Army of Northern Virginia

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The Army of Northern Virginia ( German  North Virginia Army ) was an important major unit of the Confederation Army . It existed during the American Civil War . At that time it was customary to name larger army units after the areas in which they were mainly active. The Army of Northern Virginia was mainly deployed in the north of the state. It included troops from almost every state in the Confederation, including Maryland . It had three commanders in chief (one for a short time only), the most famous of which was Robert Edward Lee . On April 9, 1865, the Northern Virginia Army surrendered at Appomattox Court House , Virginia .

history

Organization on October 22, 1861

Silk war flag from November 1861

The Northern Virginia Defense Area was established on October 22, 1861. General Joseph E. Johnston was in command . The defense area consisted of three military districts, to which the following major associations were subordinate.

Military district division brigade Commanders / commanders
Potomac General PGT Beauregard
1st division Major General Earl Van Dorn
2nd division Major General Gustavus W. Smith
3rd division Major General James Longstreet
4th division Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith
Aquia Major General Theophilus H. Holmes
Frenchs Brigade Brigadier General Samuel Gibbs French
2nd brigade Brigadier General John G. Walker
Valley Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson
Garnett's Brigade Brigadier General Richard B. Garnett
Ashby's cavalry Colonel Turner Ashby

On February 28, 1862, 47,617 soldiers were present in the military area. The cavalry brigade had been spun off from the Potomac Defense District and placed directly under the Defense Division. The artillery formed an artillery corps with 109 guns .

Organization April 30, 1862

Woolen war flag, 1862

The Northern Virginia Defense Area was never renamed the Northern Virginia Army. This designation prevailed after General Lee assumed the supreme command. The name was first mentioned in the order for the expansion of the command area to include the defense areas Virginia Peninsula and Norfolk from April 12, 1862. On April 30, 1862, it was structured as follows:

Army wing division brigade Commanders / commanders
Right wing Major General John B. Magruder
McLaws' division Brigadier General Lafayette McLaws
Toombs' division Brigadier General Robert A. Toombs
Ewell's Brigade Colonel RS Ewell
center Maj. Gen. James Longstreet
AP Hills Brigade Brigadier General Ambrose P. Hill
Anderson's brigade Brigadier General Richard H. Anderson
Colston's Brigade Brigadier General Raleigh E. Colston
Pickett's Brigade Brigadier General George E. Pickett
Wilcox's Brigade Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox
Pryors Brigade Colonel GA Winston
Left position Major General Daniel H. Hill
Earlys Division Brigadier General Jubal A. Early
Earlys Brigade Brigadier General Jubal A. Early
Rode's Brigade Brigadier General Robert E. Rodes
Rains Division Brigadier General Gabriel J. Rains
Rains Brigade Brigadier General Gabriel J. Rains
Featherston's Brigade Brigadier General Winfield S. Featherston
Gloucester Point Colonel Crump
reserve Major General Gustavus W. Smith
Whitings Brigade Brigadier General WHC Whiting
Hood's Brigade Brigadier General John B. Hood
Colston's Brigade Brigadier General Raleigh E. Colston
Hamptons Brigade Colonel Wade Hampton
Anderson's brigade Brigadier General Samuel R. Anderson
Pettigrew's Brigade Brigadier General James J. Pettigrew
Cavalry Brigade Brigadier General JEB Stuart

At the beginning of the Peninsula Campaign , the Northern Virginia Army had 55,633 soldiers. The artillery was assigned to the brigades, and the reserve artillery was also available. Jackson's corps in the Shenandoah Valley was also nominally part of the army. Since Jackson was leading his own campaign at the time of the Peninsula Campaign and was led directly by General Lee, the outline table does not include the three divisions.

The command organization of the army proved to be unsuitable even during the peninsula campaign. The corps-like structure was adapted to the command conditions before the start of the seven-day battle. The army led two in battle, Jacksons and Magruders with four and three divisions , and three divisions with five to six brigades immediately. The Army was also subordinate to the North Carolina Defense Area, the reserve artillery with six battalions and the cavalry with six regiments . The total strength of the army was about 90,000 men. The exact strength can often not be determined because there were only a few records of the "catering strength". The strengths determined result, if not expressly proven, from the reports in the battle reports.

Organization at the beginning of the Northern Virginia campaign

The conduct of the seven-day battle suffered from the still inadequate leadership organization. General Lee regrouped the army, but again only with individual orders. He introduced a similar management level as the intermediate management level, which he called the left and right wings. The army was divided as follows on August 28, 1862.

Wings of the army / army troops division Brigade / combat support Commanders / commanders
Right wing 3 ArtBtl Maj. Gen. James Longstreet
Anderson's division 3 brig Major General Richard H. Anderson
Jones' division 3 brig Brigadier General David Rumph Jones
Wilcox's division 3 Brig / 2 ArtBttr Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox
Hood's Division 2 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Brigadier General John B. Hood
Kempers division 3 brig Brigadier General James L. Kemper
Evans Brigade / 1 ArtBttr Brigadier General Nathan George Evans
Left wing Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson
Jackson's division 4 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro
Hills Light Division 6 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Major General Ambrose P. Hill
Ewell's Division 4 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Major General Richard S. Ewell
Cavalry Division 3 Brig / 1 ArtBttr Major General JEB Stuart

The army's reserve artillery consisted of one regiment and two battalions. She stayed in the Richmond area during the Northern Virginia Campaign and did not return to the Army until September 3, 1862. Major General DH Hills's division also stayed in the area east of Richmond with the task of keeping McClellan as long as possible. When it became foreseeable that the Potomac Army would shortly be transported back and reinforce Pope, Lee ordered the division north. Hill no longer intervened in the battles of the campaign. A total of about 54,000 men took part in the Northern Virginia campaign.

Organization at the beginning of the Maryland campaign

The army's losses before and at Manassas had to be compensated for before the start of the Maryland campaign. Fundamental changes to the management organization were therefore not necessary. General Lee merely exchanged or reinforced divisions and brigades. The wings of the army were now officially named. The army was divided as follows during the Maryland campaign.

Corps / Army troops division Brigade / combat support Commanders / commanders
Longstreets Corps 2 ArtBtl Maj. Gen. James Longstreet
Anderson's division 6 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Richard H. Anderson
Jones' division 6 Brig / 4 Bttr Brigadier General David Rumph Jones
McLaws' division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Maj. General Lafayette McLaws
Hood's Division 2 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Brigadier General John B. Hood
Walker's Division 2 brig / 2 bttr Brigadier General John G. Walker
Evans Brigade / 1 ArtBttr Brigadier General Nathan George Evans
Jackson's Corps Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson
Jackson's division 4 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Brigadier General John R. Jones
Hills Light Division 6 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Major General Ambrose P. Hill
Hills Division 5 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Daniel H. Hill
Ewell's Division 4 Brig / 1 ArtRgt Brigadier General Alexander R. Lawton
Cavalry Division 3 Brig / 3 ArtBttr Major General JEB Stuart
Reserve artillery 4 bags / 5 bags Brigadier General William N. Pendleton

The organization in corps had proven its worth. The division of the corps into four or five divisions made leadership at this level difficult. General Lee began thinking about streamlining the structure after the Battle of Antietam. Initially, nothing changed in the management organization. However, Congress recognized the corps. The President confirmed the posts of the Commanding Generals and promoted Maj. Gen. Longstreet and Jackson to Lieutenant General. General Lee announced this in Special Order Number 234 on November 6, 1862. About 60,000 men took part in the Maryland campaign.

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

In the further course of the war until after the Battle of Chancellorsville there were no organizational changes. The army refreshed its associations with recovered and recruits. It was important to Lee that the regiments were reinforced with recruits from the regiment's homeland.

The Northern Virginia Army had 72,497 soldiers during the Battle of Fredericksburg . Lee had left a division and a cavalry brigade there to protect the Shenandoah Valley.

The Northern Virginia Army faced the Potomac Army at Rappahannock during the fall of 1862 and the following winter. A new problem became more important due to the need to be constantly present: food for humans and especially animals became increasingly scarce in the vicinity of the armed forces location. On December 24, 1862, Lee ordered about half of the artillery to be moved to the hinterland in order to better care for the horses. He forbade the use of horses except for business assignments.

Woolen war flag, 1863

Lee regrouped the artillery on February 15, 1863. The two corps received six battalions each, the reserve artillery consisted of two battalions. At the urging of the War Department, the Northern Virginia Army had to deploy two divisions to the Atlantic coast on February 18. This assignment was not uncomfortable for General Lee because of the tense food situation and he instructed Major General Longstreet to carry it out. The two divisions did not return to the Northern Virginia Army until after the Battle of Chancellorsville. The army had 61,500 soldiers for the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Organization from May 30, 1863 to April 9, 1865

Lee used the death of Lieutenant General Jackson to relocate the Northern Virginia Army. The President, Jefferson Davis, approved the reorganization, and on May 30, Lee, Special Order No. 146, ordered the new organization.

Corps / Army troops division Brigade / combat support Commanders / commanders
I. Corps Lieutenant General James Longstreet
Pickett's division 3 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General George E. Pickett
McLaws' division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Maj. General Lafayette McLaws
Hood's Division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General John B. Hood
II Corps Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
Earlys Division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Jubal A. Early
Johnson's division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Maj. General Edward Johnson
Rode's division 5 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Robert E. Rodes
III. corps Lieutenant General AP Hill
Anderson's division 5 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Richard H. Anderson
Heth's division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General Henry Heth
Penders Division 4 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General William D. Pender
Cavalry Division 6 Brig / 1 ArtBtl Major General JEB Stuart
Reserve artillery 6 bags Brigadier General William N. Pendleton
Imbodens Command according to Brig / 1 ArtBttr Brigadier General John D. Imboden

Lee placed the artillery battalions under the reserve artillery at the beginning of the Gettysburg campaign. The Northern Virginia Army comprised 75,054 soldiers for the Battle of Gettysburg .

After the Battle of Gettysburg, the army had 241 guns.

General Lee had to assign the 1st Corps to General Braxton Bragg's Tennessee Army on September 9th . As a result, the Northern Virginia Army was reclassified again. The changes were not serious, only important changes were made to the cavalry: Stuart's cavalry division was reclassified into a corps with two divisions.

Corps / Army troops division Brigades / combat support Commanders / commanders
II Corps 5 ArtBtl Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
Earlys Division 4 Brig Major General Jubal A. Early
Johnson's division 4 Brig Maj. General Edward Johnson
Rode's division 5 Brig Major General Robert E. Rodes
III. corps 5 ArtBtl Lieutenant General AP Hill
Anderson's division 5 Brig Major General Richard H. Anderson
Heth's division 4 Brig Major General Henry Heth
Wilcox's division 4 Brig Major General Cadmus M. Wilcox
Cavalry Corps 1 ArtBtl Major General JEB Stuart
Hamptons Division 3 brig Maj. General Wade Hampton
Lee's division 3 brig Major General Fitzhugh Lee
Reserve artillery 2 bags Brigadier General William N. Pendleton
Shenandoah Valley Defense District according to Brig / 1 ArtBttr Brigadier General John D. Imboden
Cookes Brigade Brigadier General John R. Cooke

The army had 55,221 soldiers. The organizational changes up to December 31, 1863 were only minor. Cooke's brigade was subordinated to Heth's division, Hampton's division grew by a cavalry brigade and the III. Corps received an additional artillery battalion. Imboden's command remained in the Shenandoah Valley and was taken over by Major General Early in December as the Shenandoah Valley Defense District. The strength of the army on December 31st was 54,715 men.

The organizational form of the Northern Virginia Army did not change until the end of the war. The army led several corps, the corps led several divisions and usually their own artillery units. The strength of the army changed through secondments or subordination of large units and of course through failures. It grew from an average of 46,380 to 62,230 soldiers in the first six months. The military areas of North Carolina and Richmond were subordinated to the army in July. A fourth corps was later formed from these troops. During the Richmond-Petersburg campaign, the number of soldiers was 82,633 at times, with parts of the army were subordinate to Lieutenant General Early in the Shenandoah Valley.

The Northern Virginia Army fought the more than twice as strong Potomac, James and Shenandoah armies in Grant's overland campaign in 1864, on Early's Raid against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , during the Richmond-Petersburg campaign and Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. The division of the Northern Virginia Army on January 31, 1865 is shown here as an example. 69,659 soldiers of the army were ready for action, of which at least 4,500 did not have rifles.

Corps / Army troops division Brigades / combat support Commanders / commanders
I. Corps 6 ArtBtl Lieutenant General James Longstreet
Pickett's division 4 Brig Major General George E. Pickett
Fields Division 5 Brig Major General Charles W. Field
Kershaw's division 4 Brig Major General Joseph B. Kershaw
II Corps 4 ArtBtl Major General John B. Gordon
Earlys Division 3 brig Brigadier General John Pegram
Gordon's division 3 brig Brigadier General Clement A. Evans
Rode's division 4 Brig Brigadier General Bryan Grimes
III. corps 7 ArtBtl Lieutenant General AP Hill
Mahone's division 5 Brig Major General William Mahone
Heth's division 4 Brig Major General Henry Heth
Wilcox's division 4 Brig Major General Cadmus M. Wilcox
Anderson's corps 4 ArtBtl Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson
Johnson's division 4 Brig Major General Bushrod Rust Johnson
Shenandoah Valley Defense District 6 ArtBtl Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early
Wharton's division 3 Inf / 1 CavBrig Brigadier General John A. Wharton
Cavalry Corps 3 ArtBtl Maj. General Wade Hampton
Fitzhugh Lee's Division 3 brig Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee
Lee's division 3 brig Major General William HF Lee

The III. Corps was subordinated to the 1st Corps after the death of Lieutenant General AP Hills on April 2, 1865. On April 9, 1865, General Lee and the Northern Virginia Army surrendered to the Commander in Chief of the US Army , Lieutenant General Grant. A day later, General Lee thanked the army officers and men for the bravery and steadfastness and announced the dismissal of all soldiers on word of honor. According to the lists of the Northern Virginia Army, 28,231 soldiers were released on April 10, 1865 on word of honor.

Military branches

The army consisted of three branches of service . The largest and most decisive in the fight was the infantry . Artillery battalions were subordinate to the divisions to directly support the infantry. In addition, there were reserve artillery battalions in the corps, which were deployed as a single unit or assigned to the divisions. The cavalry served primarily as a means of reconnaissance . The army had a cavalry division, whose brigades were also dependent on cooperation with the corps.

The army was subordinate to special troops, which were led by generals and staff officers responsible for the special task with small staffs. This included the engineer troops , topography troops , telecommunications troops and logistics troops . The army was also subject to an adjutantage , the field jurisdiction (Provost Marshal) and the medical service . The field chaplains were also counted among the specialists .

infantry

An infantry regiment nominally consisted of 1,000 men, divided into 10 companies . If necessary, two to three battalions could be formed. The infantryman wore uniform clothing within a regiment to better distinguish them from the enemy. As the war progressed, the quality of the fabrics and the leather deteriorated, so that the soldiers from the country and from the fallen stocked up with clothing.

The infantryman was armed with a musket . The musket was a rifled muzzle loader with percussion ignition that fired Minié projectiles . A bayonet could be attached to the rifle . Multi-shot breech- loaders were already available at the beginning of the war. However, the leadership largely refrained from introducing these weapons to the infantry because they feared increased ammunition consumption, technical problems with the weapons and ammunition and the associated increased costs. There was also a fundamental shortage of metals in the Confederation.

artillery

An artillery battalion consisted of three to five batteries , each with four or six guns. The guns were always drawn, and with the mounted artillery , the gun crews also had horses. The “Horse Artillery” was assigned exclusively to the cavalry.

The standard gun was a 12-pounder cannon howitzer, the model "Napoleon" M1857, which had a range of up to 1,400 m. The guns fired full projectiles, explosive projectiles and grapeshots / shrapnel ("Shrapnel" and "Canister").

cavalry

Like the infantry regiment, a cavalry regiment nominally consisted of 1,000 men, divided into 10 companies. The cavalryman brought his own horse. As the war progressed, the cavalrymen whose horses had been killed often caught the horses of fallen cavalrymen on both sides and remained mounted.

His equipment consisted of a carbine like the Sharps Rifle , a handgun, and a saber . Often times, especially at the beginning of the war, the cavalrymen were armed with their own shotguns .

The cavalry fought in mounted and dismounted combat . Since there were no rules as to when which fighting style was to be used, the commanders preferred, depending on their personal preferences, sometimes one, sometimes the other fighting style. The attack with the saber drawn remained the exception. In principle, the cavalry rode quickly to the enemy and then fought dismounted.

Commander in chief

Battles and campaigns

See also

War flags of the Confederate States of America

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume V, pp. 913f. Ohio State University, accessed April 18, 2020 (General Orders No. 15).
  2. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume V, p. 1086. Cornell University Library, January 12, 2017, accessed April 14, 2020 (daily duty).
  3. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XI, Part 3, p. 438. Ohio State University, accessed April 18, 2020 (Special Orders No. 6).
  4. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XI, Part 3, pp. 479-484. Cornell University Library, January 12, 2017, accessed April 17, 2020 (organized on April 30, 1862).
  5. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XI, Part 2, pp. 483ff. Cornell University Library, January 12, 2017, accessed April 17, 2020 (outline at the beginning of the Seven Day Battle).
  6. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XII, Part 2, pp. 546ff. Cornell University Library, January 12, 2017, accessed April 17, 2020 (outline at the beginning of the Northern Virginia Campaign).
  7. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XII, Part 2, p. 176. Ohio State University, accessed April 17, 2020 (Hill's commission).
  8. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XII, Part 2, p. 553. Ohio State University, accessed April 18, 2020 (Hill's whereabouts).
  9. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XIX, Part 1, pp. 803ff. Cornell University Library, January 12, 2017, accessed April 18, 2020 (outline during the Maryland Campaign).
  10. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XIX, Part 2, pp. 698f. Ohio State University, accessed April 18, 2020 (nomination to Commanding Generals).
  11. ↑ americancivilwar.com. americancivilwar.com, May 12, 2006, accessed April 18, 2020, (Northern Virginia Army strength during the Battle of Fredericksburg).
  12. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXI, p. 1077: Special Order No. 277
  13. ↑ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXV, Part II, pp. 625f: General Order No. 20
  14. ↑ MilitaryHistoryOnline: Troop strength of the Northern Virginia Army during the Battle of Chancellorsville
  15. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXV, Part II, p. 840: Special Orders No. 146
  16. ^ National Park Service: Troop strength
  17. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXV, Part II, p. 355ff: Stock of artillery guns to Gettysburg
  18. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXIX, Part I, p. 398ff: structure on September 30, 1863
  19. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XXIX, Part I, p. 707: Special Orders No. 226
  20. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part II, pp. 1170ff: structure on January 31, 1865
  21. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part I, p. 384ff: strength on January 31, 1865
  22. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part I, p. 1267: Adoption
  23. ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume XLVI, Part I, p. 1277ff: Dismissed on word of honor

literature

  • United States. War Dept .: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies . Govt. Print. Off., Washington 1880–1901, online here .
  • Douglas S. Freeman: RE Lee. A biography . 4th vol., Charles Scribner's Sons, New York and London 1934f. (Standard work, online here .)
  • Douglas S. Freeman: Lee's Lieutenants. A Study in Command . 3 vols., Scribners, New York 1942–1944, several reprints.
  • Joseph T. Glatthaar: General Lee's Army. From Victory to Collapse . Free Press, New York 2008. ISBN 0-684-82787-5 .
  • Katcher, Philip RN & Youens, Michael: The Army of Northern Virginia - Osprey Verlag 1975 Men at Arms Series Book No. 37 - ISBN 0-85045-210-4
  • Katcher, Philip RN & Volstad Ron: American Civil War Armies 1 - Confederate Troops - Osprey Verlag 1986 Men at Arms Series Book No. 170 - ISBN 0-85045-679-7
  • Katcher, Philip RN & Volstad Ron: American Civil War Armies 3 - Specialist Troops - Osprey Verlag 1987 Men at Arms Series Book No. 179 - ISBN 0-85045-722-X
  • Edward G. Longacre: Lee's Cavalrymen. A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of Northern Virginia . Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA 2002, ISBN 978-0811708982 .
  • Richard M. McMurry: Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History , University of North Carolina Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0807845691

Web links

Commons : Army of Northern Virginia  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files