The winter came with force in January and troop movements shrunk to a necessary minimum, but both sides kept stayed in their winter quarters up until mid-march.
While the armies where forced to an armistice by the harsh winter, both sides reinforced their navies. When the ice on the James River melted both navies send their most modern ships to sink the enemy and the whole world was to hold it's breath. Both navies not only reinforced their navies in size but also developed a new kind of warship. The ironclad steamships.
On March 8th the ironclad steamship CSS Virginia left Norfolk harbour to break the union's blockade at the mouth of the James River. At noon the CSS Virginia engages the blockading squadron, she sinks three union frigates and several auxillary vessels before nightfall brins an end to the carnage. News of the Confedaracy's first naval victory spread quickly and the USN orders their ironclad steamer, the USS Monitor to sink the CSS Virginia. The next morning both battleships met. Four hours both antagonists fired volley after volley at each other without damaging each other significantly. The battle went the whole day until both vessels withdrew to their home ports.
The battle later known as Battle of Hampton Roads revolutionized naval warfare and made sailing ships obsolete. The new steamships seemed invincible due to their ironplating, were faster, more maneuverable and were able to operate independently of wind conditions.
A british Admiral was quoted in "The Times" the next day: "Up until yesterday we had the largest navy in the world, today we only have a pile of worthless floating wood."[1]
In order to seek the decisive battle both generalstaffs send their armies to conquer the opposite's capital. In April confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard marched his army first to the northwest and then turned east to attack Philadelphia. At the small town of Downingtown at the banks of the Brandywine Creek General McDowell awaited him with a superior force of mere recruits. The battle began with a confederate attack on the union lines which cost high losses on the union side but couldn't save the confederacy the high grounds. On the second day Beauregard again attacked his adversary to throw him off the ridge above Downingtown. The attack was successfull on the left flank and the union army lost three time as many soldiers as the attacking confederates. Beauregard had won the day but nightfall rescued McDowell's army who used the dark of the night to redeploy his lines. Beauregard confident that he would smash McDowell the next day went to his headquarters and planned an assault by dawn when a messenger arrived from General Longstreet. The messenger brought disturbing news of a large union force commanded by General Hooker marching straight upon Washington.
In the middle of the night Beauregard decided to withdraw his army from the battlefield and began his march to reinforce Longstreets defense of Washinton.
While Beauregard marched on Philadelphia in early April, General Hooker took command of the 150,000 men strong Army of Columbia and marched it straight to Washington while he send a smaller force under McDowell to delay Beauregards march.
Hookers offensive started well and the union troops regained all lost territory on their way and even the suburbs of Washington but at the gates of the city the offensive came to a halt. Longstreet had fortified the city during the winter very well and Hooker didn't dare taking the city in an assault. Thus he settled for a siege on May 7th. The former capital lifed through it's second siege in two years and the last standing buildings where bombed to rabble day and night. Day after day, week after week for five months. Five months in which the huge army of columbia didn't make any gains but rotted in hell outside of Washington. Cholera and typhoid fever cost Hookers thenth of thousand men weakening the Army of Columbia despite its constant reinforcements so much that Hooker had to give up the siege in September.
While the siege of Washington was going on the confederate high command was training new troops commanded by General Robert E. Lee. When Lee's army was announced ready for action President Toombs ordered him to reinforce Longstreet in the defense of Washington. But Longstreet send Lee and his army to the west, convinced that they will do their more damage to the union's war effort instead of dying in Washington off diseases. Thus Lee marched into western Maryland. At the city of Frederick he met a small union corps which was swiftly destroyed.
In the tranappalachian theatre General Johnstons was still pursuing McClelland's ever retreating army deeper into Ohio. Finally on June 21st McClellan decided to take his stand near the town of Akron close to the coast of Lake Erie. Both sides knew should the nearby city of Cleveland with its amjor railway lines fall, the Union would be effectively divided in two. In a fierce and brutal battle where no quarter was given Johnston prevailed on the second day by circumnavigating McClellands right flank and rolling up his lines. McClellands battered force withdrew along the coast of Lake Erie to Buffalo. The next day Johnstons army marched into Cleveland finishing the Division of the Union.
Out west, in the transmississippian theatre the confederate troops roamed freely and occupied town after town. But in norhtern Missouri the unionists put up a last fight against Van Doorn's occupation force. At Bonnots Mill only 10,000 desperate militiamen tried to halt the advance of 30,000 battlehardened confederate soldiers. The battle became a horrible slaughter, earning the confederate commander the name "Bloody Earl".
When the armies moved to winter quarters in late November the Union was divided in the north east (Pennsylvania, New York and the New England region) and the far west (especially Colorado and California). Union morale was devastated and the citizenry began to oppose the government, longing for a quick peace agreement. In California the situation was especially heated up, almost all young men had left to fight in the east the state was thus economically struggling and now the Mexicans began their invasion of southern California.
[1] If anyone knows the historical correct quote then please tell me.