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Civil war north vs south
Battle of antietam as a turning point
Battle of antietam as a turning point
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The battle of Antietam is known as the bloodiest single day in American history during the Civil war. The battle took place near Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17, 1862 between the Union Army of the Potomac under the command of General George McClellan and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E Lee. The battle of Antietam is known as the bloodiest day in American history because there was one casualty every 2 seconds for the 12 hours the battle lasted totaling 23,000 men killed or wounded in the fields, woods and dirt roads, and it changed the course of the Civil War. (Bowman, 2012) This was Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the north. Following his recent victories over the Union during the Seven Days battles and Second Manassas, Lee wanted to continue his good fortunes with an attack into Maryland. (Antietam, 2013) General Lee planned to take his troops to pressure northern politicians to liberate Maryland so that he could add another state to the Confederate’s cause, with hopes of defeating the union on Northern soil and forcing European countries to support the Confederacy. However he was intercepted by General McClellan who marched 87,000 union soldiers from Washington. On the dawn of 17 September the battle of Antietam began after General Robert E Lee marched 45,000 soldiers from northern Virginia to invade the North with the hopes of defeating the union. General Lee with half the Soldiers of General McClellan decided to split his forces sending half of his soldiers south to capture Harpers Ferry under the command of General Stonewall Jackson and the other half to take Hagerstown. Once General Jackson captured Harpers Ferry he was to meet back up with General Lee in Hager... ... middle of paper ... ...l war academy.com: http://www.civilwaracademy.com/Antietam.html Battle of Antietam. (2009). Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-antietam Bowman, T. (2012, September 17). Antietam: A Savage Day In American History. Retrieved from NPR: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/17/161248814/antietam-a-savage-day-in-american-history Heisey, C. (n.d.). Antietam. Retrieved from civil war trust: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.html?tab=facts Mitchell, B. (2007, September 06). antietam battlefield still holds valuable lessons. Retrieved from Sound off: http://www.ftmeadesoundoff.com/news/4665/antietam-battlefield-still-holds-valuable-lessons/ Union troops discover Rebels' Antietam battle plan. (2014). Retrieved from The History Channel website.: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-union-discovers-lost-order.
After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives. The Confederate Army was...
The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.
Lee’s first military campaign was in West Virginia during the Civil War. There he took command of the Eastern Army of Virginia but, only after General Johnson was injured. Lee was greatly outnumbered by the Union Army. Lee came up with a plan to make up for his numbers by attacking General McClellan’s army. In the next days there were a number of skirmishes between Lee’s advancing forces and against McClellan’s army which became know as the Days Battle. After Lee’s success at the Days Battle, Lee gained control of the Army of North Virginia, the biggest army in Virginia.
The town itself located along the Rappahannock River was a crucial battle for the Union’s push towards the Confederate Army’s capital in Richmond, Virginia. The battle endured over a five-day period ending on December 15, 1862. The events that led to and shaped the battle occurred throughout the year and culminated in November, deep into the harsh winter months. The Union forces defeated the Confederate army at the Battle of Antietam; they pushed General Lee’s forces south, but did not advance despite the continued requests of the President. “The hard fighting and rapid marching of the 1862 campaign had significantly reduced the army’s strength and the defeat at Antietam on 17 September had greatly affected its morale. Despite the opportunity offered the Federal Army, McClellan remained north of the Potomac regaining strength in his slow, methodical manner, all the while fending off President’s Lincoln’s repeated calls for action.” (Runals,
Two months before Gettysburg Lee had dealt a stunning defeat to the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville Virginia. He then created plans for a Northern invasion in order to relieve pressure on war-weary Virginia and to seize the initiative from the Yankees. His army at a number
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
During this time The Army of the Potomac (Union) under the command of General George B. McClellan is putting on a show of force in the vicinity of Williamsburg road. This show of force, known as the engagement of King’s School house, brought General McClellan’s forces within six miles of downtown Richmond, V...
scheme ending in frustration. After Lee had surrendered to the Army of the Potomac, in the second week
...s against the Unions 130,000. The plan wasn’t for complete annihilation but to route the enemy, routing an enemy means to deter them to the point of they retreat. While Lee held the front lines LTG Jackson came around the flanks for the enemy with 28,000 troops inflicting immense amounts of casualties upon the Union soldiers, consequently victory had its cost.
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought from May 5 to May 7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition against Lee's army and, eventually, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. The battle was tactically inconclusive, as Grant disengaged and continued his offensive.
History helps us understand and learn about the turning points during the Civil war that made an impact in our country. One of this turning points was the battle of Antietam and Gettysburg. It was the bloodiest single day of fighting in American history with the death of 2,100 soldiers and 2,700 Confederates. In addition to that about 18,500 soldiers and Confederates were tragedy wounded. Even though it was not a military victory, it was surely a strategic defeat for the Confederacy.
The Union soldiers weren't prepared for the charge of their Confederate brothers. Many of the Union troops were untrained and undisciplined, but as in so many battles of war, mundane events served to alter the future.
In Sharpsburg, Maryland on september 17, 1862 the south planed to take back stolen territory and threaten Washington D.C. General Lee planned to do two things in maryland. Take over railroads going into D.C. cutting their supplies and to gather people who favored the confederacy. If he would succeed then General Lee planned to move on to pennsylvania and force Lincoln to stop his war efforts.
...as the turning point of the American Civil War. The battle proved to show the most casualties of any battle throughout the war and resulted in a crushing and demoralizing defeat of the Confederates. Coming off of his “perfect battle”, Lee’s overconfidence proved to be a downfall as his expectation for his men greatly exceeded the reality of his army. Added to this, his disorganization and lack of coordination led to numerous disjointed attacks that failed and in turn exhausted his men. Finally, Lee ultimately knew less about his opponent throughout the entire battle, which was a huge switch from previous meetings between the two sides. He was forced to fight arguably the most important battle of the Civil War with insufficient intelligence of the enemy, its positions and its intentions. All of these factors are what caused the Confederates to fail at Gettysburg.
The battle all started on May 18,1863, General Grant decided to make his attack on Vicksburg. When making the attack on the Confederates, the 70,000 Union troops and Grant realized that Confederate troops and their general, John Pemberton, were holding stronger than other battles because of the 30,000 regiments that were siding with the Confederates. Ulysses S. Grant decided not to fall back and wimp out on the battle because of it. Grant and his Union troops settled themselves around