Essay - U.S. History Ordeal by Fire - 1861 to 1862 the...

U.S. History

Ordeal by Fire - 1861 to 1862

The eastern theater of the Civil War between 1861 and 1862 contained many of ***** most famous battles of the Civil *****. The first was known as the First Battle of Bull Run or the ***** Manassas by Sou*****rners. Ball's Bluff, the Peninsula Campaign in Virginia, the Battle ***** Seven Pines, ***** Seven Days Battle, the Second ***** of Bull *****, the Battle of Antietam, and the ***** of Fredericksburg followed.

The First Battle of Bull Run indicated ***** strength ***** the Confederate Army, which ***** Unionists had underestimated. In this first battle of the war, the Union Army was disorganized, lacked leadership, and committed many tactical errors, such as slow marching, lack of reconnaissance, and o*****r err*****s. At first, they *****ok the advantage in the ***** and pushed Confederates back to Henry House Hill. The Southerners regrouped, and ended up pushing the Union men back as far as W*****hington D.C. It was here ***** Northerners first heard the ***** Rebel yell, and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson received his nickname for holding off ***** Yankees like a "stone w*****ll."

After ***** rout, the Union passed the Crittenden-Johnson Resolution, which stated the goal of ***** Union was to preserve the Union, rather than end slavery, but many felt that was just a smokescreen to appease many who did not approve ***** fighting to ***** the "peculiar institution" of the South. The Confederate goal was to preserve slavery and defeat the U.S. government so ***** could stay separate from ***** Union ***** continue their slave-based economy, especially the cotton trade. Both sides had ample opportunities to exploit victories and take the Nor*****rn ***** Southern capitals, ***** both ***** not act on these *****, showing a l*****ck ***** cohesiveness in the plann*****g and execution of battles, and in the overall objectives of each army.

Ball's Bluff ***** a sm*****ll battle that *****dicated General George McClellan's poor leadership skills, and was a*****her rout ***** the Southerners. His lack of strategic leadership continued in the ***** Campaign in Virg*****ia. Assuming the Confederates had far more men than they actually did, McClellan dragged the siege on for weeks, allowing the Confederates time to res*****ply and dig in; he finally began an attack that drove the Confederates back toward ***** capital of Richmond. Instead of continuing the campaign, where he had ***** advantage, McClellan dem*****ed reinforce*****ts, and t***** campaign missed a golden oppor*****unity to take the capital. ***** blamed ***** mishap on the inability of ***** troops to join him on the peninsula ***** aid in ***** attack, because they were engaged in the Battle of the Shenandoah Valley in the west, but many doubt this, feel*****g McClellan was simply afraid to *****.

In the Battle ***** Seven Pines, McClellan split his ***** in***** two positions on either side of the Chickahominy River. General Johnston's attack could have wiped out at least half the Union forces on one side ***** ***** river, but the attack was complicated and