Chapter 19: Three Rivers in Winter, 1862-1863
Even though McClellan failed at beating Lee at Antietam, Lincoln still expected the Army of the Potomac to fight the rebels. But McClellan protested; he thought he was the hero of Antietam and believed he could do whatever he wanted. On November 7, Lincoln replaced McClellan with Burnside.
Burnside fought at the battle of Fredericksburg, but lost. The commanders in the Union forces were terrible, whereas the Confederate side had good fighting skills and leadership. The Union suffered many casualties, but the Confederates lost less than 5,000. This led to a drop in morale for the North. Many rumors swept the Union. The Republican senators met in caucus later and decided that there would be a reorganization of the cabinet. They wanted to victimize Seward, and showed the conflict between conservative and radical Republicans (or the rivalry between Seward and Chase). Chase made it seem like Seward was exercising influence over Lincoln, leading to emancipation, appointment of antislavery generals and black soldiers. Lincoln defended Seward and Chase offered to resign, but Lincoln refused both resignations.
Meanwhile, the Confederates seemed to be winning in the West. They attacked the Union forces, though the Union army managed to resist. Sheridan's brigade most helped in this, but he was decimated. At Stones River, the Army of Tennessee claimed to win and appeased the copperhead offensive against the war policy in the North. More problems arose for the North, however, when the Army of the Potomac traveled through Rappahannock and led to a "Mud March". Burnside had to call the whole thing off. Lincoln appointed Joe Hooker as Burnside's successor.
Hooker was a popular man among his men; he helped improve food, make sure corrupt men were not in lead, cleaned up camps and hospitals, and instilled pride in his troops. Morale rose in all of the army. Sickness declined, desertion rates dropped, and amnesty led AWOLs to return to their posts.
On the other hand, Grant's army was suffering. Despite Lincoln's faith in him, he allowed Secretary of State Stanton to investigate what was going on in the Army of the Tennessee. Grant was considered a good leader, despite his drinking. Most stories about his drunkenness were false. He was a binge drinker, but never got drunk during military operations. He himself believed it was a moral weakness and struggled for self-discipline, thus allowing him to understand his troops.
Even though McClellan failed at beating Lee at Antietam, Lincoln still expected the Army of the Potomac to fight the rebels. But McClellan protested; he thought he was the hero of Antietam and believed he could do whatever he wanted. On November 7, Lincoln replaced McClellan with Burnside.
Burnside fought at the battle of Fredericksburg, but lost. The commanders in the Union forces were terrible, whereas the Confederate side had good fighting skills and leadership. The Union suffered many casualties, but the Confederates lost less than 5,000. This led to a drop in morale for the North. Many rumors swept the Union. The Republican senators met in caucus later and decided that there would be a reorganization of the cabinet. They wanted to victimize Seward, and showed the conflict between conservative and radical Republicans (or the rivalry between Seward and Chase). Chase made it seem like Seward was exercising influence over Lincoln, leading to emancipation, appointment of antislavery generals and black soldiers. Lincoln defended Seward and Chase offered to resign, but Lincoln refused both resignations.
Hooker was a popular man among his men; he helped improve food, make sure corrupt men were not in lead, cleaned up camps and hospitals, and instilled pride in his troops. Morale rose in all of the army. Sickness declined, desertion rates dropped, and amnesty led AWOLs to return to their posts.
On the other hand, Grant's army was suffering. Despite Lincoln's faith in him, he allowed Secretary of State Stanton to investigate what was going on in the Army of the Tennessee. Grant was considered a good leader, despite his drinking. Most stories about his drunkenness were false. He was a binge drinker, but never got drunk during military operations. He himself believed it was a moral weakness and struggled for self-discipline, thus allowing him to understand his troops.
Key Terms:
- Army of Northern Virginia: Lee was Confederate General of this army; its first mission was to defend Richmond (Confederate capital) and then defeat the Army of the Potomac.
- Ambrose Burnside: replaced McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac
- Battle of Fredericksburg: (Dec 13. 1862) the Union, led by Major General Ambrose Burnside, was defeated; Lee won.
- Joe Hooker: general who took over for Burnside; defeated at Chancellorsville by Lee
- Philip Sheridan: Union General that marched through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, destroying farms, livestock, crops, and anything else in his path
- Army of the Tennessee: commandeered by Grant; would later win at the Battle of Vicksburg.
Questions:
- Did Philip Sheridan pioneer the idea of "hard war"?
- After Fredericksburg, what event brought northern morale back up? Was it Hooker?
- Other than improving his troops' lifestyle, what did Hooker do to make him significant? (I know he lost at Chancellorsville...)
Citations:
- McPherson,
James M. "19: Three Rivers in Winter, 1862-1863." In Battle Cry
of Freedom, 568-590. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
- Accessed
March 11, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment