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The Darkest Days of the Union (1862) Union and Confederate Strategy • Union Strategy in the Civil War Was Based on 3 Objectives: 1

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The Darkest Days of the Union (1862) Union and Confederate Strategy • Union Strategy in the Civil War Was Based on 3 Objectives: 1 The Darkest Days of the Union (1862) Union and Confederate Strategy • Union Strategy in the Civil War was based on 3 objectives: 1. Blockade the South to cut off their trade, preventing the Confederacy from selling their cotton or receiving aid from Europe. 2. Take control of the Mississippi River in order to split the Confederacy in two. 3. Attack and take the Confederate Capital at Richmond, VA. • Confederate Strategy in the Civil War was based on defense. The south hoped to convince the border states to secede, gain European Support, and tire out the north and lower its morale until Lincoln was either forced to negotiate or was defeated in the 1864 Presidential Election. The Battle of Hampton Roads • Throughout the Civil War, the Confederacy made multiple attempts to break through the Union blockade. Though the Confederate Navy could never match the Union Navy in terms quantity of ships, they might be able to build better quality ships. • On March 8th, 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Confederate Navy unleashed its secret weapon, an ironclad ship called the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack). • The wooden Union ships fired at the Virginia but their cannonballs simply bounced off the iron armor of the warship. The Virginia fired at and even rammed the blockading Union ships. Two Union ships were destroyed and a third was badly damaged. Since the sun was setting the Confederates decided to withdraw and finish off the Union ships the next day. Duel of Ironclads • When the crew of the Virginia returned to finish off the Union ships the next day they were surprised to see a strange object moving towards them. This object was actually another ironclad but this one belonged to the Union Navy, the USS Monitor. • The Monitor was smaller and had fewer guns than the Virginia but it was faster and carried its guns in a revolving turret that allowed the Union ship to fire on its opponent from any direction. • The Virginia and Monitor fought each other for hours at close range but neither ship had guns strong enough to break through the armor of their rival ironclad. • Finally with daylight fading the Virginia again withdrew. The Monitor may not have sunk its rival but it did protect the Union ships and the blockade of the southern states would continue. Taking the Mississippi • While the Union Blockade held, a Union army in the west led by General Ulysses S. Grant continued its advance south down the Mississippi River. The previous year he had captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, earning the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. • In April, Grant’s army won a costly victory at the Battle of Shiloh. However the Union army suffered so many casualties they were temporarily halted. • Meanwhile on May 1st, Union Admiral David Farragut lead his squadron of warships up the Mississippi River and captured the vital port of New Orleans. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign • After the disaster at Bull Run, General Scott accepted responsibility for the Union defeat and command of the Union Army was turned over to a promising young General named George P. McClellan. • McClellan believed the Union army lost at Bull Run because it was too disorganized and not fully trained. He spent most of the early months of 1862 training his army instead of attacking. • When Lincoln finally forced McClellan to move, he launched an amphibious assault and marched on Richmond from the sea. The Seven Days Battles • Although the Union army was double the size of the Confederate army defending the Confederate Capital of Richmond, McClellan was convinced he was outnumbered and so he moved slowly and carefully in his march towards Richmond. This gave the Confederate Army time to bring in more troops. • Near the end of June, McClellan was close enough to see Richmond but he would go no further. An army of 92,000 Confederates led by General Robert E. Lee attacked with such ferocity that the larger Union force was pushed back. In a series of battles over the course of a week, McClellan’s army was forced to retreat by Lee’s smaller army. Civil War Battle Log: The Seven Days Battles Seven Days Battles (June 26 – July 1, 1862) • Where: Near Richmond, VA • Union Forces: 104,000 men (estimate) • Confederate Forces: 92,000 men (estimate) • Outcome: Confederate Victory • Casualties: 36,059 (Union: 15,855, Confederate: 20,204) Significance: -McClellan fails to capture Richmond, VA (the Confederate Capital) -Robert E. Lee proves his skill as a military commander. -Northern morale (confidence or will to fight) is crushed. -Lincoln replaces McClellan with a new general. The Second Battle of Bull Run • Since Lee was fighting off McClellan in the east, the Union Army saw an opportunity to take more land in Northern Virginia which could be used to launch a larger invasion once the Union Army recovered. • In August, an army of about 70,000 men under the command of General John Pope invaded Virginia hoping to take pressure off of McClellan. • Lee quickly realized that McClellan was beaten and Pope was now the greater threat. In a swift move Lee sent General “Stonewall” Jackson north to stop Pope until the rest of Lee’s army could move to destroy Pope’s army. • Jackson performed brilliantly and Pope found himself completely outmatched by Jackson. In the ultimate irony, by the end of the battle the Union found themselves on top of Henry House Hill (the place where Jackson had earned his nickname), covering their retreat back to Washington. Civil War Battle Log: Second Battle of Bull Run Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28 – 30, 1862) • Where: Near Manassas Junction in Virginia • Union Forces: 70,000 men (estimate) • Confederate Forces: 55,000 men (estimate) • Outcome: Confederate Victory • Casualties: 22,177 (Union: 13,824, Confederate: 8,353) Significance: -Northern morale is lowered even further. -“Stonewall” Jackson adds to his reputation as a highly skilled commander. -General Pope is relieved of command. -General Lee decides to invade Maryland. Lee Invades Maryland • After defeating McClellan and Pope, General Lee saw the opportunity to further lower Union morale by invading the important border state of Maryland. • With panic spreading in the North, Lincoln had little choice but to put McClellan back in command of the Union army. Lincoln badly wanted a Union victory so he could make an important announcement. • With orders to stop Lee, McClellan went in pursuit. He got a lucky break on September 13th when Union soldiers found some cigars wrapped in a piece of paper. The paper was actually Lee’s plans for the invasion which a forgetful Confederate commander had left behind. Now McClellan knew where to find Lee and set a trap for him. Battle of Antietam • When General Lee arrived at Sharpsburg, MD he was surprised to find McClellan waiting for him with an army twice the size of his own. • The two armies clashed in what would become the single bloodiest day in American military history. • The Confederate Army proved a match for the Union Army and both sides suffered heavy causalities. However Lee realized that if the battle continued in this way the Confederate Army would run out of troops before the Union Army did. Lee decided to withdraw back to Virginia to save his army. • McClellan failed to pursue the Confederate Army but the north had finally won a victory against Lee and so Antietam was declared a Union victory. Civil War Battle Log: Antietam Antietam (September 17, 1862) • Where: Near Sharpsburg, MD • Union Forces: 87,000 men (estimate) • Confederate Forces: 45,000 men (estimate) • Outcome: Union Victory. • Casualties: 22,717 (Union: 12,401, Confederate: 10,316) Significance: -Bloodiest single day in American history. -Lee escapes but his invasion of Maryland is stopped. -Lee’s defeat restores Northern morale. -President Lincoln issues his Emancipation Proclamation. Emancipation Proclamation • On September 22, 1862, after the victory at Antietam, President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. In 1857 the Dred Scott decision declared that slaves were legally property. Though Lincoln did not believe this to be so, he used the Dred Scott decision against the south. • The Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in areas currently in rebellion against the USA were to be taken as war contraband and freed. It would go into effect on the first day of 1863. • In a single stroke, Lincoln had turned the Civil War into a war over the fate of slavery. Wherever the Union army went, all slaves owned by Confederates would be declared free. Fredericksburg • Because of his failure to finish off Lee at Antietam, Lincoln replaced McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside. • Burnside planned to cross the Rappahannock river, capture the important railroad town of Fredericksburg, and then attack Richmond. • Unfortunately for Burnside, when his army arrived at the Rappahannock River, the pontoon bridges he had called for had not yet arrived. This delay gave Lee plenty of time to build a powerful defensive position on the hills overlooking Fredericksburg. • Burnside ordered a direct frontal attack on the Confederate lines and the result was slaughter. For five days, one Union unit after another charged the Confederate defensive line in the hills outside Fredericksburg only to be cut down. Finally Burnside was forced to accept his defeat. • Even the Confederates were horrified by the carnage. Lee was quoted as saying “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” Civil War Battle Log: Fredericksburg Fredericksburg (December 11 – 15, 1862) • Where: Fredericksburg, VA • Union Forces: 100,007 men • Confederate Forces: 72,497 men • Outcome: Confederate Victory • Casualties: 17,929 (Union: 13,353, Confederate: 4,576) Significance: -Lee’s victory greatly increases Confederate morale.
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