1.
Battle of the Monongahela
–
The Battle of the Monongahela, took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, at Braddocks Field in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania,10 miles east of Pittsburgh. The defeat marked the end of the Braddock expedition, by which the British had hoped to capture Fort Duquesne, Braddock was mortally wounded in the battle and died during the retreat near present-day Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He specifically asked for George Washington, who accompanied him on the march, the remainder of the column retreated south-eastwards and the fort, and region, remained in French hands until its capture in 1758. Braddock had been dispatched to North America in the new position of Commander-in-Chief and he added to this by recruiting local troops in British America, swelling his forces to roughly 2,200 by the time he set out from Fort Cumberland, Maryland on 29 May. He was accompanied by Virginia Colonel George Washington, who had led the previous expedition to the area. Braddocks expedition was part of an attack on the French in North America. Braddocks orders were to launch an attack into the Ohio Country, disputed by Britain, control of the area was dominated by Fort Duquesne on the forks of the Ohio River. Once it was in his possession, he was to proceed on to Fort Niagara and he soon encountered a number of difficulties. He was scornful of the need to recruit local Native Americans as scouts and he found that the road he was trying to use was slow, and needed constant widening to move artillery and supply wagons along it. Frustrated, he split his force in two, leading a column ahead, with a slower force following with the cannon. The flying column of 1,300 crossed the Monongahela River on 9 July, within 10 miles of their target, Fort Duquesne had been very lightly defended, but had recently received significant reinforcements. Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecœur, the Canadian commander of the fort, had around 1,600 French troupes de la Marine, Canadian militiamen, concerned by the approach of the British, he dispatched Captain Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu with around 800 troops, to check their advance. The French and Indians arrived too late to set an ambush, as they had delayed. They ran into the British advance guard, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage, seeing the enemy in the trees, Gage ordered his men to open fire. Despite firing at long range for a smooth-bored musket, their opening volleys succeeded in killing Captain Beaujeu. Unconcerned by the death of Beaujeu, the Indian warriors took up positions to attack and they were fighting on an Indian hunting ground which favored their tactics, with numerous trees and shrubbery separated by wide open spaces. Although roughly a hundred of the Canadians fled back to the fort, the Indian tribes allied with the French, the Ottawas and Potawatomis, used psychological warfare against the British forces. After the Indians killed British soldiers, they would nail their scalps to surrounding trees, during the battle, Indians made a terrifying whoop sound that caused fear and panic to spread in the British infantry
2.
American Civil War
–
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
3.
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
–
Spotsylvania County is a county in the U. S. state of Virginia. As of the 2016 estimate, the population was 132,010 and its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse. Spotsylvania County is a part of Northern Virginia and the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, at the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Spotsylvania County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac. Spotsylvania County was established in 1721 from Essex, King and Queen, the county was named in Latin for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood. Many battles were fought in this county during the Civil War, including the Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of the Wilderness, Battle of Fredericksburg, stonewall Jackson was shot and mortally wounded in Spotsylvania County during the Battle of Chancellorsville. A group of Confederate soldiers from North Carolina were in the woods and they mistook him for a Federal patrol and fired their weapons, wounding him in both arms. General Jackson died a few days later from pneumonia at nearby Guinea Station, Confederate wounded were being gathered there for evacuation to hospitals further to the south and away from enemy lines. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 414 square miles. As of the census of 2010, there were 122,397 people,31,308 households, the population density was 226 people per square mile. There were 33,329 housing units at a density of 83 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was,78. 4% White 15. 8% Black or African American 0. 4% Native American 2. 4% Asian 0. 05% Pacific Islander 2. 8% from other races, and 1. 88% from two or more races. 7. 8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,16. 40% of all households were made up of individuals and 5. 40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the family size was 3.22. In the county, the population was out with 30. 00% under the age of 18,7. 30% from 18 to 24,32. 20% from 25 to 44,22. 20% from 45 to 64. The median age was 34 years, for every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males, the 2014 median income for a household in the county was $79,402, and the median income for a family was $87,922. Males had an income of $49,166 versus $38,076 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,567, about 3. 90% of families and 5. 80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6. 70% of those under age 18 and 5. 20% of those age 65 or over
4.
Orange County, Virginia
–
Orange County is a county located in the Central Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,481, Orange County is home to Montpelier, the 2, 700-acre estate of James Madison, the 4th President of the United States and oft-hailed Father of the Constitution. The county celebrated its 275th anniversary in 2009, the area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, the Ontponea, a sub-group of the Siouan-speaking Manahoac tribe, Orange County, as a legal entity, was created in August 1734 when the Virginia House of Burgesses adopted An Act for Dividing Spotsylvania County. The colony of Virginia claimed the land, but very little of it had yet been occupied by any English, for this reason, some contend that Orange County was at one time the largest county that ever existed. This situation lasted only four years, in 1738 most of the tract was split off into Augusta County. The expansiveness of the county boundaries was to encourage settlement further westward as well as to contend against the French claim to the Ohio Valley region. The development of infrastructure, including several railroad routes, up through the mid-nineteenth century helped foster a diversified agricultural economy in Orange County. The final adjustment of the county’s boundaries occurred in 1838, when Greene County was created from the portion of Orange. The Town of Orange was legally established in 1834 and had served as the county seat for nearly a century. The county saw limited conflict during the Civil War, with most activity being centered around the towns of Orange and Gordonsville. The exceptions were the Battle of Mine Run and the Battle of the Wilderness in the portion of the county. The dominance of the railroad and the ease it offered in delivering goods to larger markets increased the relevance. Agriculture and manufacturing continued to expand into the century, with a peak of 1279 farms and 20 manufacturing companies located within the county as of 1929. A manufacturing survey produced during the Great Depression noted that Orange County’s economy remained relatively healthy due to its accessibility, the District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and is the largest such district in Virginia. Orange Countys population fluctuated up and down following the Civil War up through the 1930s, from that point forward, the population continued to grow steadily, representing an almost 300% increase through the 2010 Census. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 343 square miles. The terrain is characterized by rolling hills, generally increasing in altitude, the highest point is Cowherd Mountain at 1,196 ft, approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Gordonsville
5.
Virginia
–
Virginia is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, as well as in the historic Southeast. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, the capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond, Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealths estimated population as of 2014 is over 8.3 million, the areas history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony, slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colonys early politics and plantation economy. Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, the Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World. The state government was ranked most effective by the Pew Center on the States in both 2005 and 2008 and it is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginias economy changed from agricultural to industrial during the 1960s and 1970s. Virginia has an area of 42,774.2 square miles, including 3,180.13 square miles of water. Virginias boundary with Maryland and Washington, D. C. extends to the mark of the south shore of the Potomac River. The southern border is defined as the 36° 30′ parallel north, the border with Tennessee was not settled until 1893, when their dispute was brought to the U. S. Supreme Court. The Chesapeake Bay separates the portion of the Commonwealth from the two-county peninsula of Virginias Eastern Shore. The bay was formed from the river valleys of the Susquehanna River. Many of Virginias rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay, including the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James, the Tidewater is a coastal plain between the Atlantic coast and the fall line. It includes the Eastern Shore and major estuaries of Chesapeake Bay, the Piedmont is a series of sedimentary and igneous rock-based foothills east of the mountains which were formed in the Mesozoic era. The region, known for its clay soil, includes the Southwest Mountains around Charlottesville. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a province of the Appalachian Mountains with the highest points in the state. The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains and includes the Great Appalachian Valley, the region is carbonate rock based and includes Massanutten Mountain. The Cumberland Plateau and the Cumberland Mountains are in the southwest corner of Virginia, in this region, rivers flow northwest, with a dendritic drainage system, into the Ohio River basin
6.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
7.
United States
–
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
8.
Confederate States of America
–
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
9.
Ulysses S. Grant
–
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States. As Commanding General, Grant worked closely with President Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union Army to victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War and he implemented Congressional Reconstruction, often at odds with President Andrew Johnson. His presidency has often criticized for tolerating corruption and for the severe economic depression in his second term. Grant graduated in 1843 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, after the war he married Julia Boggs Dent in 1848, their marriage producing four children. Grant initially retired from the Army in 1854 and he struggled financially in civilian life. When the Civil War began in 1861, he rejoined the U. S. Army, in 1862, Grant took control of Kentucky and most of Tennessee, and led Union forces to victory in the Battle of Shiloh, earning a reputation as an aggressive commander. He incorporated displaced African American slaves into the Union war effort, in July 1863, after a series of coordinated battles, Grant defeated Confederate armies and seized Vicksburg, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy in two. After his victories in the Chattanooga Campaign, Lincoln promoted him to lieutenant general, Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in a series of bloody battles, trapping Lees army in their defense of Richmond. Grant coordinated a series of devastating campaigns in other theaters, as well, in April 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, effectively ending the war. Historians have hailed Grants military genius, and his strategies are featured in history textbooks. After the Civil War, Grant led the armys supervision of Reconstruction in the former Confederate states and he also used the army to build the Republican Party in the South. After the disenfranchisement of some former Confederates, Republicans gained majorities, in his second term, the Republican coalitions in the South splintered and were defeated one by one as redeemers regained control using coercion and violence. In May 1875, Grant authorized his Secretary of Treasury Benjamin Bristow to shut down and his peace policy with the Indians initially reduced frontier violence, but is best known for the Great Sioux War of 1876. Grant responded to charges of corruption in executive offices more than any other 19th Century president and he appointed the first Civil Service Commission and signed legislation ending the corrupt moiety system. In foreign policy, Grant sought to trade and influence while remaining at peace with the world. His administration successfully resolved the Alabama claims by the Treaty of Washington with Great Britain, Grant avoided war with Spain over the Virginius Affair, but Congress rejected his attempted annexation of the Dominican Republic. His administration implemented a standard and sought to strengthen the dollar. Grant left office in 1877 and embarked on a two-year diplomatic world tour that captured the nations attention, in 1880, Grant was unsuccessful in obtaining the Republican presidential nomination for a third term
10.
George Meade
–
George Gordon Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in the coastal construction of several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and the Mexican–American War, during the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from command of a brigade to command of the Army of the Potomac. He is best known for defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, Meades Civil War combat experience started as a brigade commander in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles, including the Battle of Glendale, where he was wounded severely. As a division commander, he had success at the Battle of South Mountain. His division was arguably the most successful during the assaults at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who accompanied him throughout these campaigns. He also suffered from a reputation as a man of short, violent temper who was hostile toward the press, after the war, he commanded several important departments during Reconstruction. George Gordon Meade was born in 1815 in Cádiz, Spain and his father, a wealthy Philadelphian merchant, was serving in Spain as a naval agent for the U. S. government. He was ruined financially because of his support of Spain in the Napoleonic Wars and his family returned to the United States in 1817, in precarious financial straits. Young George attended the Mount Hope Institution in Baltimore and entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831 and he graduated 19th in his class of 56 cadets in 1835. His brother, Richard Worsam Meade II, became a naval officer, for a year, he served with the 3rd U. S. Artillery in Florida, fighting against the Seminole Indians, before resigning from the Army and he worked as a civil engineer for the Alabama, Georgia, and Florida Railroad and for the War Department. On December 31,1840, he married Margaretta Sergeant, daughter of John Sergeant, finding steady civilian employment was difficult for the newly married man, so he reentered the army in 1842 as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. After that war he was involved in lighthouse and breakwater construction and coastal surveying in Florida. He designed Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island, Absecon Light in Atlantic City, Cape May Light in Cape May, Jupiter Inlet Light in Jupiter, Florida and he also designed a hydraulic lamp that was adopted by the Lighthouse Board for use in American lighthouses. He was promoted to captain in 1856, in 1857, Meade relieved Lt. Col. James Kearney on the Lakes Survey mission of the Great Lakes. Completion of the survey of Lake Huron and extension of the surveys of Lake Michigan down to Grand, prior to Captain Meades command, Great Lakes water level readings were taken locally with temporary gauges, a uniform plane of reference had not been established. In 1858, based on his recommendation, instrumentation was set in place for the tabulation of records across the basin, in 1860, the first detailed report of Great Lakes was published. Meade stayed with the Lakes Survey until the 1861 outbreak of the Civil War and he was assigned command of the 2nd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves, recruited early in the war, which he led competently, initially in the construction of defenses around Washington, D. C
11.
Robert E. Lee
–
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
12.
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
13.
IX Corps (Union Army)
–
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The corps was assembled by Burnside at Newport News, Virginia, the corps consisted of three divisions, under Generals Stevens, Jesse L. Reno, and John G. Parke. After a short stay at Newport News the corps was ordered to reinforce Maj. Gen. John Popes Army of Virginia, only the two divisions of Stevens and Reno were engaged in this action, they numbered 12 regiments and 2 batteries, fewer than 5,000 men. General Reno was in command of divisions in Burnsides absence. The losses in this small engagement amounted to 204 killed,1,000 wounded, some of the regiments encountered a severe fire, the 28th Massachusetts losing 234 men. General Stevens was killed at Chantilly, General Reno retained command of the corps on the Maryland Campaign, General Burnside having charge of the right wing of the Army of the Potomac, which was composed of the I and IX Corps. Brig. Gen. Orlando B. Willcox was appointed to the command of Stevenss Division, while the 2nd and 3rd Divisions were commanded, respectively, by Generals Samuel D. Sturgis and Isaac P. Rodman. During this campaign Jacob D. Coxs Kanawha Division from western Virginia was temporarily attached to the corps, the Battle of South Mountain was fought wholly by Burnsides two corps, the IX Corps losing 157 killed,691 wounded, and 41 missing, total,889. The loss in the I Corps was about the same, General Reno was killed in this action, upon which General Cox succeeded to his command. At Antietam the corps lost 438 killed,1,796 wounded, General Rodman was among the mortally wounded. In October, Coxs Division returned to western Virginia and its connection with the corps terminated. This division had made a brilliant record by its gallant services at South Mountain, upon the departure of General Cox the command of the corps fell to General Willcox. General William W. Burns was appointed to fill the vacancy thus caused in the 1st Division, on November 5,1862, General Burnside was made commander-in-chief of the Army of the Potomac. At Fredericksburg, the casualty lists indicate that the corps took into action 31 regiments and 5 batteries, with a loss of 111 killed,1,067 wounded, and 152 missing, total,1,330. Not long after this battle Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick was assigned to the command of the corps, General Smiths stay with the corps was of short duration, for he was succeeded in the following month by Maj. Gen. John G. Parke. While at Newport News, Gettys Division was detached and ordered to Suffolk, Virginia and it never rejoined its old command although, in 1864, one of its regiments, the 4th Rhode Island, was restored to the IX Corps. In the meantime, General Burnside had been assigned to the command of the Department of Ohio, just prior to the departure from Virginia, General Sturgis was relieved, and Brig. Gen. Robert B. Potter was assigned to the command of the 2nd Division. The IX Corps was stationed in Kentucky for two months, during which it served as an army of occupation
14.
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
15.
Overland Campaign
–
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grants Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Although Grant suffered severe losses during the campaign, it was a strategic Union victory and it inflicted proportionately higher losses on Lees army and maneuvered it into a siege at Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, in just over eight weeks. Crossing the Rapidan River on May 4,1864, Grant sought to defeat Lees army by quickly placing his forces between Lee and Richmond and inviting an open battle. Lee surprised Grant by attacking the larger Union army aggressively in the Battle of the Wilderness, Lees army was able to get into position to block this movement. Grant maneuvered again, meeting Lee at the North Anna River, here, Lee held clever defensive positions that provided an opportunity to defeat portions of Grants army, but illness prevented Lee from attacking in time to trap Grant. Resorting to maneuver a final time, Grant surprised Lee by stealthily crossing the James River, threatening to capture the city of Petersburg, the resulting Siege of Petersburg led to the eventual surrender of Lees army in April 1865 and the effective end of the Civil War. The campaign included two long-range raids by Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, in a raid toward Richmond, legendary Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, in March 1864, Grant was summoned from the Western Theater, promoted to lieutenant general, and given command of all Union armies. He chose to make his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman succeeded Grant in command of most of the western armies. Johnston, and capture Atlanta, George Crook and William W. Averell to operate against railroad supply lines in West Virginia and this was the first time the Union armies would have a coordinated offensive strategy across a number of theaters. Lincoln had long advocated this strategy for his generals, recognizing that the city would fall after the loss of its principal defensive army. Grant ordered Meade, Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also, although he hoped for a quick, decisive battle, Grant was prepared to fight a war of attrition. Both Union and Confederate casualties could be high, but the Union had greater resources to replace lost soldiers, despite Grants superior numbers, he had manpower challenges. Furthermore, since many of his soldiers three-year enlistments were about to expire, to deal with these challenges, Grant supplemented his forces by reassigning soldiers manning the heavy artillery batteries around Washington, D. C. to infantry regiments. The Overland Campaign began as Grants forces crossed the Rapidan River on May 4,1864, Grants objective was to force an engagement with Lee, outside of his Mine Run fortifications, by either drawing his forces out or turning them. By forcing a fight here, Lee effectively neutralized the Unions advantage in artillery and he ordered Ewells Corps to advance on the Orange Turnpike, A. P. Hills in parallel on the Orange Plank Road, and Longstreets from the distant Gordonsville. Early on May 5, Warrens V Corps was advancing south toward the Plank Road when Ewells Corps appeared in the west on the Turnpike, Meade halted his army and directed Warren to attack if the Confederates were a small, isolated group. Ewells men erected earthworks on the end of the clearing known as Saunders Field
16.
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
–
Elements of Lees army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia and began entrenching. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21,1864, in the end, the battle was tactically inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the campaign. On May 8, Union Maj. Gens, on May 10, Grant ordered attacks across the Confederate line of earthworks, which by now extended over 4 miles, including a prominent salient known as the Mule Shoe. Although the Union troops failed again at Laurel Hill, an innovative assault attempt by Col. Emory Upton against the Mule Shoe showed promise. Grant used Uptons assault technique on a larger scale on May 12 when he ordered the 15,000 men of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancocks corps to assault the Mule Shoe. Hancock was initially successful, but the Confederate leadership rallied and repulsed his incursion, supporting attacks by Warren and by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside were unsuccessful. Grant repositioned his lines in another attempt to engage Lee under more favorable conditions and launched an attack by Hancock on May 18. A reconnaissance in force by Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell at Harris farm on May 19 was a costly and pointless failure. On May 21, Grant disengaged from the Confederate Army and started southeast on another maneuver to turn Lees right flank, in March 1864, Grant was summoned from the Western Theater, promoted to lieutenant general, and given command of all Union armies. He chose to make his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac and he left Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in command of most of the western armies. This was the first time the Union armies would have an offensive strategy across a number of theaters. Grants campaign objective was not the Confederate capital of Richmond, Lincoln had long advocated this strategy for his generals, recognizing that the city would certainly fall after the loss of its principal defensive army. Grant ordered Meade, Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also, although he hoped for a quick, decisive battle, Grant was prepared to fight a war of attrition. Both Union and Confederate casualties could be high, but the Union had far greater resources to replace lost soldiers and equipment. On May 5, after Grants army crossed the Rapidan and entered the Wilderness of Spotsylvania, although Lee was outnumbered, about 60,000 to 100,000, his men fought fiercely and the dense foliage provided a terrain advantage. After two days of fighting and almost 29,000 casualties, the results were inconclusive and neither army was able to obtain an advantage, Lee had stopped Grant, but had not turned him back, and Grant had not destroyed Lees army. As of May 7, Grants Union forces totaled approximately 100,000 men and they consisted of the Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, and the IX Corps. The five corps were, II Corps, under Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock, Barlow, John Gibbon, and Gershom Mott
17.
Battle of Yellow Tavern
–
The Battle of Yellow Tavern was fought on May 11,1864, as part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was detached from the Army of the Potomac to conduct a raid on Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate force was outnumbered and outgunned and Stuart was mortally wounded while attempting to rally his men, dying the next day. The Overland Campaign was Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants 1864 offensive against Gen. Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia, the two had fought an inconclusive battle at the Wilderness and were engaged in heavy fighting at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Up to this point, Union cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was dissatisfied with his role in the campaign and his Cavalry Corps was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, who reported to Grant. On May 8,1864, Sheridan went over Meades head and told Grant that if his Cavalry Corps were let loose to operate as an independent unit, he could defeat Jeb Stuart, Grant was intrigued and convinced Meade of the value of Sheridans request. On May 9, the most powerful cavalry force ever seen in the Eastern Theater—over 10,000 troopers with 32 artillery pieces—rode to the southeast to move behind Lees army. The Union cavalry column, which at times stretched for over 13 miles, Stuart moved his 4,500 troopers to get between Sheridan and Richmond. The two forces met at noon on May 11 at Yellow Tavern, an inn located 6 miles north of Richmond. Not only did the Union outnumber the Confederates by three divisions to two brigades, it had superior firepower—all were armed with rapid-firing Spencer carbines, the Confederate troopers tenaciously resisted from the low ridgeline bordering the road to Richmond, fighting for over three hours. A countercharge by the 1st Virginia Cavalry pushed the advancing Union troopers back from the hilltop as Stuart, mounted on horseback, Stuart died in Richmond the following day. The fighting kept up for an hour after Stuart was wounded, the Union cavalrymen suffered 625 casualties, but they captured 300 Confederate prisoners and recovered almost 400 Union prisoners. Sheridan disengaged his men and headed south toward Richmond, although tempted to burst through the modest defenses to the north of the city, they continued south across the Chickahominy River to link up with Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butlers force on the James River. After resupplying with Butler, Sheridans men returned to join Grant at Chesterfield Station on May 24, Sheridans raid achieved a victory against a numerically inferior opponent at Yellow Tavern, but accomplished little overall. The Longest Night, A Military History of the Civil War, new York, Simon & Schuster,2001. Longacre, Edward G. Lincolns Cavalrymen, A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac, the Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7–12,1864. Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press,1997, the Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide. The Gallant Dead, Union & Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War, the Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Vol.2, The War in the East from Gettysburg to Appomattox 1863–1865, baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press,1981
18.
Battle of Meadow Bridge
–
The Battle of Meadow Bridge was an engagement on May 12,1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, during Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following their victory at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, on May 11,1864, Sheridan and his Union cavalry force, on the second day of a daring raid against Richmond, defeated Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, mortally wounding the storied Confederate cavalier, Sheridan led his troops southward towards Richmond, carefully feeling his way through the abandoned outer defensive works. As darkness fell, a severe thunderstorm drenched the column, but Sheridan kept up his movement down the Brook Pike, Confederates had left torpedoes in the road—many exploded during the passage, killing several horses but not delaying the column further. As dawn broke and the storm subsided, Sheridan found himself only two and half miles from his objective, however, to his dismay, the intermediate defenses in his front swarmed with enemy troops. His left flank was against the swollen Chickahominy, and Confederate cavalry threatened his rear, Sheridan decided to force a crossing of the river at Meadow Bridge, where the Virginia Central Railroad crossed the river. Confederates had earlier dismantled the flooring on the part of the bridge, rendering it temporarily useless. Sheridan assigned the Michigan brigade of Brig. Gen. George A. Custer, part of Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritts division, to seize the span, the rest of Sheridans command had to hold the Confederates at bay while Custer executed his orders. The other two brigades in Merritts division, commanded by Colonels Thomas C, devin and Alfred Gibbs, guarded the center of the Union line to protect against Confederate advances out of the Richmond fortifications. On the western end of the Union line, near Brook Church, on the eastern end, Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson was to oppose any Confederate advances along Meadow Bridge road and Mechanicsville Pike. The rearguard of the Greggs division was assailed on three sides as soon as it was enough for a brigade of Confederate infantry to sally forth from the fortifications. Soon, other Confederates, including Richmond citizens hastily pressed into military service, according to the regimental historian of the veteran 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, Every effort was made by the enemy to break the lines of our division and push us back into the river and swamp. But as often as he came up, he was back with heavy loss. The fighting continued thus, the charging, time after time, only to be hurled back, until about eleven A. M. when, apparently completely disheartened by his repeated repulses. Wilsons men were pushed back in some confusion, but Gregg had concealed a heavy line of skirmishers armed with repeating carbines in a brushy ravine. His men poured forth a destructive fire, halting the final Confederate advances, Brig. Gen. Gordon was mortally wounded in the fighting and died on May 18. Followed by the 6th Michigan, they succeeded in the afternoon in clearing the north bank of the Chickahominy. By mid-afternoon, Merritts entire division had crossed and engaged the hastily built Confederate works on Richmond Heights, by 4 p. m. the rest of Sheridans cavalry had crossed the river
19.
Battle of North Anna
–
The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26,1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, the individual actions are sometimes separately known as, Telegraph Road Bridge and Jericho Mills, Ox Ford, Quarles Mill, and Hanover Junction. After disengaging from the stalemate at Spotsylvania Court House, Grant moved his army to the southeast and he lost the race to Lees next defensive position south of the North Anna River, but Lee was unsure of Grants intention and initially prepared no significant defensive works. Grant initially fell into this trap, unfortunately for the Confederates, Lee was disabled with an intestinal illness and none of his subordinates were able to execute his planned attack. Grants Overland Campaign was one of a series of simultaneous offensives the newly appointed general in chief launched against the Confederacy, Grants campaign objective was not the Confederate capital of Richmond, but the destruction of Lees army. President Abraham Lincoln had long advocated this strategy for his generals, Grant ordered Meade, Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also. Although he hoped for a quick, decisive battle, Grant was prepared to fight a war of attrition, both Union and Confederate casualties could be high, but the Union had greater resources to replace lost soldiers and equipment. On May 5, after Grants army crossed the Rapidan River and entered the Wilderness of Spotsylvania, although Lee was outnumbered, about 60,000 to 100,000, his men fought fiercely and the dense foliage provided a terrain advantage. After two days of fighting and almost 29,000 casualties, the results were inconclusive and neither army was able to obtain an advantage, Lee had stopped Grant, but had not turned him back, Grant had not destroyed Lees army. Elements of Lees army beat the Union army to the crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House. Near Spotsylvania Court House, fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, on May 8, Union Maj. Gens. On May 10, Grant ordered attacks across the Confederate line of earthworks, although the Union troops failed again at Laurel Hill, an innovative assault attempt by Col. Emory Upton against the Mule Shoe showed promise. Grant used Uptons assault technique on a larger scale on May 12 when he ordered the 15,000 men of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancocks corps to assault the Mule Shoe. Hancock was initially successful, but the Confederate leadership rallied and repulsed his incursion, supporting attacks by Warren and by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside were unsuccessful. Grant repositioned his lines in another attempt to engage Lee under more favorable conditions and launched an attack by Hancock on May 18. A reconnaissance in force by Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell at Harris farm on May 19 was a costly and pointless failure. In the end, the battle was inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the campaign. Grant planned to end the stalemate by once again shifting around Lees right flank to the southeast, Grants Union forces totaled approximately 68,000 men, depleted from the start of the campaign by battle losses, illnesses, and expired enlistments
20.
Battle of Haw's Shop
–
Grant abandoned the stalemate following the Battle of North Anna by once again swinging widely around Lees right flank, using the Pamunkey River to screen his movements to the southwest. Lees army moved south and took up positions on the southern bank of Totopotomoy Creek. The Confederate general sent a force under Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton to collect intelligence about Grants next moves. On May 28, Hamptons troopers encountered Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. David McM, fighting predominately dismounted and utilizing earthworks for protection, neither side achieved an advantage. The seven-hour battle was inconclusive, but it was the significant cavalry engagement of the Overland Campaign. Union Cavalry Corps commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan bragged that his men had driven Hampton from the field, following the Battle of North Anna, Grant and Lee were again stalemated in their opposing earthworks. He chose to move directly east and cross the Pamunkey River, if he had moved directly south, he would have been forced to cross three rivers, the Little River, the New Found, and the South Anna, minor obstacles that Lee would have to navigate instead. Before he could move, however, Grant was faced with the problem of disengaging from Lees army, not only were the armies closely situated, Grants had to withdraw initially north over the North Anna, a situation in which it would be very vulnerable to attack. Grant decided on a series of measures to disguise his intentions. On May 26, he sent a division under Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson to Little River, probing the western end of the Confederate line. Alfred T. A. Torbert and David McM. Gregg were sent to the Little Page Bridge, the Union infantry withdrew stealthily after dark on May 26 and by the morning of May 27 all were safely north of the North Anna. Once Lee recognized that his opponent had departed, he moved his army swiftly in response and his three corps under Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson and Lt. Gens. There, his men would be well-positioned behind a stream known as Totopotomoy Creek to defend against Grant if he moved against the railroads or Richmond. He also sent a brigade of North Carolina cavalry down the southern bank of the Pamunkey to scout. During the march, Lees illness forced him to ride in a carriage, ewell was also laid up with a similar illness and rode in an ambulance, his condition was serious enough that he was temporarily replaced in command by Maj. Gen. Jubal Early. On May 27, Union cavalry established a bridgehead over Dabneys Ford on the side of the Pamunkey River. Brig. Gen. George A. Custers Michigan cavalry brigade scattered the mounted Confederate pickets guarding the ford, the Confederates withdrew under the pressure of superior numbers. The rest of Torberts division then crossed the river, followed by Greggs cavalry division, Lee ordered cavalry under Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton to make a reconnaissance in force, break through the Union cavalry screen, and find the Union infantry
21.
Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
–
Robert E. Rodes and Stephen Dodson Ramseur drove the Union troops back to Shady Grove Road, but Ramseurs advance was stopped by a fierce stand of infantry and artillery fire. After the inconclusive battle, the Union army resumed its moves to the southeast and it traveled southeast on the north bank of the Pamunkey River, hoping to find the appropriate place to break through Lees lines. On May 27, Union cavalry established a bridgehead on the side of the river. As Grants infantry crossed, cavalry divisions from both armies fought to a standstill at the Battle of Haws Shop on May 28, Lees army was in precarious shape as it stood in entrenchments behind Totopotomoy Creek. They were also short on men, beauregard send him reinforcements from his 12, 000-man army, sitting relatively idle as they bottled up Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butlers army at Bermuda Hundred. Beauregard initially refused Lees request, citing the threat from Butler. Lee was determined despite this disappointment, and despite the persistence of his recent dysentery at North Anna and he wrote to President Davis, If General Grant advances tomorrow I will engage him with my present force. On May 29, Grants army advanced southwest to confront Lee, since most of his cavalry was occupied elsewhere, he decided to use infantry for a reconnaissance in force. The II Corps of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock followed the Richmond–Hanovertown Road to the creek, finding that Lee was firmly entrenched on the far bank, Hancocks men began digging in. The V Corps, under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, extended the II Corps line to the left, placing Brig. Gen. Charles Griffins division across the creek onto Shady Grove Road. Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wrights VI Corps was sent northwest from Hanovertown toward Hanover Court House, led by Brig. Gen. David A. Russells division. Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsides IX Corps was in reserve near Haws Shop and Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridans Cavalry Corps was far to the Union left, near Old Church. The Confederate line, from left to right, consisted of the corps of Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill, the independent division of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, just returned from the Shenandoah Valley, and the corps of Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson, no action beyond minor skirmishing occurred during the day. The battle would be fought along Totopotomoy Creek, near the 1862 battlefield of Gaines Mill, at Hanover, Grant began a general advance on May 30. Wrights advance became bogged down in the land near Crumps Creek. Hancocks skirmishers captured some of Breckinridges rifle pits, but made progress against the main Confederate line. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade ordered Burnsides reserve corps to assist Hancock, on the Union left, Warren moved the rest of his V Corps across the creek and deployed on Shady Grove Road
22.
Battle of Old Church
–
After sharp dismounted fighting, the outnumbered Confederates were driven back to within 1.5 miles of Old Cold Harbor, which preceded the Union capture of that important crossroads the following day. Gen. William F. Baldy Smiths XVIII Corps were expected to travel, Sheridan initially paid little attention to Warrens requests because he still harbored ill feelings from arguments the two generals had at the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac, had also quarreled frequently with both Sheridan and Warren and therefore stayed out of this dispute between them. However, as Warrens requests became more urgent, Sheridan agreed to screen roads leading to Warrens left flank, Torbert delegated the responsibility to the brigade of Col. Thomas C. Devin, which was encamped at the Old Church crossroads, as instructions passed through this chain of command, they became garbled. Rather than patrolling the Old Church Road to the west as desired by Warren, meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sheridan, Robert E. Lee was concerned about the critical road intersection at Old Cold Harbor, only six miles from the Confederate capital of Richmond. He dispatched Brig. Gen. Matthew C. Butlers brigade of 2,000 troopers from Mechanicsville to determine whether the intersection was threatened. Butler took with him the 4th and 5th South Carolina Cavalry regiments from his own brigade and the brigade of Brig. Gen. Martin W. Gary. Devin sent in two squadrons from the 17th Pennsylvania and Maj. Coe Durland led them in a charge that restored the original Union picket line position. Assuming that he faced only a force, Devin provided no more reinforcements. However, at 3 p. m. an attack by Butlers main force overwhelmed the Union pickets, Devin deployed two additional regiments on either side of the Pennsylvanians—the 6th New York to the right and the 9th New York to the left. Butler deployed the 4th South Carolina to the west of the road, facing the 6th New York, and he left the 7th South Carolina in reserve. As Torbert surveyed the scene, he realized that three regiments would be insufficient to resist the Confederate brigade, so he ordered the rest of his division to move up. Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritts reserve brigade was the first to arrive, and his 2nd U. S. Cavalry regiment replaced the 17th Pennsylvania, which had run low on ammunition, in the center of the line. On the right end of the Union line, the 6th New York and the 2nd U. S. pushed back the 4th South Carolina, the Confederates built breastworks out of logs from Liggans farm. On the left end, the 9th New York met heavy resistance from the 5th South Carolina, merritt attempted to outflank the Confederate position with the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry, commanded by Capt. Charles L. Leiper. Although they managed to cross the creek to the left of the 9th New York, they were stopped in heavy combat with the South Carolinians. The stalemate was broken by the arrival of the Union brigade under Brig. Gen. George A. Custer and he deployed his 5th Michigan on the right of Bottoms Bridge Road, the 1st and 7th Michigan on the left, and the 6th Michigan in reserve
23.
Battle of Cold Harbor
–
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12,1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign during the American Civil War. Thousands of Union soldiers were killed or wounded in a frontal assault against the fortified positions of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees army. Both Grant and Lee, whose armies had suffered casualties in the Overland Campaign. On the evening of June 1, the Union VI Corps, on June 2, the remainder of both armies arrived and the Confederates built an elaborate series of fortifications 7 miles long. At dawn on June 3, three Union corps attacked the Confederate works on the end of the line and were easily repulsed with heavy casualties. Attempts to assault the northern end of the line and to resume the assaults on the southern were unsuccessful, Grant said of the battle in his memoirs, I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made. No advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the loss we sustained. The armies confronted each other on these lines until the night of June 12 and it was an impressive defensive victory for Lee, but it was his last in the war. In the final stage, he alternated between digging into the trenches at Petersburg and fleeing westward across Virginia, Grants Overland Campaign was one of a series of simultaneous offensives the newly appointed general in chief launched against the Confederacy. Grants campaign objective was not the Confederate capital of Richmond, President Abraham Lincoln had long advocated this strategy for his generals, recognizing that the city would certainly fall after the loss of its principal defensive army. Grant ordered Meade, Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also, although he hoped for a quick, decisive battle, Grant was prepared to fight a war of attrition. Both Union and Confederate casualties could be high, but the Union had greater resources to replace lost soldiers, on May 5, after Grants army crossed the Rapidan River and entered the Wilderness of Spotsylvania, it was attacked by Lees Army of Northern Virginia. Although Lee was outnumbered, about 60,000 to 100,000, his men fought fiercely, after two days of fighting and almost 29,000 casualties, the results were inconclusive and neither army was able to obtain an advantage. Lee had stopped Grant, but had not turned him back, elements of Lees army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House and began entrenching, a tactic that became increasingly essential for the outnumbered defenders. Near Spotsylvania Court House, fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, on May 8, Union Maj. Gens. On May 10, Grant ordered attacks across the Confederate line of earthworks, although the Union troops failed again at Laurel Hill, an innovative assault attempt by Col. Emory Upton against the Mule Shoe showed promise. Grant used Uptons assault technique on a larger scale on May 12 when he ordered the 15,000 men of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancocks corps to assault the Mule Shoe
24.
Battle of Trevilian Station
–
The Battle of Trevilian Station was fought on June 11–12,1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan fought against Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gens, Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee in the bloodiest and largest all-cavalry battle of the war. Hamptons cavalry beat Sheridan to the railroad at Trevilian Station and on June 11 they fought to a standstill, Brig. Gen. George A. Custer entered the Confederate rear area and captured Hamptons supply train, but soon became surrounded and fought desperately to avoid destruction. On June 12, the forces clashed again to the northwest of Trevilian Station. Sheridan withdrew his force to rejoin Grants army, the battle was a tactical victory for the Confederates and Sheridan failed to achieve his goal of permanently destroying the Virginia Central Railroad or of linking up with Hunter. Its distraction, however, may have contributed to Grants successful crossing of the James River, following the bloody Union repulse at the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, Grant decided on a new strategy. Grants new strategy was to march his 100, 000-man army to the south, cross the James River, therefore, on June 5 Grant ordered a cavalry raid by the command of Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan northwest toward Charlottesville. The raid had two initial objectives, First, Sheridan would draw the Confederate cavalry away from Grants main army so his infantry corps could stealthily disengage from Lees army at Cold Harbor and move toward the James. Second, the Union cavalrymen would tear up the Virginia Central towards Richmond, Sheridan was ordered to destroy the railroad bridge on the Rivanna River, just east of Charlottesville, and destroy the tracks from there to Gordonsville. Then, his men would turn back and destroy the track all the way to Hanover Junction, near Richmond. Just after Grant issued the orders to Sheridan he learned of Maj. Gen. David Hunters Union victory at the Battle of Piedmont in the Shenandoah Valley against Brig. Gen. William E. Grumble Jones. He saw the opportunity that Hunter could travel east from Staunton to meet Sheridan at Charlottesville so that they could be a threat to Lees army from the west. Grant modified his orders, telling Sheridan to wait for Hunter near Charlottesville, George A. Custer and Wesley Merritt, and Col. Thomas C. Second Cavalry Division, commanded by Brig. Gen. David McM, Gregg, consisted of the brigades commanded by Brig. Gen. Henry E. Davies, Jr. and Col. J. Irvin Gregg. Horse Artillery Brigade, commanded by Capt. James M. Robertson, included six artillery batteries with 20 guns. Sheridans Third Cavalry Division, commanded by Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, remained at Cold Harbor with the Army of the Potomac and it accompanied the army on its march to Petersburg. Sheridan left behind with Wilson the men from his two divisions who did not have mounts. The Cavalry Corps of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was without a formal commander, the senior cavalry commander opposing Sheridans force was Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton
25.
Battle of Saint Mary's Church
–
On June 24, the Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton attacked the column of Brig. Gen. David McM. Greggs division at St. Marys Church, following the Battle of Trevilian Station, Sheridans cavalry began to return on June 13 from their unsuccessful raid against the Virginia Central Railroad. They crossed the North Anna River at Carpenters Ford and then headed on the Catharpin Road in the direction of Spotsylvania Court House. On June 16 the column passed through Bowling Green and, traveling along the bank of the Mattaponi River, arrived at King. While Sheridans men were off on their raid, Grants army had begun moving from Cold Harbor to cross the James River for an attack against Petersburg. In conjunction with this move, Grant ordered that his supply base be moved from White House on the Pamunkey River to City Point on the James. Hamptons Confederate cavalry left Trevilian Station and followed Sheridan on roughly parallel roads to the south and his force consisted of Brig. Gen. Matthew C. Butlers and Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Rossers brigades from his own division, Brig. Gen. Williams C. Wickhams brigade from Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lees division, and he added a newly formed cavalry brigade under Brig. Gen. Martin W. Gary. On June 20, Fitz Lee attempted to attack the Union supply depot at White House, on June 21, Sheridan crossed over the Pamunkey River, broke through the Confederate cordon at St. Peters Church, and led 900 wagons toward the James River. Sheridan headed toward Deep Bottom on his way to link up with Union infantry at Bermuda Hundred, near Westover Church, Union Brig. Gen. Alfred T. A. Torberts division was stalled by Confederate resistance. On June 24, Brig. Gen. David McM, Greggs division occupied a covering position near Samaria Church, on the road to Charles City, while Sheridan ferried Torberts division and the supply train across the James at Douthats Landing. On June 24, Torberts division continued to escort the wagons toward Harrisons Landing on the James as Greggs division followed a parallel route, torbert encountered Brig. Gen. Lunsford L. Lomaxs brigade near the Charles City Court House and drove it back. Greggs brigade under Brig. Gen. Henry E. Davies, Jr. arrived in the vicinity of Samaria Church, a charge by the 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry pushed the pickets to the north and Daviess brigade entrenched to the west of the intersection. Davies took up the flank of the line and Col. J. Irvin Gregg the left. Hamptons force approached and prepared to attack dismounted, while simultaneously entrenching, from 3 to 4 p. m. Hamptons five brigades attacked Greggs two. The pressure was too great on the Union cavalrymen and they began to withdraw down the road to Charles City Court House, one of the Confederates wrote, The enemy position was a strong one. Except for the men left behind, Greggs division escaped relatively intact, among the prisoners was Col. Pennock Huey of the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Casualties were about 350 Union,250 Confederate, having been blocked by Hamptons cavalry, Sheridan withdrew on June 25 and moved through Charles City Court House to Douthats Landing, where the trains crossed the James on flatboats
26.
Lieutenant general (United States)
–
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general, Lieutenant general is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the other uniformed services. The United States Code explicitly limits the number of generals that may be concurrently active to 230 for the Army,60 for the Marine Corps. For the Army and Air Force, no more than about 25% of the active duty general officers may have more than two stars. Some of these slots can be reserved by statute, officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The President may also add three-star slots to one if they are offset by removing an equivalent number from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the presidents discretion during time of war or national emergency, the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy is almost always a U. S. Army lieutenant general, either upon appointment or shortly thereafter. The three-star grade goes hand-in-hand with the position of office to which it is linked, officers may only achieve three-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, the nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank. The standard tour length for most lieutenant general positions is three years but some are set four or more years by statute, some statutory limits under the U. S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war. Three-star ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare, other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. Lieutenant generals must retire after 38 years of service unless appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer, otherwise all general officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, the Secretary of Defense can defer a three-star officers retirement until the officers 66th birthday, General officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede the upward career mobility of their juniors. Since there is a number of three-star slots available to each service. Additionally, lieutenant generals of all services serve as staff officers at various major command headquarters and The Pentagon. Currently, five women serve as lieutenant generals in the US Army, in theory, a general vacates their three or four-star rank at termination of their assignment unless placed in an equal ranking billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as general and Army Chief of Staff. Even with the status, such officers are also almost always granted permanent retirement in the last grade they held with the satisfactory completion of at least two or three years in grade
27.
General officers in the Confederate States Army
–
The general officers of the Confederate States Army were the senior military leaders of the Confederacy during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. They were often former officers from the United States Army prior to the Civil War, most Confederate generals needed confirmation from the Confederate Congress, much like prospective generals in the modern U. S. armed forces. Much of the design of the Confederate States Army was based on the structure, the Confederate Army was composed of three parts, the Army of the Confederate States of America, the Provisional Army of the Confederate States, and the various Southern state militias. Graduates from West Point and Mexican War veterans were highly sought after by Jefferson Davis for military service, like their Federal counterparts, the Confederate Army had both professional and political generals within it. Ranks throughout the CSA were roughly based on the U. S. Army in design and seniority. On February 27,1861, a staff for the army was authorized, consisting of four positions, an adjutant general, a quartermaster general, a commissary general. Initially the last of these was to be a staff officer only, the post of adjutant general was filled by Samuel Cooper and he held it throughout the Civil War, as well as the armys inspector general. As officers were appointed to the grades of general by Jefferson Davis. The dates of rank, as well as seniority of officers appointed to the grade on the same day, were determined by Davis usually following the guidelines established for the prewar U. S. Army. These generals were most often infantry or cavalry brigade commanders, aides to other higher ranking generals, and War Department staff officers. By wars end the Confederacy had at least 383 different men who held this rank in the PACS, the organization of regiments into brigades was authorized by the Congress on March 6,1861. Brigadier generals would command them, and these generals were to be nominated by Davis and these generals also often led sub-districts within military departments, with command over soldiers in their sub-district. These generals outranked Confederate Army colonels, who commonly led infantry regiments and this rank is equivalent to brigadier general in the modern U. S. army. These generals were most commonly infantry division commanders, aides to other higher ranking generals and they also led the districts that made up military departments, and had command over the troops in their districts. By wars end, the Confederacy had at least 88 different men who had held this rank, divisions were authorized by the Congress on March 6,1861, and major generals would command them. These generals were to be nominated by Davis and confirmed by the Senate, Major generals outranked brigadiers and all other lesser officers. This rank was not synonymous with the Unions use of it, as Northern major generals led divisions, corps and this rank is equivalent in most respects to major general in the modern U. S. Army. All of the Confederacys lieutenant generals were in the PACS, the Congress legalized the creation of army corps on September 18,1862, and directed that lieutenant generals lead them
28.
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
29.
Attrition warfare
–
Attrition warfare is a military strategy consisting of belligerent attempts to win a war by wearing down the enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and materiel. The war will usually be won by the side with such resources. The word attrition comes from the Latin root atterere to rub against, military theorists and strategists have viewed attrition warfare as something to be avoided. On the other hand, a side that perceives itself to be at a disadvantage in manoeuvre warfare or unit tactics may deliberately seek out attrition warfare to neutralize its opponents advantages. If the sides are evenly matched, the outcome of a war of attrition is likely to be a Pyrrhic victory. The difference between war of attrition and other forms of war is somewhat artificial since war always contains an element of attrition. That should be seen as opposed to other goals such as the conquest of some resource or territory or an attempt to cause the enemy great losses in a single stroke. Historically, attritional methods are tried only as a last resort, typically, when attritional methods have worn down the enemy sufficiently to make other methods feasible, attritional methods are abandoned in favor of other strategies. In World War I, improvements in firepower but not communications and mobility forced military commanders to rely on attrition, attritional methods are in themselves usually sufficient to cause a nation to give up a nonvital ambition, but other methods are generally necessary to achieve unconditional surrender. It is often argued that the example of attrition warfare was on the Western Front during World War I. Both military forces found themselves in static positions in trenches running from Switzerland to the English Channel. For years, without any opportunity for manoeuvres, the way the commanders thought that they could defeat the enemy was to repeatedly attack head on. One of the most enduring examples of attrition warfare on the Western Front is the Battle of Verdun, erich von Falkenhayn later claimed that his tactics at Verdun were designed not to take the city but rather to destroy the French Army in its defense. Falkenhayn is described as wanting to bleed France white and thus the attrition tactics were employed in the battle, attritional warfare in World War I has been shown by historians such as Hew Strachan to have been used as a post hoc ergo propter hoc excuse for failed offensives. Contemporary sources disagree with Strachans view on this, while the Christmas Memorandum is a post-war invention, the strategy of Bleeding France white was the original strategy for the battle. Attrition to the enemy was easy to assert and difficult to refute and that is not to say that a general will not be prepared to sustain high casualties while trying to reach an objective. The delaying tactics of Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus against Hannibal Barca during the Second Punic War, the Israeli–Egyptian War of Attrition from 1967–1970. The Soviet war in Afghanistan The later phases of the Iran–Iraq War The War in Afghanistan The Sri Lankan Civil War after 2005 The 2011 Libyan civil war is arguably an example of attrition warfare, the Syrian Civil War, in particular the Battle of Aleppo
30.
Richmond in the American Civil War
–
Richmond, Virginia, served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for almost the whole of the American Civil War. The city was less than 100 miles from the Union capital in Washington and its proximity to the fighting would lead to it becoming a center of hospitals and military prisons. The city finally fell to Union forces on April 3,1865, in the aftermath of the war, numerous monuments, memorials, and museums were erected in the city. In the 1860 United States Census, Richmond was the 25th largest urban area in the United States, the city had been the capital of Virginia since 1780. The Confederate States of America was formed in early 1861 from the first states to secede from the Union, montgomery, Alabama, was selected as the Confederate capital. After the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 12,1861, beginning the Civil War, additional states seceded. Virginia voted to secede from the Union on April 17,1861, shortly thereafter, in recognition of Virginias strategic importance, the Confederate capital was moved to Richmond. Richmond remained the capital of the Confederacy until April 2,1865, at point the government evacuated and was re-established, albeit briefly, in Danville. Positioned on the Fall Line along the James River, the city had access to an ample supply of hydropower to run mills. The Tredegar Iron Works, sprawling along the James River, supplied high-quality munitions to Confederacy during the war, the company also manufactured railroad steam locomotives in the same period. The foundry made the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS Virginia, the Tredegar works were adjacent to the Richmond Arsenal, which was recommissioned in the lead-up to the war. On Browns Island, the Confederate States Laboratory was established to consolidate explosives production to a setting in the eventuality of an accidental explosion. Numerous smaller factories in Richmond produced tents, uniforms, harnesses and leather goods, swords and bayonets, as the war progressed, the citys warehouses became the supply and logistical center for much of the Confederate forces within the Eastern Theater. Richmond was also a transportation hub, at the fall of Richmond in April 1865, all but the Richmond and Danville Railroad and the canal had effectively been cut off by Union forces. In the late spring of 1862, a large Federal army under Major General George B. McClellan landed on the Virginia Peninsula, McClellan, who had enjoyed early publicity from a series of successes in western Virginia, was assigned the task of seizing and occupying Richmond. His military maneuvers and the battles and engagements became collectively known as the Peninsula Campaign. McClellans starting base was the Union-held Fort Monroe at the tip of the Peninsula. Efforts to take Richmond by the James River were successfully blocked by Confederate defenses at the Battle of Drewrys Bluff on May 15, the Union Army advance was halted shortly outside of the city at the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31 and June 1,1862
31.
Military tactics
–
Military tactics are the science and art of organizing a military force, and the techniques for combining and using weapons and military units to engage and defeat an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology have been reflected in changes to military tactics, in contemporary military science, tactics are the lowest of three planning levels, strategic, operational, and tactical. The highest level of planning is strategy, how force is translated into political objectives by bridging the means, the intermediate level, operational, the conversion of strategy into tactics, deals with formations of units. Military tactics answer the questions of how best to deploy and employ forces on a small scale, some practices have not changed since the dawn of warfare, assault, ambushes, skirmishing, turning flanks, reconnaissance, creating and using obstacles and defenses, etc. Using ground to best advantage has not changed much either, heights, rivers, swamps, passes, choke points, and natural cover, can all be used in multiple ways. Before the nineteenth century, many tactics were confined to battlefield concerns. Nowadays, specialized tactics exist for many situations, for example for securing a room in a building, technological changes can render existing tactics obsolete, and sociological changes can shift the goals and methods of warfare, requiring new tactics. Tactics define how soldiers are armed and trained, each – constrained by his weaponry, logistics and social conditioning – would use a battlefield differently, but would usually seek the same outcomes from their use of tactics. The First World War forced great changes in tactics as advances in technology rendered prior tactics useless, list of military tactics Combat arms Johnson, Rob, Michael Whitby, John France. How to win on the battlefield,25 key tactics to outwit, outflank, cS1 maint, Multiple names, authors list Muhm, Gerhard. German Tactics in the Italian Campaign, Gerhard Muhm, La Tattica nella campagna ass d’Italia, in LINEA GOTICA AVAMPOSTO DEI BALCANI, Amedeo Montemaggi - Edizioni Civitas, Roma 1993. Contemporary Marine tactics for war fighting Napoleons tactics and strategy Small Unit Actions during German Campaign in Russia
32.
V Corps (Union Army)
–
The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. The first unit designated as the V corps was organized briefly under Nathaniel P, banks The unit better known as V Corps was formed within the Army of the Potomac on May 18,1862 as V Corps Provisional, which was engaged in the Peninsula Campaign to seize Richmond. It was created by merging Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porters 3rd Division of the III Corps with Maj. Gen. George Sykes division of U. S, Regular troops, formerly in the Reserve. Porter became corps commander and his 1st Division was assigned to Brig. Gen. George W. Morell, on July 22,1862, provisional was dropped from the name as the U. S. War Department confirmed it as the V Corps, Army of the Potomac, the V Corps fought in several battles throughout the Peninsula Campaign, including Hanover Court House, Mechanicsville, Gainess Mill, Glendale, and Malvern Hill. The corps losses in the Seven Days Battles were 995 killed,3,805 wounded, of these casualties,6,837 occurred at Gainess Mill, the remainder at Mechanicsville, Glendale, and Malvern Hill. The corps was enlarged on June 14 by George A. McCalls division of Pennsylvania Reserves. Following the failure of the Peninsula Campaign, the Pennsylvania Reserves were reassigned to Irvin McDowells I Corps, the V Corps was reassigned to Maj. Gen. John Popes Army of Virginia, along with the III and IX Corps of George B. The general officers in the corps were all West Pointers and contained no political appointees or nonprofessionals, the presence of regular army troops added a more professional air to the V Corps than the others, and discipline and drills were typically stricter. In addition, the artillery reserve was attached to the corps. The V Corps saw action at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Losses of the small corps were 331 killed,1,364 wounded, and 456 missing, a total of 2,151, out of about 6,500 engaged. Two brigades, of six, were not engaged, one brigade, composed of two regiments under Gouverneur K. Warren, made a futile stand against the Confederate attack on the Union left flank. The corps saw action at the Battle of Antietam. The 1st Division was held in reserve in the center of the Union line. Elements of Sykess division engaged in skirmishing at the Upper Ford and it was after Antietam that a new 3rd Division was added under Andrew A. Humphreys, composed mostly of nine-month recruits from Pennsylvania. After Antietam, Fitz-John Porter was court martialed for disobeying orders at Second Bull Run, although Porter himself was not to blame, John Pope chose him as a scapegoat for that loss and his career was summarily ruined. Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield replaced Porter to command the V Corps at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and Generals Charles Griffin, Sykes, Losses were 206 killed,1,669 wounded, and 300 missing, total,2,175. When Hooker took command of the Army of the Potomac in the spring, he did away with the grand divisions, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, formerly commanding the 3rd Division of the I Corps, took charge of the V Corps
33.
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
34.
Gouverneur K. Warren
–
Gouverneur Kemble Warren was a civil engineer and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg and is referred to as the Hero of Little Round Top. Warren was born in Cold Spring, Putnam County, New York, and named for Gouverneur Kemble, a prominent local Congressman, diplomat, industrialist and his sister, Emily Warren Roebling, would later play a significant role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. He entered the United States Military Academy at age 16 and graduated second in his class of 44 cadets in 1850 and he was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. In the antebellum years he worked on the Mississippi River, on transcontinental railroad surveys and he served as the engineer on William S. Harneys Battle of Ash Hollow in the Nebraska Territory in 1855, where he saw his first combat. He took part in studies of possible railroad routes, creating the first comprehensive map of the United States west of the Mississippi in 1857. This required extensive explorations of the vast Nebraska Territory, including Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, part of Montana, one region he surveyed was the Minnesota River Valley, a valley much larger than what would be expected from the low-flow Minnesota River. In some places the valley is 5 miles wide and 250 feet deep, Warren first explained the hydrology of the region in 1868, attributing the gorge to a massive river, which drained Lake Agassiz between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. The great river was named glacial River Warren in his honor after his death, at the start of the war, Warren was a first lieutenant and mathematics instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, across the Hudson River from his hometown. He helped raise a regiment for service in the Union Army and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 5th New York Infantry on May 14,1861. Warren and his regiment saw their first combat at the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia on June 10 and he was promoted to colonel and regimental commander on September 10. He commanded a brigade during the Seven Days Battles and was wounded in the knee at the Battle of Gaines Mill, at the Battle of Malvern Hill, his brigade stopped the attack of a Confederate division. Warren was promoted to general on September 26,1862. When Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker reorganized the Army of the Potomac in February 1863, he named Warren his chief topographical engineer, as chief engineer, Warren was commended for his service in the Battle of Chancellorsville. At the start of the Gettysburg Campaign, as Confederate General Robert E. Lee began his invasion of Pennsylvania, Warren suffered a minor neck wound during the Confederate assault. On March 13,1865, he was brevetted to major general in the army for his actions at Bristoe Station. During the Mine Run Campaign, Warrens corps was ordered to attack Lees army, although initially angry at Warren, Meade acknowledged that he had been right. During these Virginia campaigns, Warren established a reputation of bringing his engineering traits of deliberation and caution to the role of infantry corps commander
35.
Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
–
The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was a military organization within the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during much of the American Civil War. It was officially created and named following the Battle of Sharpsburg in 1862, the Second Corps developed a reputation for hard fighting under famed early commander Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson. The troops comprising the Second Corps originate known as the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major General Gustavus W. Smith. This unit was known as the Second Division and was eventually subsumed into general Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia as a reserve in Maj. Gen. D. H. Hills Division. Lees reorganization was based on his evaluation of the performance of his commanders during the Seven Days Campaign. General Jackson commanded what became the Second Corps from the end of the Seven Days Campaign on July 13,1862, Jacksons official promotion to lieutenant general was made on October 10,1862, and Jacksons Corps began going by the title Second Corp about 6 November. Jackson commanded the corps at the Battle of Fredericksburg and in the subsequent series of engagements along the Rappahannock River. The corps finest moment came during the Battle of Chancellorsville when Jackson led the famous enveloping left flank attack that routed much of Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers Federal Army of the Potomac. From May 2 to May 30,1863, the Second Corps was commanded temporarily by Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill, stuart on 2 May, during the crucial loss of the mortally wounded Jackson. Ewell had commanded a division and worked under Jackson, and was native to this organization, Jackson had recommended Ewell for the command to Lee before he died. However, the Second Corps was reduced in size when Ewell took command, Ewell led the Second Corps through the Gettysburg Campaign, after smashing the Union VIII Corps and decimating Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroys command at the Second Battle of Winchester. Ewell continued to command the corps through the campaigning of 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness. However, Ewells ability as a corps commander waned, and Lee felt it was necessary to reassign Ewell to the Department of Richmond on May 29,1864, with Ewells reassignment, Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early took command, bringing a wealth of experience and he had already temporarily commanded both the Second and Third Corps during the incapacitation of Ewell and Hill during The Battle of the Wilderness. Early had much experience as a commander and had served under Generals Jackson. Therefore, Lee decided in June 1864 to use the Second Corps on yet another invasion of the Union in an attempt to cause General Ulysses S. Grant to fall back from pressing Lees front. But the invasion was short lived, as the Union was able to respond with a campaign under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. As Sheridan fought Early up the Shenandoah Valley, Sheridan commenced upon his famous Burning of the Valley, destroying crops, livestock, farms, barns, homes, defenseless now, the citizens and communities of the Shenandoah Valley were subject to unhindered devastation from General Sheridan
36.
Richard S. Ewell
–
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Ewell was born in Georgetown, District of Columbia and he was raised in Prince William County, Virginia, from the age of 3, at an estate near Manassas known as Stony Lonesome. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1840, thirteenth in his class of 42 cadets and he was known to his friends as Old Bald Head or Baldy. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st U. S. Dragoons and was promoted to first lieutenant in 1845. From 1843 to 1845 he served with Philip St. George Cooke and Stephen Watts Kearny on escort duty along the Santa Fe, in the Mexican-American War, serving under Winfield Scott, he was recognized and promoted to captain for his courage at Contreras and Churubusco. At Contreras, he conducted a reconnaissance with engineer Captain Robert E. Lee. Ewell served in the New Mexico Territory for some time, exploring the newly acquired Gadsden Purchase with Colonel Benjamin Bonneville and he was wounded in a skirmish with Apaches under Cochise in 1859. In 1860, while in command of Fort Buchanan, Arizona and he described his condition as very ill with vertigo, nausea, etc. and now am excessively debilitated having occasional attacks of the ague. S. Army commission on May 7,1861, to join the Virginia Provisional Army and he was appointed a colonel of cavalry on May 9 and was the first officer of field grade wounded in the war, at a May 31 skirmish at Fairfax Court House. He was promoted to general in the Confederate States Army on June 17 and commanded a brigade in the Army of the Potomac at the First Battle of Bull Run. But Davis considered that impossible and that never came up between him and Ewell again. Nevertheless, Ewell, like Patrick Cleburne, was one of those few Confederate generals who saw that the Confederacy needed all the manpower it could get, Ewell inspired his men in spite of, not because of, his appearance. Historian Larry Tagg described him, On January 24,1862, Ewell was promoted to major general, although the two generals worked together well, and both were noted for their quixotic personal behavior, there were many stylistic differences between them. Jackson was stern and pious, whereas Ewell was witty and extremely profane, Jackson was flexible and intuitive on the battlefield, while Ewell, although brave and effective, required precise instructions to function effectively. Ewell was initially resentful about Jacksons tendency to keep his subordinates uninformed about his tactical plans, Ewell superbly commanded a division in Jacksons small army during the Valley Campaign, personally winning quite a few battles against the larger Union armies of Maj. Gens. Frémont, Nathaniel P. Banks, and James Shields, Jacksons army was then recalled to Richmond to join Robert E. Lee in protecting the city against Maj. Gen. George B. McClellans Army of the Potomac in the Peninsula Campaign, Ewell fought conspicuously at Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill. After Lee repelled the Union army in the Seven Days Battles, Union Maj. Gen. John Popes Army of Virginia threatened to attack from the north, so Jackson was sent to intercept him
37.
Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
–
The Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia was a unit of the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. For the Corps third division, Lee created a new division from two brigades sent from the defenses around Richmond and two brigades from Penders division, assigning it to the command of Henry Heth, the corps artillery reserve was commanded by Colonel R. Lindsay Walker. On the morning of July 1st, Heth encountered the elements of the Army of the Potomac. During the morning, Heths division attacked part of the I Corps and was defeated, ambrose R. Wright was able to briefly pierce the Union center on Cemetery Ridge but was forced to retreat. Before he was able to launch an attack with his division, during the day, Hill was ill and did not supervise the attack by his corps. Cadmus Wilcoxs and David Langs brigades of Andersons division formed on Picketts right, while the rest of the division formed behind Pettigrew, for the bombardment before the infantry attack, Walker formed fifty-three cannons along Seminary Ridge. During the attack, one Union regiment attacked Pettigrews right flank brigade, commanded by John M. Brockenbrough, and routed it, then commenced firing on the next brigade in line. Pettigrew was wounded during the attack but remained in command of his division, Trimble was wounded and captured near the wall, while two brigade commanders were also wounded and one was killed. Wilcox and Lang started their advance well after the force had done so. Artillery fire and a counterattack by the Vermont Brigade forced them to retreat, with several dozen Confederates falling prisoner, after the battle, Hills corps was the first to start the Confederate retreat back to Virginia. Heths division served as the guard as the army marched over the Potomac on July 14th, during the Battle of Falling Waters. During the fall, Cadmus Wilcox was promoted to major general, in the Battle of Bristoe Station, Hill attacked the isolated Union II Corps with only two brigades from his three available divisions, but was in turn hit in the flank by the awaiting V Corps. Hill lost heavily,2,000 men in total along with five cannons, the corps also participated in the Mine Run Campaign, Hill was to assault the Union left flank at dawn on December 1, but the Union army retreated during the night. For the rest of the winter, the corps remained in winter camps south of the Rappahannock River, at the start of the Overland Campaign, the corps started with a strength of over 22,000 men. The Third corps fought on the Confederate right wing during the first day of the Battle of the Wilderness, on the second day, the Union army attacked at dawn and quickly drove Hills troops back in confusion. Longstreets corps arrived near mid-morning and halted the Union attack, following Longstreets wounding, Anderson was transferred to command the First Corps, with William Mahone taking command of Andersons division. During the march to Spotsylvania Court House on May 8th, Hill fell ill and was replaced by Jubal Early from the Second Corps, Early arrived at Spotsylvania near dawn on May 9th and covered the Confederate right wing. The corps held against the attacks of the IX Corps during May 12th but was able to send two brigades to help with the Confederate counterattacks in the Mule Shoe salient
38.
A. P. Hill
–
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. was a Confederate army general who was killed in the American Civil War. A native Virginian, Hill was a career United States Army officer who had fought in the Mexican–American War, Hill is usually referred to as A. P. Hill, to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, D. H. Hill. Hill, known to his family as Powell, was born in Culpeper, Virginia, Hill was nominated to enter the United States Military Academy in 1842, in a class that started with 85 cadets. He made friends easily, including such prominent future generals as Darius N. Couch, George E. Pickett, Jesse L. Reno, George Stoneman, Truman Seymour, Cadmus M. Wilcox, and George B. McClellan. His future commander, Thomas J. Jackson, was in the same class, Hill had a higher social status in Virginia and valued having a good time in his off-hours, whereas Jackson scorned levity and practiced his religion more fervently than Hill could tolerate. In 1844, Hill returned from a furlough with a case of gonorrhea, reassigned to the class of 1847, he made new friendships in particular with Henry Heth and Ambrose E. Burnside. He graduated in 1847, ranking 15th of 38 and he was appointed to the 1st U. S. Artillery as a second lieutenant. He served in a company during the final months of the Mexican-American War. After some garrison assignments along the Atlantic seaboard, he served in the Seminole Wars, again arriving near the end of the war and he was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1851. From 1855 to 1860, Hill was employed on the United States coastal survey and he was once engaged to Ellen B. Marcy, the wife of Hills West Point roommate George B. McClellan, before her parents pressured her to break off the engagement, on July 18,1859, he married Kitty Morgan McClung, a young widow, thus becoming the brother-in-law of future Confederate cavalry generals John Hunt Morgan and Basil W. Duke. On March 1,1861, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, after Virginia seceded, he was appointed colonel of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment. The 13th Virginia was one of the regiments in Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Hill was promoted to general on February 26,1862. Hills division initially formed part of James Longstreets command and his division did not participate in the Battle of Seven Pines, the battle in which Joseph E. Johnston was wounded and replaced in command of the Army of Northern Virginia by Robert E. Lee. June 1 was the first day that Hill began using a nickname for his division and this contradictory name for the largest division in all of the Confederate armies may have been selected because Hill wished his men to have a reputation for speed and agility. Hill launched multiple attacks throughout the Seven Days Battles, including at Mechanicsville, Gainess Mill, and Glendale, his division was held in reserve at Malvern Hill
39.
Brigadier general (United States)
–
In the United States Armed Forces, brigadier general is a one-star general officer with the pay grade of O-7 in the U. S. Army, U. S. Marine Corps, and U. S. Air Force. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general, the rank of brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services. The rank of brigadier general has existed in the U. S. military since the inception of the Continental Army in June 1775, later, on June 18,1780, it was prescribed that brigadier generals would instead wear a single silver star on each epaulette. At first, brigadier generals were infantry officers who commanded a brigade, however, over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the responsibilities of the rank expanded significantly. During the period from March 16,1802, to January 11,1812, foreseeing the need for an expanded general staff in case of war, which seemed imminent, Congress restored the rank of major general in January 1812. The first brigadier general in the U. S. Marine Corps was Commandant Archibald Henderson, the insignia for a brigadier general is one silver star worn on the shoulder or collar, and has not changed since the creation of the rank two centuries ago. Since the Mexican-American War, however, the rank of colonel has been the normal rank appointed to command a brigade that is organic to a division. In an infantry brigade not organic to a division, a brigadier general serves as the units commander, an Air Force brigadier general typically commands a large wing. Additionally, one-star officers of all services may serve as staff officers in large military organizations. U. S. Code of law explicitly limits the number of general officers who may be on active duty. The total of active duty general officers is capped at 230 for the Army,60 for the Marine Corps, the President or Secretary of Defense may increase the number of general slots in one branch, so long as they subtract an equal number from another. Some of these slots are reserved by statute, for promotion to the permanent grade of brigadier general, eligible officers are screened by a promotion board consisting of general officers from their branch of service. 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 for review before it can be sent to the President, through the defense secretary, 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 the nominee is confirmed, they are promoted to that once they assume or hold an office that requires or allows an officer of that rank. For positions of office reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position, for all three uniformed services, because the grade of brigadier general is a permanent rank, the nominee may still be screened by an in-service promotion board. The rank does not expire when the officer vacates a one-star position, tour length varies depending on the position, by statute, or when the officer receives a new assignment
40.
George W. Getty
–
Getty was born in Georgetown, Washington, D. C. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, at the age of 16, and graduated 15th out of 42 graduates in the Class of 1840. Among his classmates were future Civil War generals William T. Sherman and George H. Thomas of the Union Army and Richard S. Ewell and he was assigned to the artillery as a second lieutenant. During the Mexican-American War, he campaigned with Winfield Scotts army and received an appointment as captain for gallantry at Contreras. He fought against the Seminole Indians in Florida in the last two Seminole Wars, seeing action in 1849–50 and again in 1856–57, at the beginning of the Civil War, Getty was a captain in the 4th U. S. Artillery. In September,1861, he was appointed lieutenant colonel and he commanded four batteries in Maj. Gen. George B. Named Chief of Artillery of Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsides IX Corps, he served at the battles of South Mountain, on September 25,1862, Getty was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers and assigned to the infantry. During the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, he commanded the 3rd Division of IX Corps. He was wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness, but recovered to lead his troops during the lengthy Siege of Petersburg, Getty became acting commander of VI Corps when Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts was wounded leading the corps at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Getty was mustered out of the volunteer force on October 9,1866. On July 28,1866, Getty was appointed colonel of the 37th U. S and he transferred to the 3rd U. S. Infantry, March 15,1869. Getty then transferred to the 3rd U. S, Artillery on December 31,1870, and then commanded the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, for six years. Getty was a member of the Board of Conduct which exonerated former V Corps commander Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter in 1879 and he transferred to the 4th U. S. General Getty was a member of several societies including the Aztec Club of 1847, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. After he retired from the Army on October 2,1883, Getty lived on a farm near Forest Glen, Maryland and he was buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery. General Gettys son, Robert Nelson Getty, graduated from West Point in 1878 and he was a veteran of the Indian Wars, the Spanish–American War, the Philippine Insurrection and the First World War, during which he was promoted to brigadier general. Eicher, John H. and Eicher, David J. Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press,2001, warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue, Lives of the Union Commanders, Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press,1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7. Getty Arlington National Cemetery webpage for G. W
41.
VI Corps (Union Army)
–
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18,1862, Franklins Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smiths Division, which was taken away from the IV Corps for this purpose. This provisional arrangement having been sanctioned by the U. S, War Department, the command received its permanent designation as the VI Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. Franklin was appointed commander, and Henry W. Slocum succeeded to the command of Franklins Division. On June 20,1862, the corps numbered 24,911, present and absent, with 19,405 present for duty, equipped, the corps artillery numbered 40 guns. The Vermont brigade of Smiths Division took a prominent part in the fight at Savages Station, the corps fought at other points during the Seven Days Battles, but at Malvern Hill it was held in reserve. Gen. George W. Taylor, the commander, receiving a mortal wound. In the Maryland Campaign, Slocums Division made a charge up the side of South Mountain at Cramptons Gap, driving the enemy from a strong position. The corps was under fire again at Antietam, but was only partially engaged, the 3rd Brigade of Smiths Division, took a part, however. Important changes in the corps now took place. It received a valuable accession by the transfer of Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couchs Division of the IV Corps, General Franklin was promoted to the command of the Left Grand Division, VI and I Corps, and General Smith succeeded to the command of the corps. General Slocum was promoted to the command of the XII Corps, Howe succeeded to the command of Smiths Division. At Fredericksburg, December 13,1862, only a few regiments of the corps were engaged, but the corps was engaged on the same field, May 3,1863, in an action that made it famous with a brilliant display of dash and daring. Up to this point, the corps had never fought a major engagement as a whole, only pieces of it participating in the battles on the Peninsula. The divisions of Newton and Howe were the ones engaged together with Col Hiram Burnhams Light Division, brookss Division was engaged later in the day, at Salem Church. The corps lost in this battle 4,589, the missing ones were, for the most part, lost in the action at Salem Church. On the day before battle, the corps returns showed a strength of 23,730, present for duty. The Light Division was broken up after the battle, its regiments being assigned to other divisions, in the Gettysburg Campaign, the divisions were commanded by Generals Horatio G. Wright, Howe, and Newton
42.
Winfield Scott Hancock
–
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U. S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War, known to his Army colleagues as Hancock the Superb, he was noted in particular for his personal leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. One military historian wrote, No other Union general at Gettysburg dominated men by the force of their presence more completely than Hancock. As another wrote, his tactical skill had won him the admiration of adversaries who had come to know him as the Thunderbolt of the Army of the Potomac. His military service continued after the Civil War, as Hancock participated in the military Reconstruction of the South, Hancocks reputation as a war hero at Gettysburg, combined with his status as a Unionist and supporter of states rights, made him a potential presidential candidate. His noted integrity was a counterpoint to the corruption of the era, when the Democrats nominated him for President in 1880, he ran a strong campaign, but was narrowly defeated by Republican James A. Garfield. The twins were the sons of Benjamin Franklin Hancock and Elizabeth Hoxworth Hancock, Winfield was named after Winfield Scott, a prominent general in the War of 1812. The Hancock and Hoxworth families had lived in Montgomery County for several generations, Benjamin Hancock was a schoolteacher when his sons were born. A few years after their birth, he moved the family to Norristown, the county seat, Benjamin was also a deacon in the Baptist church and participated in municipal government. Hancock was at first educated at Norristown Academy, but removed to the schools when the first one opened in Norristown in the late 1830s. In 1840, Joseph Fornance, the local Congressman, nominated Hancock to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Hancocks progress at West Point was average. He graduated 18th in his class of 25 in 1844, Hancock was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 6th U. S. Infantry regiment, and initially was stationed in Indian Territory in the Red River Valley, the region was quiet at the time, and Hancocks time there was uneventful. Upon the outbreak of war with Mexico in 1846, Hancock worked to secure himself a place at the front, initially assigned to recruiting duties in Kentucky, he proved so adept at signing up soldiers that his superiors were reluctant to release him from his post. By July 1847, however, Hancock was permitted to join his regiment in Puebla, Mexico, scotts army moved farther inland from Puebla unopposed and attacked Mexico City from the south. During that campaign in 1847, Hancock first encountered battle at Contreras and he was appointed a brevet first lieutenant for gallant and meritorious service in those actions. Hancock was wounded in the knee at Churubusco and developed a fever, although he was well enough to join his regiment at Molino del Rey, fever kept Hancock from participating in the final breakthrough to Mexico City, something he would regret for the rest of his life. After the final victory, Hancock remained in Mexico with the 6th Infantry until the treaty of peace was signed in 1848, Hancock served in a number of assignments as an army quartermaster and adjutant, mostly in Fort Snelling, Minnesota and St. Louis, Missouri
43.
II Corps (Union Army)
–
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
44.
First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
–
The First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia was a military unit fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was formed in early 1861 and served until the spring of 1865, the corps was commanded by James Longstreet for most of its existence. In part or as a whole, the fought in nearly all of the major battles in the Eastern Theater, such as Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Cold Harbor. The corps also fought in Tennessee and performed important forage service in Suffolk and it was disbanded shortly following Gen. Robert E. Lees surrender to Union forces on April 9,1865. Lee re-organized the army as two wings, with Lt. Gen. James Longstreet in charge of the Right Wing, with the authorization of corps later that year, the Right Wing was redesignated as the First Corps. At this time, Longstreets corps contained twenty-one brigades organized into five divisions under major generals Lafayette McLaws, Richard H. Anderson, George E. Pickett, and John B. Hood, and Brigadier General Robert Ransom, Jr. Note, until Lee was convinced, the First Corps did not deeply entrench until a couple of weeks before the actions on December 12. The Confederates started firing at the Union pontooners shortly after 5 a. m, about 3 p. m. small groups of Union soldiers were ferried across the river by the engineers and drove the Confederates through the city. Barksdale withdrew to the main Confederate positions shortly after 7 p. m, in January 1863, Ransoms division was transferred to North Carolina. During the next months, Longstreet would serve as head of the Department of Southern Virginia. Starting on April 11, Longstreet used his two divisions to lay siege to Suffolk, in order to collect supplies in the area near the city. After three weeks he was ordered to abandon the siege and return to Lees main army but the Battle of Chancellorsville ended before Longstreet arrived, Note, see Gettysburg order of battle for the command structure of the Army of Northern Virginia at this time. Following the death of Jackson in May, the Army of Northern Virginia was reorganized into three corps, Longstreet retained McLaws, Hoods, and Picketts divisions, while Richard Andersons division was transferred to the new Third Corps commanded by A. P. Hill. Two of Picketts brigades were detached to help the Confederate forces in North Carolina and near Richmond, the First Corps started crossing the Potomac River into Maryland on June 25, finishing the following day, the corps then camped for several days near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. As the rest of the Union army came up it joined the two battered corps on the line being constructed along much of Cemetery Ridge. Late on the day of the battle the two present divisions of the First Corps attacked the Union left flank. Strong Vincents brigade on Little Round Top, Hood himself was wounded and lost an arm. McLaws division attacked an hour after Hood started his advance and, directly north of him, clashed into the III, the division, though partially supported on the left by Andersons division, bled out on the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard like the enemy without any greater progress
45.
James Longstreet
–
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his Old War Horse. Longstreets talents as a made significant contributions to the Confederate victories at Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg. He also performed strongly during the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of Antietam and his performance in semiautonomous command during the Knoxville Campaign resulted in a Confederate defeat. He enjoyed a successful career working for the U. S. government as a diplomat, civil servant. His reputation in the South further suffered when he led African-American militia against the anti-Reconstruction White League at the Battle of Liberty Place in 1874, authors of the Lost Cause movement focused on Longstreets actions at Gettysburg as a primary reason for the Confederacys loss of the war. His reputation in the South was damaged for over a century and has recently begun a slow reassessment. James Longstreet was born on January 8,1821 in Edgefield District, South Carolina, jamess ancestor Dirck Stoffels Langestraet immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland in 1657, but the name became Anglicized over the generations. Jamess father was impressed by his sons rocklike character on the plantation, giving him the nickname Peter. Longstreets father decided on a career for his son. At the age of nine, James was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Augusta and his uncle, Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, was a newspaper editor, educator, and a Methodist minister. James spent eight years on his uncles plantation, Westover, just outside the city while he attended the Academy of Richmond County, James was a poor student academically and a disciplinary problem at West Point, ranking 54th out of 56 cadets when he graduated in 1842. Longstreet was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 4th U. S. Infantry. Longstreet spent his first two years of service at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, where he was joined by his friend. Soon after, Longstreet met his future first wife Maria Louisa Garland and she was the daughter of Longstreets regimental commander, Lt. Col. John Garland. They married in March 1848, after the Mexican-American War, at about the same time as Longstreet began courting Garland, Grant became acquainted with and courted Longstreets fourth cousin, Julia Dent, and the couple eventually married. Historians agree that Longstreet attended the Grant wedding on August 22,1848 in St. Louis, Grant biographer Jean Edward Smith asserted that Longstreet served as Grants best man at the wedding. Longstreet served with distinction in the Mexican-American War with the 8th U. S. Infantry, early in the war, he served as a lieutenant in Zachary Taylors army at the Battle of Monterrey in September 1846. He received brevet promotions to captain for Contreras and Churubusco and to major for Molino del Rey, Longstreet was a veteran member of the Aztec Club of 1847
46.
John B. Gordon
–
John Brown Gordon was one of Robert E. Lees most trusted Confederate generals by the end of the American Civil War. After the war, he was an opponent of Reconstruction during the late 1860s. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U. S, senator from 1873 to 1880, and again from 1891 to 1897. He also served as the 53rd Governor of Georgia from 1886 to 1890, Gordon was descended from an ancient Scottish lineage, and was born on his father Zachariah Gordons farm in Upson County, Georgia, the fourth of twelve children. Many Gordon family members fought in the Revolutionary War and his family moved to Walker County, Georgia in the 1840s, where his father owned a plantation with 18 slaves at the time of the 1840 census. He was a student at the University of Georgia, where he was a member of the Mystical 7 Society. He studied law in Atlanta and passed the bar examination, Gordon and his father, Zachariah, invested in a series of coal mines in Tennessee and Georgia. Gordon married Rebecca Fanny Haralson, daughter of Hugh Anderson Haralson, in 1854, in 1860, he owned one slave, a 14-year-old female. His father owned four slaves that same census, although lacking military education or experience, Gordon was elected captain of a company of mountaineers and quickly climbed from captain to brigadier general, to major general. Though Gordon himself often claimed he was promoted to lieutenant general, in 1864, Gordon was described by General Robert E. Lee in a letter to Confederate President Jefferson Davis as being one of his best brigadiers, characterized by splendid audacity. Gordon commanded the 6th Alabama in 1862 and he was wounded in the eyes during the assault on Malvern Hill. Assigned by General Lee to hold the vital road, or Bloody Lane, during the Battle of Antietam. First, a Minié ball passed through his calf, then, a second ball hit him higher in the same leg. A third ball went through his left arm and he continued to lead his men despite the fact that the muscles and tendons in his arm were mangled and a small artery was severed. A fourth ball hit him in his shoulder, despite pleas that he go to the rear, he continued to lead his men. He was finally stopped by a ball hit him in the face, passing through his left cheek. He fell with his face in his cap and might have drowned in his own if it had not drained out through a bullet hole in the cap. A Confederate surgeon thought he would not survive but after he was returned to Virginia, after months of recuperation, in June 1863 Gordon led a brigade of Georgians in Jubal A. Earlys division during the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania
47.
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
–
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
48.
Western Theater of the American Civil War
–
The Western Theater served as an avenue of military operations by Union armies directly into the agricultural heartland of the South via the major rivers of the region. The Confederacy was forced to defend an area with limited resources. Union operations began with securing Kentucky in Union hands in September 1861, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Chattanooga served as the launching point for Maj. Gen. William T. The Western Theater was an area defined by geography and the sequence of campaigning. It originally represented the area east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachian Mountains, Operations west of the Mississippi River were in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. The West was by some measures the most important theater of the war, capture of the Mississippi River has been one of the key tenets of Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scotts Anaconda Plan. Union generals consistently outclassed most of their Confederate opponents, with the exception of cavalry commander Nathan Bedford Forrest. Lacking the proximity to the capitals and population centers of the East, the astounding Confederate victories. McClellan, and Stonewall Jackson, the Western theater received considerably less attention than the Eastern, the near-steady progress that Union forces made in defeating Confederate armies in the West and overtaking Confederate territory went nearly unnoticed. 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 117 battles the NPS classifies for this theater are described, boxed text in the right margin show the NPS campaigns associated with each section. The focus early in the war was on two states, Missouri and Kentucky. The loss of either would have been a blow to the Union cause. Primarily because of the successes of Captain Nathaniel Lyon and his victory at Boonville in June, the state of Kentucky, with a pro-Confederate governor and a pro-Union legislature, had declared neutrality between the opposing sides. This neutrality was first violated on September 3, when Confederate Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk occupied Columbus, two days later Union Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, displaying the personal initiative that would characterize his later career, seized Paducah. On the Confederate side, General Albert Sidney Johnston commanded all forces from Arkansas to the Cumberland Gap, Johnston also gained political support from secessionists in central and western counties of Kentucky via a new Confederate capital at Bowling Green, set up by the Russellville Convention. The alternative government was recognized by the Confederate government, which admitted Kentucky into the Confederacy in December 1861, using the rail system resources of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, Polk was able to quickly fortify and equip the Confederate base at Columbus. By January 1862, this disunity of command was apparent because no strategy for operations in the Western theater could be agreed upon, James A. Garfield and Mill Springs under Brig. Gen. George H. Thomas
United States
Confederate States
.jpg)
