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The Battle of Antietam was a one-day confrontation between 41, 000 Confederates under the command of General Robert E. Lee and 87, 000 Union troops commanded General George B. McClellan. The stage for Antietam was set when Lee undertook an invasion of the North in late Summer 1862. The war's course was changed. The day marked the Turning Point of the Civil War, after which the North's superior numbers and resources become an inexorable force.
Soon after the smoke cleared, Abraham Lincoln used the occasion of this battle to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, and the British chose not to increase their support for Southern independence. One major victory for the north was the conquest of Atlanta 100 miles away from Chattanooga. Between Sherman and the city stood a series of mountain passes and a Confederate army, commanded by General Joseph Johnson. Johnson was waiting for Sherman to directly attack him. Sherman would not oblige. In a series of flanking maneuvers, Sherman forced Johnson back to the outskirts of Atlanta.
At that point, Johnson was replaced by Hood. Hood attempted a number of assaults on Union lines, all of which failed. On September 1 st, Hood withdrew from Atlanta, when Sherman cut Atlanta's last remaining rail link. The battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, was when the the remnants of John Broun Gordon's corps and Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry formed line of battle at Appomattox Court House.
Gen. Robert E. Lee determined to make one last attempt to escape the closing Union pincers and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. At dawn the Confederates advanced, initially gaining ground against Sheridan's cavalry. The arrival of Union infantry, however, stopped the advance in its tracks.
Lee's army was now surrounded on three sides. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9. This was the final engagement of the war in Virginia. On July 21, 1861 the first battle of Bull Run occurred.
It was the first real major conflict of the American civil war. A Union army consisting of 28, 000 men, commanded by General McDowell, fought 33, 000 Confederates under General Beauregard. The Union army, under pressure to crush the rebellion in the South, marched towards Richmond, but met the Confederate forces coming north from Manassas, a Southern base. The second battle of Bull Run was on August 29, Pope with 62, 000 men attacked Jackson.
Jackson withstood the offensive, which was not well coordinated. Nevertheless, Pope believed that he had defeated Jackson and sent a wire to that effect to Washington. The following day, James Longstreet and Lee moved up to reinforce Jackson. Pope's army was shattered by Longstreet's artillery and infantry and fled in disorder.
Lee pursued and tried to cut off Pope's retreat the next day at Chantilly. Pope, thoroughly and humiliatingly beaten, limped back to Washington. He had lost 16, 000 men to Lee's 9200. Pope's force was merged with the Army of the Potomac, and McClellan again was put in command of the entire force.
The Battle of Chickamauga happened when the Confederate Army stretched from a point near Reed's Bridge on the north to Lee and Gordons Mill on the south, roughly following Chickamauga Creek. The Union Army began to move north on the west side of the creek towards Chattanooga to regroup after encountering stiffer than expected rebel resistance. On the evening of September 18, 1863, Braxton Bragg ordered Army of Tennessee forces to take the crossings over Chickamauga Creek. Bushrod Johnson captured Reed's Bridge and advanced on LaFayette Road.
During the night Union forces moving to destroy the bridge ran into Johnson's men. Thinking this was a rear guard action, General George Thomas ordered a division to attack the troops that had crossed the river. The Union division ran headlong into rear elements of advancing Rebels at Jay's Mill. The scene of the battle was one where neither Bragg nor William Rosecrans wanted to fight.
The thick forest limited visibility to 150 feet, less than the range of a rifle. Cannon were useless, except in the occasional field that broke the heavy forest. Battle lines did not exist and enlisted men made tactical decisions. Often the fighting was hand-to-hand. Both generals realized that neither would come out a clear winner under these conditions. Yet, just as at Gettysburg, the field on which the men fought was not the choice of generals but the choice of fate.
The 6 th of April, 1862, The Battle of Shiloh occured. The evening of the 5 th had witnessed the concentration of a great army, whose leader, had boastingly declared in the pride of their strength should, on the coming morn, overwhelm and destroy the army of the Union which lay encamped in conscious security around the wilderness church of Shiloh! At no period during our prolonged and sanguinary civil war was the Union more imperiled than on that eventful Saturday evening. The battle of Shiloh was the first decisive and, pre-eminently, the most important of the war. Defeat then would have been the greatest disaster that could have befallen the arms of the Union.
More men where killed at Shiloh then all the other wars combined. The Seven Days Battle came about when Mcclellan's forces advanced to within 15 miles of Richmond. On June 26 th, Lee's forces attacked Union forces at Mechanicsville. The Union forces were victorious, but McClellan ordered a withdrawal to Gaines' Mill. There, Confederate forces broke Union lines the next day. McClellan then ordered a general withdrawal.
Three more battles were fought, including one at Malvern Hill, in which Confederate troops were slaughtered, in an ill advised attempt to scale it. In the end however, McClellan withdrew all of his troops to Harrison Landing. McClellan Army finally advanced on Richmond. His army reached within 15 miles of the city. His forces were divided between the North and South sides of Chickahominy River. On May 31 the Confederate forces under the command of Joseph Johnston attacked the divided Union forces, at Fair Oaks or Seven Pins as it was known.
The plan was simple, but the execution failed totally. The confederate forces attacked piecemeal, instead of in one group. The results was that no significant ground was gained. 6134 confederates were killed or wounded, as against 5031 Union troops. One Confederate casualty was more important then others.
On the evening of May 31 confederate commander Joseph Johnston was severely wounded. Robert E Lee was appointed as the new confederate commander. Bibliography: the web
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Research essay sample on Robert E Lee Battle Of Bull Run
