterattack, the North Carolinians suffered 302 casualties, the Virginians 508. Brig. Gen. John J. Pecks brigade of Brig. Gen. Darius N, the morale of Hookers troops had been affected terribly by the loss of Captain Charles H. Webbers Battery H of the 1st U. S. Light Artillery and Captain Walter M. Bramhalls 6th Battery of the New York Light Artillery, Pecks arrival on the field and his brigades recovery of Bramhalls battery came at a critical moment for Hookers division, which was on the verge of retreat. The Northern press portrayed the battle as a victory for the Federal army, mcClellan miscategorized it as a brilliant victory over superior forces. However, the defense of Williamsburg was seen by the South as a means of delaying the Federals, Confederate casualties, including the cavalry skirmishing on May 4, were 1,682
Battle of Williamsburg
–
Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan, USA
Battle of Williamsburg
–
Battle of Williamsburg, by Kurz and Allison, 1893.
Battle of Williamsburg
–
Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston, CSA
Battle of Williamsburg
–
McClellan arriving at the battle, as depicted by
Currier and Ives.
16.
Battle of Hanover Court House
–
The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27,1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. On May 27, elements of Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porters V Corps extended north to protect the flank of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellans Union Army of the Potomac, Porters objective was to deal with a Confederate force near Hanover Court House, which threatened the avenue of approach for Union reinforcements that were marching south from Fredericksburg. The smaller Confederate force, under Colonel Lawrence OBryan Branch, was defeated at Peakes Crossing after a disorganized fight. The Union victory was moot, however, for the Union reinforcements were recalled to Fredericksburg upon word of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Bankss rout in the Shenandoah Valley at First Winchester. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston withdrew his 60, 000-man army from the Virginia Peninsula as McClellans army pursued him, Johnstons men burned most of the bridges over the Chickahominy and settled into strong defensive positions north and east of the city. McClellan positioned his 105, 000-man army to focus on the northeast sector, for two reasons, First, the Pamunkey River, which ran roughly parallel to the Chickahominy, offered a line of communication that could enable McClellan to get around Johnstons left flank. The Army of the Potomac pushed slowly up the Pamunkey, establishing bases at Elthams Landing, Cumberland Landing. White House, the plantation of W. H. F, rooney Lee, son of General Robert E. Lee, became McClellans base of operations. Using the Richmond and York River Railroad, McClellan could bring his siege artillery to the outskirts of Richmond. He moved slowly and deliberately, reacting to faulty intelligence led him to believe the Confederates outnumbered him significantly. By the end of May, the army had built bridges across the Chickahominy and was facing Richmond, straddling the river, with one third of the Army south of the river, two thirds north. If this were true, it would threaten the right flank. A Union cavalry reconnaissance adjusted the estimate of the strength to be 6,000. McClellan ordered his close friend, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter, commander of the newly formed V Corps and they had departed from Gordonsville to guard the Virginia Central Railroad, taking up position at Peakes Crossing,4 miles southwest of the courthouse, near Slash Church. Another Confederate brigade was stationed 10 miles north at Hanover Junction, Porters men approached Peakes Crossing in a driving rain. At about noon on May 27, his element, the 25th New York Infantry. This movement exposed the rear of Porters command to attack by the bulk of Branchs force, Branch also made a poor assumption—that Porters force was significantly smaller than it turned out to be—and attacked
Battle of Hanover Court House
–
Commencement of the battle of Hanover Ct. House. 1:45 PM.
Alfred R. Waud, artist, May 27, 1862.
17.
Seven Days Battles
–
The Seven Days Battles were a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1,1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, McClellan, away from Richmond and into a retreat down the Virginia Peninsula. The series of battles is sometimes known erroneously as the Seven Days Campaign, McClellans Army of the Potomac continued its retreat toward the safety of Harrisons Landing on the James River. Lees final opportunity to intercept the Union Army was at the Battle of Glendale on June 30, at the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, Lee launched futile frontal assaults and suffered heavy casualties in the face of strong infantry and artillery defenses. The Seven Days ended with McClellans army in relative safety next to the James River, Lees army, which had been on the offensive during the Seven Days, lost over 20,000. As Lee became convinced that McClellan would not resume his threat against Richmond, he moved north for the Northern Virginia Campaign, the Peninsula Campaign was the unsuccessful attempt by McClellan to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond and end the war. It started in March 1862, when McClellan landed his army at Fort Monroe and moved northwest, Magruders defensive position on the Warwick Line caught McClellan by surprise. His hopes for a quick advance foiled, McClellan ordered his army to prepare for a siege of Yorktown, just before the siege preparations were completed, the Confederates, now under the direct command of Johnston, began a withdrawal toward Richmond. The first heavy fighting of the campaign occurred in the Battle of Williamsburg, in which the Union troops managed some tactical victories, an amphibious flanking movement to Elthams Landing was ineffective in cutting off the Confederate retreat. In the Battle of Drewrys Bluff, an attempt by the United States Navy to reach Richmond by way of the James River was repulsed, the battle was inconclusive, with heavy casualties, but it had lasting effects on the campaign. Johnston was wounded and replaced on June 1 by the more aggressive Robert E. Lee and it was developed at a meeting on June 23. The Union Army straddled the rain-swollen Chickahominy River, with the bulk of the army, four corps, arrayed in a semicircular line south of the river. Lees plan was to cross the Chickahominy with the bulk of his army to attack the Union north flank, leaving only two divisions to hold a line of entrenchments against McClellans superior strength. This would concentrate about 65,500 troops to oppose 30,000, leaving only 25,000 to protect Richmond, the Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart had reconnoitered Porters right flank—as part of a daring but militarily dubious circumnavigation of the entire Union Army from June 12 to 15—and found it vulnerable, following this, Longstreet and D. H. Hill would pass through Mechanicsville and join the battle. Huger and Magruder would provide diversions on their fronts to distract McClellan as to Lees real intentions and he had received intelligence that Lee was prepared to move and that the arrival of Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jacksons force from the Shenandoah Valley was imminent. He decided to resume the offensive before Lee could, anticipating Jacksons reinforcements marching from the north, he increased cavalry patrols on likely avenues of approach. He wanted to advance his siege artillery about a mile and a closer to the city by taking the high ground on Nine Mile Road around Old Tavern
Seven Days Battles
–
McClellan and Lee of the Seven Days
Seven Days Battles
–
Brig. Gen.
Samuel P. Heintzelman
Seven Days Battles
–
Brig. Gen.
Erasmus D. Keyes
Seven Days Battles
–
Brig. Gen.
Fitz John Porter
18.
Battle of Oak Grove
–
Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan advanced his lines with the objective of bringing Richmond within range of his siege guns. Two Union divisions of the III Corps attacked across the headwaters of White Oak Swamp, McClellan, who was 3 miles in the rear, initially telegraphed to call off the attack, but ordered another attack over the same ground when he arrived at the front. Union troops gained only 600 yards, at a cost of over a thousand casualties on both sides. Following the stalemate at the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31 and June 1,1862, McClellan received intelligence that Lee was prepared to move and that the arrival of Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jacksons force from the Shenandoah Valley was imminent. McClellan decided to resume the offensive before Lee could, anticipating Jacksons reinforcements marching from the north, he increased cavalry patrols on likely avenues of approach. He wanted to advance his siege artillery about a mile and a closer to the city by taking the high ground on Nine Mile Road around Old Tavern. In preparation for that, he planned an attack on Oak Grove, south of Old Tavern and the Richmond and York River Railroad, which would position his men to attack Old Tavern from two directions. Known locally for a stand of oak trees, Oak Grove was the site of Maj. Gen. D. H. Hills assault at Seven Pines on May 31 and had seen numerous clashes between pickets since that time. The attack was planned to advance to the west, along the axis of the Williamsburg Road, between the two armies was a small, dense forest,1,200 yards wide, bisected by the headwaters of White Oak Swamp. Two divisions of the III Corps were selected for the assault, facing them was the division of Confederate Maj. Gen. Benjamin Huger. June 25, three Union brigades stepped off in line of battle. From right to left, they were commanded by Brig. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, Brig. Gen. Cuvier Grover, Huger took advantage of the confusion by launching a counterattack with the brigade of Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright against Grovers brigade. Adding to the confusion, one of Wrights Georgia regiments wore red Zouave uniforms, many of Grovers men believed that only the Union Army had Zouave units, so were reluctant to fire on their own men. When they finally realized that Union troops would not be approaching from the direction of Richmond and he telegraphed that he would be arriving at the front in person, which caused a 2.5 hour lull in the action. At 1 p. m. seeing that the situation was not as bad as he had feared, the minor battle was McClellans only tactical offensive action against Richmond. His attack gained only 600 yards at a cost of over 1,000 casualties on both sides and was not strong enough to derail the offensive planned by Robert E. Lee, the Longest Night, A Military History of the Civil War. New York, Simon & Schuster,2001, 2nd ed. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co.1998. The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide, to the Gates of Richmond, The Peninsula Campaign
Battle of Oak Grove
–
Old Tavern area
19.
Battle of Beaver Dam Creek
–
It was the start of Confederate General Robert E. Lees counter-offensive against the Union Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, which threatened the Confederate capital of Richmond, Lee attempted to turn the Union right flank, north of the Chickahominy River, with troops under Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson, but Jackson failed to arrive on time. Confederate attacks were driven back with heavy casualties, Porter withdrew his corps safely to Gaines Mill. After the Battle of Seven Pines, on May 31 and June 1, McClellan, Lee, newly appointed commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, devoted this period to reorganizing his army and preparing a counter-attack. Stonewall Jackson arrived on June 25 from the Shenandoah Valley following his successful Valley Campaign. He brought four divisions, his own, now commanded by Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder, whiting, and Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill. The Union Army straddled the rain-swollen Chickahominy River, four of the Armys five corps were arrayed in a semicircular line south of the river. The V Corps under Brig. Gen. Porter was north of the river near Mechanicsville in an L-shaped line running north-south behind Beaver Dam Creek, Lee moved most of his army north of the Chickahominy to attack the Union north flank. He left only two divisions to face the Union main body and this concentrated about 65,000 troops against 30,000, leaving only 25,000 to protect Richmond against the other 60,000 men of the Union army. It was a plan that required careful execution, but Lee knew that he could not win in a battle of attrition or siege against the Union army. The Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. J. E. B, stuart had reconnoitered Porters right flank as part of a daring circumnavigation of the entire Union army from June 12 to June 15 and found it vulnerable. Stuarts forces burned a couple of Union supply ships and was able to much of McClellans armys strength. McClellan was aware of Jacksons arrival and presence at Ashland Station, Lees plan called for Jackson to begin the attack on Porters north flank early on June 26. Maj. Gen. A. P. Hills Light Division was to advance from Meadow Bridge when he heard Jacksons guns, clear the Union pickets from Mechanicsville, and then move to Beaver Dam Creek. D. H. Hill and James Longstreet were to pass through Mechanicsville, D. H. Hill to support Jackson and Longstreet to support A. P. Hill. Lee expected Jacksons flanking movement to force Porter to abandon his line behind the creek, south of the Chickahominy, Magruder and Huger were to demonstrate, deceiving the four Union corps on their front. Lees intricate plan went awry immediately, Jacksons men, fatigued from their recent campaign and lengthy march, ran at least four hours behind schedule. A. P. Hill grew impatient and began his attack without orders, Brig. Gen. George A. McCalls Union division was forced back
Battle of Beaver Dam Creek
–
Seven Days Battles, June 26–27, 1862
20.
Battle of White Oak Swamp
–
The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30,1862 in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. White Oak Swamp is generally considered to be part of the larger Glendale engagement, because of this resistance from Brig. Gen. William B. McClellans Army of the Potomac continued its retreat toward the safety of Harrisons Landing on the James River, most elements of McClellans army had been able to cross White Oak Swamp Creek by noon on June 30. About one third of the army had reached the James River, Lee ordered his Army of Northern Virginia to converge on the retreating Union forces, bottlenecked on the inadequate road network. Stonewall Jackson had acquired fame for his brilliant campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, perhaps too fatigued from his campaign and travel from the Valley, he arrived late at Mechanicsville and inexplicably ordered his men to bivouac for the night within clear earshot of the battle. He was late and disoriented at Gainess Mill and he was late again at Savages Station. The upcoming action in support of Lees assault at Glendale would offer him another opportunity, the last Union unit to travel south through White Oak Swamp, and thus Jacksons target, was the VI Corps under Brig. Gen. William B. Franklin, consisting of the divisions of Brig, William F. Baldy Smith and Israel B. Jacksons men marched south on the White Oak Road with their chief, Colonel Stapleton Crutchfield. They marched slowly because they were accompanied by thousands of wounded Union prisoners and they found that the single bridge over the swamp had been burned two hours earlier. At 2 p. m. on June 30, seven Confederate batteries of 31 guns opened fire, catching the Union troops by surprise and disabling several of their cannons. As the men and horses waded through water that was deep and fouled with debris, Jackson. A Union artillery shell exploded only a few feet away from the generals mounted on horseback, Jackson saw that Union artillery and infantry was reinforcing the position, and that Federal sharpshooters would play havoc with his engineers on the bridge. He realized that this was not a place that he could make an opposed crossing, munford reported that he found a ford a quarter of a mile downstream that would be suitable for the infantry to cross. Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton found a point at which a simple bridge could be built for infantry. Jackson ordered him to build the bridge, but took no action to cross the swamp. Jacksons inaction allowed some units to be detached from Franklins corps in late afternoon to reinforce the Union troops at Glendale, Jackson did not inform Lee of his situation and Lee did not send anyone to find Jackson until it was too late to make a difference. Although Jacksons wing of the Army and Franklins corps comprised tens of thousands of men, after dinner with his staff that night, Jackson fell asleep again, with a biscuit clenched between his teeth
Battle of White Oak Swamp
–
Battle at White Oak Swamp Bridge
Alfred R. Waud, artist, June 1862.
21.
Battle of Glendale
–
The Confederate divisions of Maj. Gens. Benjamin Huger, James Longstreet, and A. P. Hill converged on the retreating Union Army in the vicinity of Glendale or Fraysers Farm, longstreets and Hills attacks penetrated the Union defense near Willis Church. Union counterattacks sealed the break and saved their line of retreat along the Willis Church Road, hugers advance was stopped on the Charles City Road. The divisions led by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson were delayed by Brig. Gen. William B, franklins corps at White Oak Swamp. Confederate Maj. Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes made an attempt to attack the Union left flank at Turkey Bridge but was driven back. This had been Lees best chance to cut off the Union army from the James River and that night, the Union army established a strong position on Malvern Hill. McClellans Army of the Potomac continued its retreat toward the safety of Harrisons Landing on the James River, after Gainess Mill, McClellan left his army with no clear instructions on routes of withdrawal and without naming a second-in-command. Most elements of the army had been able to cross White Oak Swamp Creek by noon on June 30, about one third of the army had reached the James River, but the remainder was still marching between White Oak Swamp and Glendale. After inspecting the line of march that morning, McClellan rode south, Lee ordered his Army of Northern Virginia to converge on the retreating Union forces, bottlenecked on the inadequate road network. The Army of the Potomac, lacking overall command coherence, presented a discontinuous, ragged defensive line. Hugers division would strike first after a march on the Charles City Road, supported by Longstreet and A. P. Hill, whose divisions were about 7 miles to the west. Holmes was ordered to cannonade retreating Federals near Malvern Hill, as with most of the Seven Days Battles, Lees plan was poorly executed. Huger was slowed by felled trees obstructing the Charles City Road, Huger had his men spend hours chopping a new road through the thick woods in what became known as the Battle of the Axes. He failed to any alternative route, and, fearing a counterattack. By 4 p. m. Lee ordered Maj. Gen. John B, magruder to join Holmes on the River Road and attack Malvern Hill, the left flank of the Union line, then ordered him to assist Longstreet, so his division spent the day countermarching. Jacksons presence did cause two of Brig. Gen. John Sedgwicks three brigades, which had been defending the Charles City crossroads, to north as reinforcements. McCalls division had stopped at Charles City Crossroads on its march to rejoin Porter, the gap in the line by Sedgwick was noticed and plugged by his three brigades. Holmess inexperienced troops made no progress against Porter at Turkey Bridge and Malvern Hill and were repulsed by fire and by the Federal gunboats Galena
Battle of Glendale
–
1864 engraving depicting the fight over McCall's artillery at Glendale.
Battle of Glendale
–
Monday's fight. The battle of Charles City road.
Alfred R. Waud, artist, June 30, 1862.
22.
Battle of Malvern Hill
–
Including inactive reserves, more than fifty thousand soldiers from each side took part, using more than two hundred pieces of artillery and three warships. Confederate commander-in-chief Joseph E. Johnston fended off McClellans repeated attempts to take the city, when Johnston was wounded, Lee took command and launched a series of counterattacks, collectively called the Seven Days Battles. These attacks culminated in the action on Malvern Hill, the Unions V Corps, commanded by Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter, took up positions on the hill on June 30. Confederate preparations were hindered by several mishaps, Magruder and D. H. Hill, respectively. In each phase, the effectiveness of the Federal artillery was the factor, repulsing attack after attack. After the battle, McClellan and his forces withdrew from Malvern Hill to Harrisons Landing and his plan to capture Richmond had been thwarted. These errors provided Union forces with an opportunity to inflict heavy casualties, in the aftermath of the battle, however, the Confederate press heralded Lee as the savior of Richmond. In stark contrast, McClellan was accused of being absent from the battlefield, in spring 1862, Union commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan developed an ambitious plan to capture Richmond, the Confederate capital, on the Virginia Peninsula. The bold and sweeping landing was executed with few incidents, when McClellans army finally did attack on May 4, the defensive earthworks around Yorktown were undefended. After some hours, the Army of the Potomac pursued the retreating Confederates, when Union troops encountered the Confederate rearguard at Williamsburg, the two armies fought an inconclusive battle. The Confederates continued their withdrawal that night, to stymie the Southerners retreat, McClellan sent Brig. Gen. William F. Baldy Smith to Elthams Landing by boat, resulting in a battle there on May 7. When the Union Army tried to attack Richmond by way of the James River, all the while, McClellan continued his pursuit of Confederate forces, who were withdrawing quickly towards Richmond. The lack of action on the Virginia Peninsula spurred President Abraham Lincoln to order McClellans army to move into positions close to Richmond. By May 30, McClellan had begun moving troops across the Chickahominy River, however, heavy rains and thunderstorms on the night of May 30 caused the water level to swell, washing away two bridges and splitting the Federal army in two across the Chickahominy. Johnstons plan fell apart, and McClellan lost no ground, late in the battle, Johnston was hit in the right shoulder by a bullet and in the chest by a shell fragment, his command went to Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith. Smiths tenure as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia was short, the subsequent two weeks on the peninsula were mostly quiet. On June 25, though, an attack by McClellan began a series of six major battles over the next week near Richmond—the Seven Days Battles. On the first day, as Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia toward the Union lines, Lees men successfully warded off the Union assault, and Lee continued with his plans
Battle of Malvern Hill
–
A watercolor of the Battle of Malvern Hill by
Robert Sneden
Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
–
The gentle slope of the hill has been cleared to show the open ground in front of the Union cannon, as it was originally.
23.
Virginia Peninsula
–
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the Lower Peninsula to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the north, the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck and it is the site of historic Jamestown, founded in 1607 as the first English settlement in North America. Geographically located at the northwestern reaches, Charles City and New Kent counties are part of the Virginia Peninsula, in the 21st century, they are also considered part of the Richmond-Petersburg region. The rest of the Virginia Peninsula is all part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, the Hampton Roads MSA is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name. It is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the Southeast and the 32nd largest in the United States, the land portion of Hampton Roads has been historically divided into two regions, the Virginia Peninsula or Peninsula on the north side, and South Hampton Roads on the south side. More recently, the boundaries of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area have expanded to include the two southernmost counties of the Middle Peninsula, across the York River from the Virginia Peninsula. Early in the 16th century, Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to see the Chesapeake Bay and they were searching for the Northwest Passage to India and the Orient. They named the now known as Virginia, as Ajacán. The Spanish succeeded in founding a settlement in the New World in 1565 at St. Augustine. It was the first founded by Europeans in what is now the United States and they established small Spanish outposts along the eastern coast into present-day Georgia and the Carolinas. The northern-most post was Santa Elena, from there Juan Pardo was commissioned to lead expeditions into the interior, founding Fort San Juan in 1567-1568 at the regional Mississippian culture chiefdom of Joara. Located in present-day western North Carolina, this was the first European settlement in the interior of North America, the first permanent English settlement in North America was established in 1607 at Jamestown. The first continuously occupied settlement was at Kecoughtan in Elizabeth City County what is now the City of Hampton, nearby, Fort Monroe, the countrys oldest military base still in use is located at Old Point Comfort. Old Point Comfort is also the site of the first landing of Africans in America, after declaring independence from Great Britain, Virginias first state capital was Williamsburg. Also, the battle of the American Revolution, the siege of Yorktown in 1781. At the outset of the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Hampton Roads between the first ironclad warships took place near the mouth of the James River off the tip of Warwick County. The 1862 Siege of Yorktown took place along the York River, finally, after a lengthy standoff, the largest Union Army of the war under General George B. As the region and Virginia rebuilt during Reconstruction, the Chesapeake, however, the tidal portion of the James River, while navigable from Hampton Roads to the fall line at Richmond, couldnt accommodate the deep drafts of collier ships
Virginia Peninsula
–
This 1996 satellite photo shows
Hampton Roads, with the lower (southeastern) end of Virginia Peninsula filling most of the top half of the image
Virginia Peninsula
–
The Virginia Peninsula is highlighted in orange
Virginia Peninsula
–
James River Bridge, viewed from Huntington Park Beach
Virginia Peninsula
–
Two F-22A turn in on final approach to Langley Air Force Base
24.
Union Army
–
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
Union Army
–
The
21st Michigan Infantry, a company of
William Tecumseh Sherman 's army
Union Army
–
Flag of the United States from 1863 until 1865.
Union Army
–
Recruiting poster for the First Battalion, New York Mounted Rifles
Union Army
–
Noncommissioned officers of the 93rd New York Infantry
25.
Major general (United States)
–
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general, a major general typically commands division-sized units of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy. The United States Code explicitly limits the number of general officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty general officers is capped at 231 for the Army,61 for the Marine Corps, some of these slots are reserved or finitely set by statute. This promotion board then generates a list of officers it recommends for promotion to general rank and this list is then sent to the service secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for review before it can be sent to the President, through the Secretary of Defense for consideration. The President nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the Secretary of Defense, the secretary, and if applicable. The President may nominate any eligible officer who is not on the recommended list if it serves in the interest of the nation, the Senate must then confirm the nominee by a majority vote before the officer can be promoted. Once confirmed, the nominee is promoted to rank on assuming a position of office that requires an officer to hold the rank. For positions of office that are reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position, since the grade of major general is permanent, the rank does not expire when the officer vacates a two-star position. Tour length varies depending on the position, by statute, and/or when the officer receives a new assignment or a promotion, in the case of the Air National Guard, they may also serve as The Adjutant General for their state, commonwealth or territory. Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement of general officers, all major generals must retire after five years in grade or 35 years of service, whichever is later, unless appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise, all officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, the Secretary of Defense may defer a general officers retirement until the officers 66th birthday, because there are a finite number of General Officer positions, one officer must retire before another can be promoted. As a result, general officers typically retire well in advance of the age and service limits. The rank of general was abolished in the U. S. Army by the Act of March 16,1802. Major general has been a rank in the U. S. Army ever since, to address this anomaly, Washington was posthumously promoted by Congress to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States in 1976. The position of Major General Commanding the Army was entitled to three stars according to General Order No.6 of March 13,1861
Major general (United States)
–
Lafayette in a uniform of a major general of the Continental Army.
Major general (United States)
–
Army,
Air Force, and
Marine Corps two-star
insignia of the rank of Major General. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.
26.
Richmond, Virginia
–
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond Region and it was incorporated in 1742, and has been an independent city since 1871. As of the 2010 census, the population was 204,214, in 2015, the population was estimated to be 220,289, the Richmond Metropolitan Area has a population of 1,260,029, the third-most populous metro in the state. Richmond is located at the line of the James River,44 miles west of Williamsburg,66 miles east of Charlottesville. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, Major suburbs include Midlothian to the southwest, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west and Mechanicsville to the northeast. The site of Richmond had been an important village of the Powhatan Confederacy, and was settled by English colonists from Jamestown in 1609. The present city of Richmond was founded in 1737 and it became the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, the city entered the 20th century with one of the worlds first successful electric streetcar systems. The Jackson Ward neighborhood is a hub of African-American commerce. Richmonds economy is driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state. Dominion Resources and MeadWestvaco, Fortune 500 companies, are headquartered in the city, in 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid. The settlement was laid out in April 1737, and was incorporated as a town in 1742, Richmond recovered quickly from the war, and by 1782 was once again a thriving city. A permanent home for the new government, the Virginia State Capitol building, was designed by Thomas Jefferson with the assistance of Charles-Louis Clérisseau, after the American Revolutionary War, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center. The legacy of the canal boatmen is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag, on April 17,1861, five days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, the legislature voted to secede from the United States and joined the Confederacy. Official action came in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its capital to Richmond. It became the target of Union armies, especially in the campaigns of 1862. The Seven Days Battles followed in late June and early July 1862, during which Union General McClellan threatened to take Richmond, three years later, as March 1865 ended, the Confederate capitol became indefensible. On March 25, Confederate General John B, gordons desperate attack on Fort Stedman east of Petersburg failed
Richmond, Virginia
–
Top: Skyline above the falls of the
James River Middle:
St. John's Episcopal Church,
Jackson Ward,
Monument Avenue. Bottom:
Virginia State Capitol,
Main Street Station
Richmond, Virginia
–
Patrick Henry delivered his "Liberty or Death" speech at
St. John's Church in Richmond, helping to ignite the American Revolution.
Richmond, Virginia
–
Retreating Confederates burned one-fourth of Richmond in April 1865
Richmond, Virginia
–
By the early 20th century, Richmond had an extensive network of electric streetcars, as shown here crossing the Mayo Bridge across the James River, ca. 1917.
27.
Confederate States Army
–
The Confederate States Army was the military ground force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. S. Military Academy and colonel of a regiment during the Mexican War. In March 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a more permanent Confederate States Army, the better estimates of the number of individual Confederate soldiers are between 750,000 and 1,000,000 men. This does not include a number of slaves who were pressed into performing various tasks for the army, such as construction of fortifications. Since these figures include estimates of the number of individual soldiers who served at any time during the war. These numbers do not include men who served in Confederate naval forces, although most of the soldiers who fought in the American Civil War were volunteers, both sides by 1862 resorted to conscription, primarily as a means to force men to register and to volunteer. In the absence of records, estimates of the percentage of Confederate soldiers who were draftees are about double the 6 percent of Union soldiers who were conscripts. Confederate casualty figures also are incomplete and unreliable, one estimate of Confederate wounded, which is considered incomplete, is 194,026. These numbers do not include men who died from causes such as accidents. Other Confederate forces surrendered between April 16,1865 and June 28,1865, by the end of the war, more than 100,000 Confederate soldiers had deserted. The Confederacys government effectively dissolved when it fled Richmond in April, by the time Abraham Lincoln took office as President of the United States on March 4,1861, the seven seceding slave states had formed the Confederate States. The Confederacy seized federal property, including nearly all U. S. Army forts, Lincoln was determined to hold the forts remaining under U. S. control when he took office, especially Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Under orders from Confederate President Jefferson Davis, C. S. troops under the command of General P. G. T, Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12–13,1861, forcing its capitulation on April 14. The Northern states were outraged by the Confederacys attack and demanded war and it rallied behind Lincolns call on April 15, for all the states to send troops to recapture the forts from the secessionists, to put down the rebellion and to preserve the Union intact. Four more slave states joined the Confederacy. The Confederate Congress provided for a Confederate army patterned after the United States Army and it was to consist of a large provisional force to exist only in time of war and a small permanent regular army. Although the two forces were to exist concurrently, very little was done to organize the Confederate regular army, the Provisional Army of the Confederate States began organizing on April 27. Virtually all regular, volunteer, and conscripted men preferred to enter this organization since officers could achieve a rank in the Provisional Army than they could in the Regular Army
Confederate States Army
–
Private
Edwin Francis Jemison, whose image became one of the most famous portraits of the young soldiers of the war
Confederate States Army
–
CSA M1857 Napoleon Artillery Piece
Confederate States Army
–
General
Robert Edward Lee, famous Southern General
Confederate States Army
–
Confederate artillery at Charleston Harbor, 1863
28.
Chickahominy River
–
The Chickahominy is an 87-mile-long river in the eastern portion of the U. S. state of Virginia. The river which serves as the border of Charles City County rises about 15 miles northwest of Richmond and flows southeast. The river was named after the Chickahominy Indian tribe who lived near the river when it was claimed by English colonists in 1607 and whose descendants live in Charles City, during the American Civil War, the upper reaches became a major obstacle to Union General George B. McClellans Peninsula Campaign, an attempt in 1862 to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. Docile, narrow, and relatively easily crossed during dry weather, after periods of rain, the Chickahominy was in flood stage and divided the Union Army during crucial periods, despite continuous efforts to build and maintain bridges by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Other battles were fought again in 1864. It serves as a border for the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area, the Chickahominy River is a Coastal Plain tributary to the James River with headwaters northwest of Richmond. For its first 15 miles the Chickahominy flows over igneous and metamorphic bedrock of the Piedmont, the low-gradient Chickahominy sluggishly flows through broad swampy lowlands for 40 miles from Henrico County to eastern New Kent County. 4 miles southeast of Providence Forge the Chickahominy River becomes an estuary, when sea level was higher during warmer periods in the Pleistocene the Chickahominy was a much broader river. The ancient riverbanks and meander loops are still recognizable, as sea level rose after the last glacial interval the Chickahominy has also risen causing old flood plains and valleys to be backfilled as marshes. In 1607, Captain John Smith, one of the Jamestown settlers, there, he was captured by warriors of the Chickahominy tribe and taken to meet Chief Powhatan, an event that led to his legendary rescue by Powhatans daughter, Matoaka. In the 19th century, the Chickahominy was bordered in places by swampy forests. At such times, the rivers normally narrow path could grow to be as much as a mile wide and this small river became a major obstacle and natural force to be dealt with during the American Civil War. The Confederates then retreated northwest and crossed the Chickahominy near the point where New Kent, Henrico, a portion of the Union army followed them, while other portions remained east of the river. The Union army was cut in two, for though the two halves were only a short distance apart, their only means of reaching each other was by a bridge many miles away. The attack was made in two places, at the station of Fair Oaks and at the crossroads of Seven Pines. The next day the attack was renewed at Fair Oaks, but the Confederates were again defeated and it is surmised that if General McClellan had followed them into Richmond, he would have probably taken the city. Instead, he advanced slowly and cautiously, thinking the Confederate forces there were much larger, the slow advance gave the Confederates time to build forts and to receive reinforcements
Chickahominy River
–
The Chickahominy -
Sumner 's Upper Bridge: 1862 watercolour by William McIlvaine.
Chickahominy River
–
Map of the James River watershed with the Chickahominy highlighted
Chickahominy River
–
Cannons that were used and are located at the
Battle of Malvern Hill
Chickahominy River
–
Military bridge across Chickahominy
29.
IV Corps (Union Army)
–
There were two corps of the Union Army called IV Corps during the American Civil War. The IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, was created on March 13,1862, and placed under the command of Erasmus D. Keyes and it consisted initially of three divisions, under Darius N. Couch, Silas Casey, and William F. “Baldy” Smith. Couchs division was transferred to join VI Corps during the Antietam Campaign, the corps peak strength was 37,000 men. The corps took part in George B, mcClellans Peninsula Campaign of 1862, playing a major role in repulsing Confederate attacks at Seven Pines and Malvern Hill. After the campaign, IV Corps remained on the Peninsula, with Couchs division later detached, the corps was attached to the Department of Virginia under John A. Dix, and took part in minor diversionary actions against Richmond during the Gettysburg Campaign. The corps was discontinued on August 1,1863. Elements of IV Corps were later absorbed into XVIII Corps and this corps was created on October 10,1863, from the remnants of XX and XXI Corps, both of which had suffered heavy casualties at Chickamauga. It was initially commanded by Gordon Granger and its commanders were Philip Sheridan, Charles Cruft. It served with distinction in the famous unordered attack on Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga, when the force Thomas commanded at Nashville was divided, he was left in command only of the IV Corps and cavalry under James H. Wilson and George Stoneman. The IV Corps was ordered to block the passes and prevent a potential retreat by Lees army into the mountains. Records differ regarding the history of the corps. Two sources report that it was deactivated on August 1,1865, stanleys personnel records indicate he commanded the Central District of Texas in June and July 1865, so a corps commander for the entire disputed period cannot be identified. Eicher, John H. & Eicher, David J. Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press,2001, fox, William F. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, reprinted by Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, Ohio,1993, ISBN 0-685-72194-9. Phisterer, Frederick, Statistical Record of the Armies of the United States, Castle Books,1883, ISBN 0-7858-1585-6
IV Corps (Union Army)
–
Union Army 1st Division Badge, IV Corps
30.
III Corps (Union Army)
–
There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War. Three were short-lived, In the Army of Virginia, a designation of the command better known as I Corps, Irvin McDowell. Ricketts, Joseph Hooker In the Army of the Ohio, Charles C. Gilbert In the Army of the Cumberland, Charles C. Gilbert The other, the III Corps, Army of the Potomac, is the subject of this article. The III Corps included in its organization the famous Kearny Division, also, Hookers Division, the Excelsior Brigade, the Second Jersey Brigade and its brilliant record is closely interwoven with the history of the Virginia campaigns of 1862–1863, in which it fought during two eventful years. The Corps was organized March 13,1862, commanded by Major General Samuel P. Heintzelman, with Generals Joseph Hooker, Charles S. Hamilton, and Fitz John Porter as its three division commanders. It was immediately ordered to join the Peninsula Campaign, Hamiltons Division embarking on March 17, and leading the advance of the Army of the Potomac on that memorable campaign. During the siege of Yorktown the corps was at its maximum, the reports of April 30 showing an aggregate of 39,710, with 64 pieces of light artillery. But this aggregate was maintained only briefly, as Porters Division was taken soon after to form part of the newly organized V Corps. Hamilton was relieved on April 30, and General Philip Kearny took his place, upon the evacuation of Yorktown, the III Corps led the pursuit of the retreating enemy, attacking them at Williamsburg on May 5, with Hookers and Kearnys Divisions. The two divisions numbered about 17,000 effectives, out of the 18,205 reported as present for duty. At Fair Oaks, its battle,209 were killed,945 wounded. The heaviest loss occurred in John C, robinsons Brigade of Kearnys Division, the 1st New York, Berrys Brigade, also encountered a hot fire at Glendale. Upon the withdrawal from the front of Richmond, the III Corps accompanied the Army of the Potomac to Manassas, the corps left Harrisons Bar on August 14, and, marching to Yorktown, embarked on August 20 for Alexandria. It arrived at Warrenton Junction on August 26, and on the day the Excelsior Brigade had a sharp fight at Bristoe Station. On August 29, the corps was engaged at Groveton, cuvier Grovers Brigade, of Hookers Division, fought desperately at the railroad embankment, in which the use of bayonets and clubbed muskets was officially reported. On the September 1, Kearnys Division was engaged at Chantilly, Birneys Brigade taking a prominent part, Kearny was killed in this action. The losses of the corps at Manassas, including Bristoe, Groveton, and Chantilly, amounted to 260 killed,1,525 wounded, and 453 missing, total,2,238. Hookers Division numbered fully 10,000 men at Yorktown, and received a reinforcement of about 3,000 more, after Manassas, the arduous nature of its campaigns, as well as the bullets of the enemy, had told sadly on its numbers
III Corps (Union Army)
–
Daniel Sickles and staff after the Battle of Gettysburg
31.
John Sedgwick
–
John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an assault, causing him to miss the Battle of Fredericksburg. Under his command, the VI Corps played an important role in the Chancellorsville Campaign by engaging Confederate troops at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and his corps was the last to arrive at the Battle of Gettysburg, and thus did not see much action. He is well remembered for his ironic last words, They couldnt hit an elephant at this distance, Sedgwick was born in the Litchfield Hills town of Cornwall, Connecticut. He was named after his grandfather, John Sedgwick, an American Revolutionary War general who served with George Washington. S and he fought in the Seminole Wars and received two brevet promotions in the Mexican-American War, to captain for Contreras and Churubusco, and to major for Chapultepec. After returning from Mexico he transferred to the cavalry and served in Kansas, in the Utah War, in the summer and fall of 1860, Sedgwick commanded an expedition to establish a new fort on the Platte River in what is now Colorado. This was a location with no railroads, and all supplies having to be carried long distances by riverboat. Even though many of these failed to arrive, Sedgwick still managed to erect comfortable stone buildings for his men before the cold weather set in. At the start of the American Civil War, Sedgwick was serving as a colonel and he missed the early action of the war at the First Battle of Bull Run, recovering from cholera. In Virginia, he fought at Yorktown and Seven Pines and was wounded in the arm and he was promoted to major general on July 4,1862. In the Battle of Antietam, II Corps commander Maj. Gen. Edwin V, sumner impulsively sent Sedgwicks division in a mass assault without proper reconnaissance. His division was engaged by Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson from three sides, was routed, and fell back with half the men it had started with. Sedgwick himself was hit by three bullets, in the wrist, leg, and shoulder, and was out of action until after the Battle of Fredericksburg. From December 26,1862, he led the II Corps and the IX Corps, and then finally the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, his corps faced Fredericksburg in a holding action while Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers other four corps maneuvered against Robert E. Lees left flank. He was slow to action, but eventually crossed the Rappahannock River. At the Battle of Gettysburg, his corps arrived late on July 2 and it was not kept together as a unit during the second and third days of the battle, its brigades scattered around to plug holes in the line. In the 1864 Overland Campaign, the VI Corps was on the Union right at the Battle of the Wilderness, Sedgwick fell at the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, on May 9,1864
John Sedgwick
–
General Sedgwick (seated right) with
Colonels Albert V. Colburn and
Delos B. Sackett in
Harrison's Landing, Virginia, during the
Peninsula Campaign in 1862.
John Sedgwick
–
Sedgwick in the 1860s
John Sedgwick
–
Horse artillery headquarters in
Brandy Station, Virginia, February 1864. Sedgwick stands at the far right between Generals
George G. Meade and
Alfred Torbert, along with staff officers.
John Sedgwick
–
Monument to commemorate the death of General John Sedgwick, Commander of the Union Army VI Corps in the American Civil War, at Spotsylvania National Military Park, Virginia.
32.
Edwin V. Sumner
–
Edwin Vose Sumner was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. His nicknames Bull or Bull Head came both from his booming voice and a legend that a musket ball once bounced off his head. Sumner fought in the Black Hawk War, with distinction in the Mexican–American War, on the Western frontier and he died in March 1863 while awaiting transfer. Sumner was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Elisha Sumner and his early schooling was in Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. In 1819, after losing interest in a career in Troy, New York. He was promoted to first lieutenant on January 25,1825, Sumners military appointment was facilitated by Samuel Appleton Storrow, Judge Advocate Major on the staff of General Jacob Jennings Brown of the Northern department. In recognition of their friendship, Sumner would later name one of his sons Samuel Storrow Sumner. He married Hannah Wickersham Foster on March 31,1822 and they had six children together, Nancy, Margaret Foster, Sarah Montgomery, Mary Heron, Edwin Vose Jr. and Samuel Storrow Sumner. His son Samuel was a general during the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, Sumners daughter, Mary Heron, married General Armistead L. Sumner later served in the Black Hawk War and in various Indian campaigns, on March 4,1833, he was promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to command B Company, the U. S. Dragoon Regiment, immediately upon its creation by Congress. In 1838, he commanded the cavalry instructional establishment at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania and he was assigned to Ft. Atkinson, Iowa Territory, from 1842 until 1845. He was the commander during most of that period. He was promoted to major of the 2nd Dragoons on June 30,1846, during the Mexican–American War, Sumner was brevetted for bravery at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. It was here that he gained the nickname Bull Head because of a story about a ball that bounced off his head during the battle. At the Molino del Rey he received the rank of colonel. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 1st US Dragoons on July 23,1848 and he served as the military governor of the New Mexico Territory from 1851–53, and was promoted to colonel of the 1st U. S. Cavalry on March 3,1855. In 1856 Sumner commanded Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and became involved in the known as Bleeding Kansas. In 1857, as commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, he led an expedition against the Cheyenne
Edwin V. Sumner
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The Chickahominy – Sumner's Upper Bridge: 1862 watercolour by William McIlvaine.
Edwin V. Sumner
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Edwin Vose Sumner photo taken between 1861 and 1863
33.
II Corps (Union Army)
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There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War. Of these five, the one most widely known was the Army of the Potomac formation, the II Corps was prominent by reason of its longer and continuous service, larger organization, hardest fighting, and greatest number of casualties. Of the one hundred regiments in the Union Army that lost the most men in battle, the II Corps also fought in nearly every battle in the main eastern theater, from the 1862 Peninsula Campaign to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. The corps was organized under General Orders No,101, March 21,1862, which assigned Brigadier General Edwin Vose Sumner to its command, and Brigadier Generals Israel B. Richardson, John Sedgwick, and Louis Blenker to the command of its divisions, within three weeks of its organization the corps moved with George B. McClellans Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula Campaign, except for Blenkers division, which was withdrawn on March 31 from McClellans command, Blenkers division never rejoined the corps. The remaining two divisions numbered 21,500 men, of whom 18,000 were present for duty, the casualties of the two divisions in that battle amounted to 196 killed,899 wounded, and 90 missing. In the Seven Days Battles the corps lost 201 killed,1,195 wounded, the corps then marched on the Maryland Campaign, during which Brigadier General William H. Frenchs 3rd Division was added on 10 September 1862. At the Battle of Antietam the corps was engaged, its casualties amounting to more than double that of any other corps on the field. Out of 15,000 effectives, it lost 883 killed,3,859 wounded, and 396 missing, total,5,138. The Irish Brigade, of Richardsons 1st Division, also sustained a loss in its fight at the Bloody Lane. Barlow to lead the 61st and 64th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiments to break through the Confederate line, richardson was killed in this battle, and Sedgwick received three wounds. The next engagement was at the Battle of Fredericksburg, in the meantime Sumner had been promoted to the command of a Grand Division—II and IX Corps—and General Darius N. Couch, a division commander of the IV Corps, was appointed to his place. Brigadier General Winfield S. Hancock succeeded to the command of Richardsons 1st Division, and Brigadier General Oliver O. Howard took Sedgwicks place, the percentage of loss in Hancocks Division was large, Caldwells Brigade losing 46 percent killed and wounded. After Fredericksburg, the Grand Divisions were discontinued and, Sumner retiring on account of age and physical disabilities, Couch led the corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville, with Hancock, John Gibbon, and French as his division commanders. Sedgwick had been promoted to the command of the VI Corps, and Howard, during the fighting at Chancellorsville, Gibbons 2nd Division remained at Fredericksburg, where it supported Sedgwicks operations, but with slight loss. Not long after Chancellorsville, Couch was relieved at his own request, Hancock succeeding to the command of the corps, Caldwell to that of Hancocks Division. At the start of the Gettysburg Campaign, Brigadier General Alexander Hays brigade joined, the fighting was deadly in the extreme, the percentage of loss in the 1st Minnesota of Gibbons Division, being almost without an equal in the records of modern warfare
II Corps (Union Army)
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Army of the Potomac II Corps badge (trefoil)
34.
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
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President Abraham Lincoln sought a general to match Lees boldness, appointing in turn Maj. Gens. McClellan, John Pope, Ambrose Burnside, Joseph Hooker, while Meade gained a decisive victory over Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, it was not until newly appointed general-in-chief Ulysses S. The surrender of Lees army at Appomattox Court House in April 1865 brought major operations in the area to a close. While many of the campaigns and battles were fought in the region of Virginia between Washington, D. C. and Richmond, there were major campaigns fought nearby. The Western Virginia Campaign of 1861 secured Union control over the counties of Virginia. Confederate coastal areas and ports were seized in southeastern Virginia and North Carolina, the Shenandoah Valley was marked by frequent clashes in 1862,1863, and 1864. Lee launched two invasions of Union territory in hopes of influencing Northern opinion to end the war. In the fall of 1862, Lee followed his successful Northern Virginia Campaign with his first invasion, the Maryland Campaign, in the summer of 1863, Lees second invasion, the Gettysburg Campaign, reached into Pennsylvania, farther north than any other major Confederate army. The bloodiest battle of the war and the bloodiest single day of the war were fought in this theater. The capitals of Washington, D. C. and Richmond were both attacked or besieged, the theater was bounded by the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. By far, the majority of battles occurred in the 100 miles between the cities of Washington and Richmond, the Union advantage was control of the sea and major rivers, which would allow an army that stayed close to the ocean to be reinforced and supplied. The campaign classification established by the United States National Park Service is more fine-grained than the one used in this article, some minor NPS campaigns have been omitted and some have been combined into larger categories. Only a few of the 160 battles the NPS classifies for this theater are described, boxed text in the right margin show the NPS campaigns associated with each section. After the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861, both sides scrambled to create armies, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion, which immediately caused the secession of four additional states, including Virginia. The United States Army had only around 16,000 men, the army was commanded by the elderly Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. Some of the first hostilities occurred in western Virginia, McClellan, commanding the Department of the Ohio, ordered troops to march from Grafton and attack the Confederates under Col. George A. Porterfield. The skirmish on June 3,1861, known as the Battle of Philippi and his victory at the Battle of Rich Mountain in July was instrumental in his promotion that fall to command the Army of the Potomac. He was soon transferred to the Carolinas to construct fortifications, the Union victory in this campaign enabled the creation of the state of West Virginia in 1863
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
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President Lincoln visiting the Army of the Potomac at the Antietam battlefield, September 1862. Photo by
Alexander Gardner.
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
35.
Battle of Shiloh
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The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7,1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union force known as the Army of the Tennessee under Major General Ulysses S. T. Beauregard, launched an attack on Grants army from its base in Corinth. Johnston was killed in action during the fighting, Beauregard, who succeeded to command of the army. Overnight Grant was reinforced by one of his own divisions stationed further north and was joined by three divisions from another Union army under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell. This allowed them to launch a counterattack the next morning which completely reversed the Confederate gains of the previous day. On April 6, the first day of the battle, the Confederates struck with the intention of driving the Union defenders away from the river, Johnston hoped to defeat Grants army before the anticipated arrival of General Buells Army of the Ohio. The Confederate battle lines became confused during the fighting, and Grants men instead fell back to the northeast. A Union position on a sunken road, nicknamed the Hornets Nest. Benjamin Prentisss and William H. L. Wallaces divisions, provided critical time for the remainder of the Union line to stabilize under the protection of artillery batteries. Wallace was mortally wounded when the position collapsed, while several regiments from the two divisions were surrounded and surrendered. General Johnston was shot in the leg and bled to death while leading an attack. Beauregard, his second in command, acknowledged how tired the army was from the days exertions, Confederate forces were forced to retreat from the area, ending their hopes of blocking the Union advance into northern Mississippi. Smiths orders were to lead raids intended to capture or damage the railroads in southwestern Tennessee, Brig. Gen. William T. Shermans troops arrived from Paducah, Kentucky, to conduct a similar mission to break the railroads near Eastport, Mississippi. Halleck also ordered Grant to advance his Army of West Tennessee on an invasion up the Tennessee River, Grant left Fort Henry and headed upriver, arriving at Savannah, Tennessee, on March 14, and established his headquarters on the east bank of the river. Grants troops set up camp farther upriver, five divisions at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, meanwhile, Hallecks command was enlarged through consolidation of Grants and Buells armies and renamed the Department of the Mississippi. With Buells Army of the Ohio under his command, Halleck ordered Buell to concentrate with Grant at Savannah, Buell began a march with much of his army from Nashville, Tennessee, and headed southwest toward Savannah. The railroad was a supply line connecting the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee to Richmond. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant developed a reputation during the war for being concerned with his own plans than with those of the enemy
Battle of Shiloh
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Battle of Shiloh by
Thure de Thulstrup.
Battle of Shiloh
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Maj. Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant,
Army of the Tennessee
Battle of Shiloh
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Maj. Gen.
Don Carlos Buell,
Army of the Ohio
Battle of Shiloh
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Gen.
Albert Sidney Johnston, CSA
36.
Robert E. Lee
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Robert Edward Lee was an American general known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War from 1862 until his surrender in 1865. During this time, he served throughout the United States, distinguished himself during the Mexican–American War, during the first year of the Civil War, Lee served as a senior military adviser to President Jefferson Davis. Once he took command of the field army in 1862 he soon emerged as a shrewd tactician and battlefield commander, winning most of his battles. Lees strategic foresight was more questionable, and both of his major offensives into Union territory ended in defeat, Lees aggressive tactics, which resulted in high casualties at a time when the Confederacy had a shortage of manpower, have come under criticism in recent years. Lee surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9,1865. By this time, Lee had assumed command of the remaining Southern armies. Lee rejected the proposal of an insurgency against the Union. He urged them to rethink their position between the North and the South, and the reintegration of former Confederates into the political life. Lee became the great Southern hero of the War, an icon of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy to some. But his popularity even in the North, especially after his death in 1870. Barracks at West Point built in 1962 are named after him, Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, to Major General Henry Lee III, Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter. His birth date has traditionally been recorded as January 19,1807, one of Lees great grandparents, Henry Lee I, was a prominent Virginian colonist of English descent. Lees family is one of Virginias first families, descended from Richard Lee I, Esq. the Immigrant, Lees mother grew up at Shirley Plantation, one of the most elegant homes in Virginia. Lees father, a planter, suffered severe financial reverses from failed investments. Little is known of Lee as a child, he spoke of his boyhood as an adult. Nothing is known of his relationship with his father who, after leaving his family, mentioned Robert only once in a letter. In 1811, the family, including the newly born child, Mildred, moved to a house on Oronoco Street, still close to the center of town. In 1812, Harry Lee was badly injured in a riot in Baltimore
Robert E. Lee
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Julian Vannerson 's photograph of Robert E. Lee in March 1864
Robert E. Lee
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Stained glass of Lee's life in the
National Cathedral, depicting his time at West Point, service in the Corps of Engineers, the
Battle of Chancellorsville, and his death
Robert E. Lee
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Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County the family seat, Lee's birthplace
Robert E. Lee
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Oronoco St., Alexandria, VA "
Lee Corner " properties
37.
James River
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The James River is a river in the U. S. state of Virginia. It is 348 miles long, extending to 444 miles if one includes the Jackson River, the James River drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles. The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people and it is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state. Tidal waters extend west to Richmond, the capital of Virginia, larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Warwick River, Pagan River, and the Nansemond River. At its mouth near Newport News Point, the Elizabeth River, many boats pass through this river to import and export Virginia products. The navigable portion of the river was the highway of the Colony of Virginia during its first 15 years, facilitating supply ships delivering supplies. However, for the first five years, despite many hopes of gold and riches, in 1612, businessman John Rolfe successfully cultivated a non-native strain of tobacco which proved popular in England. Soon, the became the primary means of exporting the large hogsheads of this cash crop from an ever-growing number of plantations with wharfs along its banks. This development made the efforts of the Virginia Company of London successful financially, spurring even more development, investments. The upper reaches of the river above the head of navigation at the line were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century. Although ocean-going ships were unable to navigate beyond present-day Richmond, portage of products, produce from the Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond and Manchester through such port towns as Lynchburg, Scottsville, Columbia and Buchanan. The James River was considered as a route for transport of produce from the Ohio Valley, the James River and Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a navigable portion of the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. For the most mountainous section between the two points, the James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to provide a link via wagons. However, before the canal could be completed, in the mid-19th century, railroads emerged as a more practical technology. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed between Richmond and the Ohio River at the new city of Huntington, West Virginia by 1873, dooming the canals economic prospects. In the 1880s, the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was laid along the portion of the canals towpath. In modern times, this line is used primarily in transporting West Virginia coal to export coal piers at Newport News. The James River contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer
James River
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James River at the crossing of the
Blue Ridge Parkway
James River
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The James, hidden by trees, at Percival's Island Riverwalk in
Lynchburg,
Virginia
James River
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James River at Huntington Park Beach in Newport News
James River
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ACL Railroad crossing at the falls in Richmond.
38.
Pamunkey River
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The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about 93 miles long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York River it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay, the Pamunkey River is formed by the confluence of the North Anna and South Anna rivers on the boundary of Hanover and Caroline counties, about 5 miles northeast of the town of Ashland. It flows generally southeastwardly past the Pamunkey Indian Reservation to the town of West Point, the rivers course is used to define all or portions of the southern boundaries of Caroline and King William counties and the northern boundaries of Hanover and New Kent counties. Board on Geographic Names settled on Pamunkey River as the official name in 1892
Pamunkey River
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Contents
39.
I Corps (Union Army)
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I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The first two were units of limited life, the third was one of the most distinguished and veteran corps in the entire Union Army. The term First Corps is also used to describe the First Veteran Corps from 1864 to 1866, the I Corps was activated March 13,1862, when President Abraham Lincoln ordered the creation of a four-corps army, then under the command of Major General George B. McClellan. The first commander of corps was Major General Irvin McDowell. One of its divisions, the Pennsylvania Reserves, was sent to join the main army in June. Temporarily attached to the V Corps, it saw action at Gaines Mill. Division commander Brig. Gen. George McCall and future I Corps commander Brig. Gen. John Reynolds were both captured and freed in an exchange that August. It rejoined the Army of the Potomac and crossed the Potomac River into Maryland to fight at South Mountain, John Reynolds was temporarily detached to train militia troops in his home state of Pennsylvania and did not participate in the Maryland Campaign. At Antietam, the I Corps was among the first troops to fight and suffered losses in the battles around the cornfield. Hooker was wounded in the foot during the battle and command of the I Corps devolved on Meade, in October, Reynolds returned and was made commander of the corps. Having fought three battles in six weeks, the I Corps was severely depleted, an influx of new volunteer regiments arrived to replenish its ranks, and by November it was back up to full strength. At Fredericksburg, Meade and John Gibbons divisions fought Stonewall Jacksons corps south of the town while Doubledays division was held in reserve, the I Corps did not see any significant action in the Chancellorsville Campaign. In its last major battle, the Battle of Gettysburg, General Reynolds was killed just as the first troops arrived on the field, and command was inherited by Major General Abner Doubleday. Although putting up a fight, the I Corps was overwhelmed by the Confederate Third Corps. It was forced to retreat through the town of Gettysburg, taking up positions on Cemetery Hill after the 16th Maines brave stand of which only 39 soldiers returned. The next day, the command was given to Major General John Newton and this was a controversial move that deeply offended the more senior Doubleday. Newton led it through the remainder of the battle, including the defense against Picketts Charge, and through the Mine Run Campaign that fall
I Corps (Union Army)
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I Corps badge (circle)
40.
Irwin McDowell
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Irvin McDowell was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, in 1862, he was given command of the I Corps of the Army of the Potomac. McDowell was born in Columbus, Ohio, son of Abram Irvin McDowell and he was a cousin-in-law of John Buford, and his brother, John Adair McDowell, served as the first colonel of the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Irvin initially attended the College de Troyes in France before graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1838, beauregard, his future adversary at First Bull Run. He was commissioned a lieutenant and posted to the 1st U. S. Artillery. McDowell served as an instructor at West Point, before becoming aide-de-camp to General John E. Wool during the Mexican-American War. He was brevetted captain at Buena Vista and served in the Adjutant Generals department after the war, while in that department he was promoted to major on May 31,1856. Between 1848 and 1861, McDowell generally served as an officer to higher-ranking military leaders. He developed a friendship with General Winfield Scott while serving on his staff. He also served under future Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston, McDowell was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army on May 14,1861, and given command of the Army of Northeastern Virginia, despite never having commanded troops in combat. The promotion was partly because of the influence of his mentor and his strategy during the First Battle of Bull Run was imaginative but ambitiously complex, and his troops were not experienced enough to carry it out effectively, resulting in an embarrassing rout. After the defeat at Bull Run, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan was placed in command of the new Union Army defending Washington, McDowell commanded a division in the new army, but McClellan soon reorganized his command and McDowell was given I Corps the following spring. Stonewall Jacksons Valley Campaign would eventually include an attack on Washington kept McDowells 40,000 soldiers behind, eventually, the three independent commands of Generals McDowell, John C. Banks were combined into Maj. Gen. John Popes Army of Virginia, because of his actions at Cedar Mountain, McDowell was eventually brevetted major general in the regular army, however, he was blamed for the subsequent disaster at Second Bull Run. He escaped culpability by testifying against Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter, despite his formal escape, McDowell spent the following two years in effective exile from the leadership of the Army. In July 1864, McDowell was given command of the Department of the Pacific, on November 25,1872, he was promoted to major-general. On December 16,1872, McDowell succeeded General George G. Meade as commander of the Military Division of the South, from July 1,1876 to his retirement on October 15,1882, he was commander of the Division of the Pacific. In this capacity he constructed a park in the reservation of the Presidio
Irwin McDowell
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Photo of Irvin McDowell taken during the American Civil War
Irwin McDowell
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Gen. Irvin McDowell with General George B. McClellan
United States (Union)
CSA (Confederacy)
