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Information about Army Of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia during Lee's command
Active1861-1865
CountryConfederate States of America
BranchConfederate States Army
RolePremier Confederate Army in Eastern Theater
Garrison/HQRichmond, Virginia
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		P.G.T. Beauregard
Joseph E. Johnston
Gustavus Woodson Smith
Robert E. Lee


The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac.

Origin

Enlarge picture
Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag, designed by Beauregard
The name Army of Northern Virginia referred to its primary area of operation, as did most Confederate States Army names. The Army originated as the (Confederate) Army of the Potomac, which was organized on June 20, 1861, from all operational forces in northern Virginia. On July 20 and July 21, the Army of the Shenandoah and forces from the District of Harpers Ferry were added. The Army of the Northwest was merged in just prior to March 14, 1862, and was renamed Army of Northern Virginia on the same day. The Army of the Peninsula was merged in April 12, 1862.[1]

Robert E. Lee's biographer, Douglas S. Freeman, asserts that the army received its final name from Lee when he issued orders assuming command on June 1, 1862.[2] However, Freeman does admit that Lee corresponded with Joseph E. Johnston, his predecessor in army command, prior to that date and referred to Johnston's command as the Army of Northern Virginia. Part of the confusion results from the fact that Johnston commanded the Department of Northern Virginia (as of October 22, 1861) and the name Army of Northern Virginia can be seen as an informal consequence of its parent department's name. Jefferson Davis and Johnston did not adopt the name, but it is clear that the organization of units as of March 14 was the same organization that Lee received on June 1, and thus it is generally referred to today as the Army of Northern Virginia, even if that is correct only in retrospect.

In addition to Virginians, it included regiments from all over the Confederacy, even those as far away as Texas and Arkansas. Militiamen from the New Mexico and Arizona territories also served among its members.

Command under Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard

The first commander of the Army of Northern Virginia was General P.G.T. Beauregard (under its previous name, Army of the Potomac) from June 20, 1860 to July 20, 1861. His forces consisted of six brigades, with various militia and artillery from the former Department of Alexandria. During his command, Gen. Beauregard is noted for creating the battle flag of the army, which came to be the primary battle flag for all corps and forces under the Army of Northern Virginia. The flag was designed due to confusion during battle between the Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag and the flag of the United States. BGen Beauregard continued commanding these troops as the new First Corps under Gen. J. E. Johnston as it was joined by the Army of the Shenandoah on July 20th, 1861 when command was relinquished to General J. E. Johnston. The following day this army fought its first major engagement in the First Battle of Manassas.

Command under Gen. J. E. Johnston

With the merging of the Army of the Shenandoah, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston took command from July 20, 1861 until May 31, 1862.

Corps organization under Johnston

  • First Corps - commanded by BGen P. G. T. Beauregard
  • Second Corps - commanded by MGen G. W. Smith
Under the command of Johnston, the Army immediately entered into the First Battle of Manassas. On October 22, 1861 the Department of Northern Virginia was officially created, officially ending the Army of the Potomac. The Department comprised three districts: Aquia District, Potomac District and the Valley District. Later, in April of 1862 the Department was expanded to include the Departments of Norfolk and the Peninsula (of Virginia). Gen. Johnston was eventually forced into maneuvering the Army southward to the defenses of Richmond during the opening of the Peninsula Campaign, where it conducted delay and defend tactics until Johnston was severely wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines.

Temporary command under Maj. Gen. G. W. Smith

The army was very briefly commanded by Maj. Gen. Gustavus Woodson Smith on May 31, 1862 following the wounding of Gen. J. E. Johnston, while President Jefferson Davis drafted orders to place Gen. Robert E. Lee in command the following day.

Command under General R. E. Lee

On June 1, 1862, its most famous, and final, leader, General Robert E. Lee, took command after Johnston was wounded, and Smith suffered what may have been a nervous breakdown, at the Battle of Seven Pines. In the first year of his command, Lee had two principal subordinate commanders. The "right wing" of the army was under the command of Lieutenant General James Longstreet and the left wing under Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. These wings were redesignated as the First Corps (Longstreet) and Second Corps (Jackson) on November 6, 1862. Following Jackson's death after the Battle of Chancellorsville, Lee reorganized the army into three corps on May 30, 1863, under Longstreet, Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, and Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill. A Fourth Corps, under Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson, was organized on October 19, 1864; on April 8, 1865, it was merged into the Second Corps. The commanders of the first three corps changed frequently in 1864 and 1865. The Cavalry Corps was led by Major General J.E.B. Stuart. It was established on August 17, 1862, and abolished on May 11, 1864 (the day Stuart was mortally wounded), with cavalry units being assigned to the headquarters of the Army. The Reserve Artillery was commanded by Brigadier General William N. Pendleton.<ref name="E889" />

Corps organization under Lee

Although the Army of Northern Virginia swelled and shrank over time, its units of organization consisted primarily of the following corps, sometimes referred to as wings:

Campaigns and battles

The Army fought in a number of campaigns and battles, including:

Campaign Year Major Battles
Peninsula Campaign1862Seven Pines (Fair Oaks)
Seven Days Battles1862Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill
Northern Virginia Campaign1862Second Bull Run (Second Manassas)
Maryland Campaign1862Antietam (Sharpsburg)
Fredericksburg Campaign1862Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville Campaign1863Chancellorsville
Gettysburg Campaign1863Gettysburg
Bristoe Campaign1863 
Mine Run Campaign1863 
Overland Campaign1864Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor
Richmond-Petersburg Campaign1864–65Siege of Petersburg, including the Battle of the Crater
Appomattox Campaign1865Five Forks


On April 9, 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to the Army of the Potomac at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War, with General Lee signing the papers of surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant. The day after his surrender, Lee issued his Farewell Address to his army.

Characteristics

The army was noted for its aggressiveness and audacity[3][4], almost always pitted in battle against an opponent that outnumbered it[5], sometimes (such as at Antietam and Chancellorsville) two-to-one.

See also

References

Notes

1. ^ Eicher, p. 889.
2. ^ Freeman, vol. 2, p. 78 and footnote 6.
3. ^ Freeman, Vol II, Chap. XXXIV, p. 538.
4. ^ Freeman, Vol III, Chapter 6, Title
5. ^ Freeman, Vol IV, Chap. XI, p. 175
The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) was the government formed by eleven southern states of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865.
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The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. As many as 1.4 million men fought in the Army throughout the war.
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Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.

Theater of operations

The Eastern Theater included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina.
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Richmond, Virginia

Flag
Seal
Nickname: River City, Cap City
Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars)
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates:
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American Civil War (1861–1865) was a major war between the United States (the "Union") and eleven Southern slave states which declared that they had a right to secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis.
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Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard (pronounced IPA: /ˈboʊrɪgɑrd/) (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893), was a Louisiana-born general for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
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Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was a career U.S. Army officer and one of the most senior generals in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
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Gustavus Woodson Smith (November 30, 1821 – June 24, 1896), more commonly known as G.W. Smith, was a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, a civil engineer, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
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Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career U.S. Army officer and the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War.

Lee was the son of Maj. Gen.
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The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) was the government formed by eleven southern states of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865.
..... Click the link for more information.
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.

Theater of operations

The Eastern Theater included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina.
..... Click the link for more information.
American Civil War (1861–1865) was a major war between the United States (the "Union") and eleven Southern slave states which declared that they had a right to secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the Northern Army, or the National Army.[1]
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Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.

History

The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps (relative to the size of Union armies later in the war).
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The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. As many as 1.4 million men fought in the Army throughout the war.
..... Click the link for more information.
Army of the Potomac, whose name was short-lived, was the command under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard. Its only major combat action was the First Battle of Bull Run. After Bull Run, the Army of the Shenandoah was merged into the Army of the Potomac with Gen. Joseph E.
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The Army of the Shenandoah was an army of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. General Kenton Harper organized about two thousand volunteers at Harpers Ferry by April 21, 1861. Stonewall Jackson took control of the army on April 28.
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Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career U.S. Army officer and the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War.

Lee was the son of Maj. Gen.
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Douglas Southall Freeman (May 16, 1886 – June 13, 1953) was an American journalist and historian. He was the author of definitive biographies of George Washington and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
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Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was a career U.S. Army officer and one of the most senior generals in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
..... Click the link for more information.
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