Army of Northern Virginia

Civil War Did the costs of the Civil War end slavery and make America a better and safer nation for all Americans? Or, are we as Americans still fighting for equality? The Civil War acted as a catalyst for Americans and their human rights. It paved the way for equality for all under the law (Lincoln movie). The Civil War was between the Confederates, the south, and the Union, the north. The Confederates were fighting to keep slaves as plantation workers. The Union wanted slaves to be…

Union. Union’s attention focused directly on Richmond, Virginia, the new capital of the Confederacy. Confederacy’s dedication to defend the Upper South. Southerners hoped that Northerners would get tire of the war and give in to the Confederacy’s demands. Southerners misjudged the Union’s commitment to reunite the nation, and Northerners failed to realize the difficulty of subduing the Confederate army. Southerners attacked Fort Sumter, many northern politicians rallied around Lincoln.…

In the fall of 1859, Brown and his fellow prisoners were transported eight miles to a prison in Charles Town where they would be tried to their deaths. After being brought to the court, three charges were arranged: treason against Virginia, inciting slaves to rebellion, and murder. “If you want my blood, you can have it any moment, without this mockery of a trial” (law2.umkc.edu). Brown said these moving words shortly after hearing these charges. Brown wanted to make it clear that…

Tony Horwitz in “Why John Brown Still Scares Us” examines the story of John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry in what would one day become known as West Virginia in October 1859. The attack on Harpers Ferry was financed by a group of well known abolitionist with the support of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Why John Brown Still Scares Us focuses mainly on John Brown, who was a well known abolitionist in the 1850’s. He traveled with people that tended to have some of his beliefs, but…

In order to check the furious fighting on the left, Meade moved troops in from his extreme right as reinforcements. This shift in the Union line brings up the third point of interest. While the left flank was under heavy attack from Longstreet, the right was supposed to be under pressure from Ewell's attack. The plans were simple; when Ewell heard Longstreet's guns, his orders were to attack. A unified assault would have weakened the defenses on the Union left by keeping the right busy and…

Unity was not emboldening the Union Army leadership. In Washington, many important figures were continuing to plot McClellan’s downfall. The Secretary of War was brazenly seeking statements from anyone that help build his case that the general was at fault for the defeat by not completing his assault on Richmond. As well, the secretary was criticizing his withdrawal as “being made dilatory fashion.” The withdrawal had nothing to do with the general; in fact he protested his orders from…

attack Richmond but was rejected in Washington. Hooker was then replaced by General George Meade. Stuart decided to ride around the Union Army to gather troop information. Stuarts costly decision took longer than expected, so Lee had to go without knowing where the Union Army was positioned. Lee was surprised that the Union Army was closer than he thought. His army was spread out along a 40-mile arc and was short on information about his enemy’s position. A small group of Confederate soldiers…

arsenal in Massachusetts produced over one million rifles for the army and countless rounds of ammo by themselves.” The South was more agricultural. Even though, they only worked on planting their cash crops. Also, there were so many people fighting in the war, a lot of the farmland that was left was never used. “Food was so limited throughout the war, parts of the South suffered from starvation. When people fighting in the army found out that their families were starving, they left to help…

vision was an 80,000 man army pushing down the Mississippi River, severing the Confederacy in half while the Union navy instituted a blockade to suffocate and cut of the South’s trade. One factor that Scott and many of his staff thought was unique in the war was that a bulk of Southerners were pro-Unionist and were being suppressed by an elitist minority. This idea evolved into a strategy of slowly approaching and attacking key southern cities was favored to allow time for Northern sympathizers…

battles throughout the Civil War, it becomes clear that the South’s military superiority leans largely on the legacy of Robert E. Lee. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, won stunning victories despite being outnumbered in almost every major campaign. Jefferson Davis saw Lee as the best general and thus placed him in northern Virginia to protect the Confederacy’s most important industrial state. However, superior Confederate leadership stops with Lee. The Confederate cause suffered…