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It does rather sound like the south has given the Union a bloody nose, even if they've scarred their own knuckles a bit in the adminstering.
 
Good stuff!

The idea of Northerners in Blue and Southerners in Grey is a good one, I don't know who's who by name alone as the ACW isn't a strong point for me.

One point - although this might be Word 'helping' you - you've used 'witch' a couple of times when you meant 'which'.
 
stnylan: Indeed but the Union is moving upon Vickersburg and has Nashville in its hands :eek:

PrawnStar: Thank you very much sir!

I have decided to 'colour' then generals but have decided upon Red for the Confederats as it reads easier.

Thanks for picking up the whole witch/which thing, I have now changed that. :)
 


Chapter Five ~~ Peninsula and Valley​




stonewalljacksonyk6.jpg

"Stonewall" Jackson, Confederate General



The euphoria of the early engagements, especially the First Manassas wore off early in the south with the Federal gains in the west and the inability of confederate troops to follow upon their successes. McClellan’s titanic Army of the Potomac was approaching the vulnerable capital of Richmond from the south east, with Irvin McDowell’s corps poised to hit the symbolic city from the north and Nathaniel P Banks’s threatening the rich agricultural land of the Shenandoah Valley. The northern general had spent the winter of 61-62 training his new army and fending of calls from Lincoln and the press to push upon Richmond, McClellan had overestimated the main Confederate force, under General Joseph E. Johnston, at Centreville and decided to move amphibiously to Urbanna on the Rappahannock River and then overland to Richmond before Johnston could move to block him. Lincoln favoured an approach over land to protect Washington, but the general stated that the roads were dire and that he had sufficient forces in the Capital to stop and Confederate advance.

Banks, after receiving incorrect intelligence telling him that Stonewall had left the Valley, moved back toward the Union capital. Jackson immediately saw that this was exactly what his superior had feared and had to act before Banks’s men were allowed to re-enforce McClellan. He took his troops, including the vaunted Stonewall Brigade, and proceeded up the valley to make Banks aware of his presence. The southern general was stopped at Kernstown, where he was countered and had his left flank turned compelling him to retreat. Although this battle was a defeat, Jackson’s only, it turned to be a Confederate strategic victory as a worried Lincoln kept Banks and a force of 30,000 at Fredericksburg from joining with McClellan, robbing him of around 50,000 troops. His idea to amphibiously envelop Yorktown was foiled by the ironclad CSS Virginia which was directly in the path of any amphibious operation after the inconclusive engagement with the USS Monitor, the Battle of Hampton Hills, he nevertheless moved upon the city, and after a lengthy delay, defeated Confederate forces in the a skirmish, the Battle of Yorktown. The northern general chased the retiring rebel forces up the peninsular until he was close to Richmond. This advance was kept to a crawl due to the inadequate roads, poor weather and McClellan’s insistence upon major siege operations including masses of supplies and siege mortars.

peninsulacampaigntj1.png

Map of the Peninsular Campaign

Further north Stonewall had been reinforced to number some 17,000 men and decided to attack the small Union forces piecemeal before they could condense and outnumber him. Using a indirect march to put off Union intelligence of his intentions he was attacked at the Battle of McDowell on May 8th, but after fierce fighting managed a victory. Banks was now left with only 8,000 men after sending reinforcements to McDowell and so retired to a strong position at Strasburg. Using his cavalry, sent north, he managed to make Banks believe that he was about to attack him at his position, where actually he marched his men hard to Harpers Ferry, so hard and quick that they would become known ad “Jackson’s foot cavalry”. On May 23rd his men overcame the unprepared and small garrison forcing Banks into a retreat to Winchester, lest his supply lines be cut. Banks was attacked by converging columns of Confederate forces at this town, defeated and compelled to retreat north across the Potomac. President Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton decided reinforce McDowell with a further 20,000 men and have him attack Jackson at Strasburg and cut him off from retreat further down the Valley. He was pursued by the Yankee columns and took up a defensive stance at Cross Keys and Port Republic, where he was able to defeat Frémont and Shields, respectively, on June 8 and June 9.

Upon the peninsular McClellan was digging in for a siege and had approached Richmond, unfortunately the Chickahominy River divided his army and forced an end to lateral movement along the front. Over two days, may 31st and June 1st, confederate forces struck their foes at the Battle of Fair Oaks, although the battle was inconclusive Johnston was wounded and General Robert E. Lee, a much more aggressive general, took command from the stricken man. Also McClellan dug in deeper and lost the strategic momentum, which he would never regain. Lee used the time given to him to further fortify Richmond, some 30 miles in new defensive lines. McClellan was also unnerved by Confederate Brig. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's audacious, but otherwise militarily pointless, cavalry ride completely around the Union army allowing time for Stonewall Jackson to meet up with Lee.

sevendaysjune2627fb6.png

Map of the Seven Days Campaign

The Seven Days Battles occurred when Lee went on the offensive conducting battles that lasted from June 25th to July 1st that forced McClellan to a safe but unthreatening position upon the James River. On June 26th Lee noticed that he could defeat McClellan in detail and attacked at what would be known as the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, although this turned out to be a federal victory McClellan would order a retreat that would continue over the next six days. At the bloody Battle of Glendale on June 30 Lee managed to defeat his Union rival but could not cut-off the Federal forces from the river. The next day 50,000 confederate troops were wasted attacking an almost impregnable Union position and McClellan withdrew amphibiously back to Washington.​
 
Ah, the cautious Union against the aggressive Confederacy, so far as expected. Loosing 50,000 men in a useless assault cannot be good for the CSA's manpower.
 
Estonianzulu: Yes cautious indeed, but that may yet lead the US to victory ;)

All: I have a speach by Jefferson Davis within the next update, it contains a word that I have included for the 'historical sound' of it I hope that it does not cause offence. :)
 


Chapter Six ~~ Invasion!​




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The Northern Virginia campaign



With Lee now in the ascendancy and the newly formed Union “Army of Virginia” being dangerously isolated by McClellan’s failure the southern general espied this opportunity to advance from Virginia onto Union soil. Seeing failure by his general upon the peninsula, President Lincoln, gave John Pope command of the new force and ordered him to use his charges to protect Washington and the Shenandoah Valley. Lee saw that McClellan was no longer a threat and felt no compulsion to remain, with this in mind Lee sent Jackson to Gordonsville to block Pope and protect the railroad that he sought to capture. Seeing the opportunity to destroy the entire force under Pope, the general sent Hill with another 12,000 men while trying to distract McClellan and stop reinforcement of Pope. Within the theatre there now started a period of probing by both Jackson and Pope as they sought to advance upon each other while seeking an advantage. Eventually Jackson managed to slip by the Unionists and devastate the massive Federal supply dump at Manassas, the compelled Pope to retreat with Jackson taking up position behind an unfinished railroad upon the same field where the First Battle of Manassas had occurred. Jackson drew Pope into battle by attacking a passing Yankee column on August 28th, Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him. The day later Pope ordered mass assaults upon the position of Jackson that ended with many bloody defeats along the line of attack as Longstreet joined up forming Jackson’s right flank. Pope renewed his attacks on August 30th seemingly without knowledge that Longstreet had appeared the previous evening. When massed Confederate artillery devastated a Union assault, Longstreet's wing of 28,000 men counterattacked in the largest simultaneous mass assault of the war. The Union left flank was crushed and the army driven back to Bull Run, an effective Union rearguard was the only thing that separated a bloody defeat from a decisive Confederate victory.

The Army of North Virginia crossed the Potomac immediately to be split, Longstreet was to proceede to Hagerstown, while Jackson was to capture the Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. McClellan moved from Washington with around 87,000 men toward Fredrick, where soldiers discovered the complete plans for Lee’s campaign. The Army of the Potomac moved toward South Mountain, where they were able to swat aside the numerically inferior rebels and now McClellan was in a position to destroy Lee’s army. The southern general decided to make a stand at Sharpsburg and on September 26th McClellan attacked the southerners decisively. While Hooker’s corps mounted a powerful assault upon the Confederate left, Burnside managed to roll up Lee’s right, only the opportune arrival A.P. Hill's division was able to save the Army of North Virginia, but the battle of Antietam as was the invasion of the north. President Lincoln used this opportunity to announce his Emancipation Proclamation;

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/prelim1.jpg

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The Maryland Campaign

The reaction of the south to the defeat and the proclamation was almost to buckle, President Davis, at once understood that drastic action was necessary and started to act, he immediately positioned himself as Supreme Commander in Chief of Confederate forces, knowing that he would never be able to push his new idea through Congress he had given himself the power to issue a “Wartime Chief of Staff Proclamation”, but he bided his time and awaited a portent to give him the timing he desperately needed. Lee was soon to come to his aid, after Antietam he, along with several other southern generals, started to call for new recruits to come from freed slaves. Lincoln removed the cautions McClellan from command and gave the army to Burnside, who had fought an indifferent action at Antietam, and pressured him to start an invasion of the south. Burnside rose quickly to the task and decided to inflict a serious strategic defeat upon Lee and the south. He hoped to outflank Robert E. Lee by quickly crossing the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg and placing himself in between the Confederate army and their capital but he was compelled to wait due to supply and administrative difficulties. The Confederates managed to use the time Burnside took to cross the river fortifying their position upon the opposite side of the River, on December 13th crossed, launching massive frontal assaults against Marye's Heights on Lee's left flank. The waves of blue broke upon the grey positions, but the overall effect was of a bloody and drawn out defeat. In January of the next year, 1863, the Army of the Potomac was forced into a humiliating retreat named “Mud March”, Burnside was relieved of command which was now given to General Hooker who spent the remaining winter re-supplying and training his troops ready for the next season, he then planned to engage Lee while his cavalry under General Stoneman and other corps were to slip past Lee’s position and catch him within a vice.

antietamoverviewdq0.png

The Battle of Antietam

The plan was initially executed well and Hooker made good progress at the expense of the southern forces, but he lost his confidence and withdrew back to Chancellorsville where Lee mounted an ambitious and audacious flanking manoeuvre. He split 20,000 men under Stonewall Jackson and had him proceed to the right wing of Hookers position and assault him there. The stunned Hooker fought tooth and nail for his position, but Lee kept him pinned and managed to send some divisions to deal with a successful attack by Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick that had threatened his rear. The victory was a bloody on for the Confederacy and cost Lee almost a quarter of his army, but the victory opened up the north for invasion again. With Lee again calling for ‘slave’ soldiers and the south’s fortunes on the rise but in difficult circumstances, President Davis realised the time was now and announced his Proclamation of The War at a speech in Richmond;

…many in the North have cried foul upon our fine nation, they have announced that this bitter struggle is for the fate of slaves but I tell you gentlemen what I tell the world this war is nothing to do with the institution of slavery or our treatment of the Negro! They have perfidiously invaded our peaceful land seeking to enslave our proud sons; they care not for the slave but for their own power…

…the Negro slave has always been cherished by their owners and this great nation, they had worked hard and done us proud and we know that they shall do all we ask of them. As such I make an offer to our friends this day, Negro brother rise up and fight for your country, come and swear allegiance to the ‘Stars and Bars’ and your sacrifice shall make you free!…

fredericksburgoverviewet2.png

The Battle of Fredericksburg

The reaction to this was immense, to the international community it had shown that the south fought for survival and not the institution of slavery and Britain and France were quick to send positive messages to President Davis, tellingly these messages proclaimed the virtue of not just the Confederate cause bat also the ‘Confederate Nation’. Davis now knew that formal recognition was only a grand military victory away. Internally the reaction was not as pleasant, many were in favour of impeaching Davis, but they were reassured that this was not emancipation of all slaves just freedom for those who would lay down their lives for the Confederacy. Lastly the recruiters for the rebel army were almost overwhelmed with rank after rank of slave trying to enrolee in the CS military.

As lee began moving north, Joseph Hooker sent cavalry forces to find Lee that on June 9 clashed at Brandy Station with JEB Stuart’s CS Cavalry, the engagement ended inconclusively. Lee began moving his army northwest from Fredericksburg into the Shenandoah Valley, where the Blue Ridge Mountains screened their northward movements. Hooker started his entire army in pursuit, but on June 28, President Lincoln lost patience with him and relieved him of command, replacing him with George G. Meade. As they crossed the Potomac and entered Frederick, Maryland, the Confederates were spread out over a considerable distance in Pennsylvania, with Jackson across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg and Longstreet behind the mountains in Chambersburg. His cavalry, under JEB Stuart, was engaged in a wide-ranging raid around the eastern flank of the Union army uncharacteristically out of touch with headquarters, leaving Lee blind as to his enemy's position and intentions. Lee had to concentrate his army before it could be defeated in detail. He ordered all units to move to the general vicinity of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

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The Battle of Chancellorsville

Lee was about to discover that he had stumbled upon the entire Army of the Potomac, and that this next battle along with the one developing around Vicksburg would almost certainly seal the fate of the divided continent. Which way these engagements would go were uncertain to everyone, only time would tell…​
 
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I've got to know... where do you make/get those beautiful maps?
 
Estonianzulu said:
I've got to know... where do you make/get those beautiful maps?
I have an admission to make, as the campaigns have gone almost historically they are all maps from wiki... I have made some alterations to some of them tho. :eek:o
 
Ahh, so there is the point of departure.
 
stnylan said:
Ahh, so there is the point of departure.
Indeed there is... there have been some small ones so far they are to help the big ones happen :D
 
Well it's all very intersting so far but i'm not sure how well freed slaves would integrate into an army of to be honest incredibly racist people (sweeping generalisation).

I'm also intersted to see how this issue would work out once the CSA won.
 
Hmm, still not sure the UK and France would want to commit to actual recognition of the CSA. The Confederates were never going to conquer the US (I don't believe anyone even seriously suggested it) so any post-war world will have the US in it, thus no-one is going to needlessly offend them by recognising the 'rebels'. They'd need a big reason to commit to anything beyond in-direct aid through intermediaries, even allowing for the UK being more annoyed with the US over the Trent Affair.

The main changes I see are Lincoln's freed the slaves (mostly, not totally put close enough for general consumption to get the gist) and Davis has 'allowed' black soldiers to join an army desperately short of manpower. It's not a good comparison to present back home, especially to an abolitionist public.

"Yes we're siding with the slave owning CSA against the slave freeing USA because the CSA has allowed slaves to join the army and fight and die so that slavery can continue."

I wouldn't want to be the politician making that speech would you? :eek:

Still, don't let that put you off, I'll be interested to see where you go with this Wolfey. ;)
 
Caligo said:
Well it's all very intersting so far but i'm not sure how well freed slaves would integrate into an army of to be honest incredibly racist people (sweeping generalisation).
Thank you very much for the compliment, if you want to know about the issue you could look here http://www.civilwarhistory.com/slavetrade/blacksoldiersCSA.htm there were actually quit a few black soldiers in the CSA Army

Caligo said:
I'm also intersted to see how this issue would work out once the CSA won.
So am I :D

El Pip said:
Hmm, still not sure the UK and France would want to commit to actual recognition of the CSA. The Confederates were never going to conquer the US (I don't believe anyone even seriously suggested it) so any post-war world will have the US in it, thus no-one is going to needlessly offend them by recognising the 'rebels'. They'd need a big reason to commit to anything beyond in-direct aid through intermediaries, even allowing for the UK being more annoyed with the US over the Trent Affair.
Well I seem to recall that Britain was very close to offering mediation on quite a few occasions... and with a massive tactical victory and an impending strategical victory? ;)

El Pip said:
The main changes I see are Lincoln's freed the slaves (mostly, not totally put close enough for general consumption to get the gist) and Davis has 'allowed' black soldiers to join an army desperately short of manpower. It's not a good comparison to present back home, especially to an abolitionist public.
Davis has basically said that the war is not about slavery and that blacks have always been a part of the CSA... the UK public may not totally 'buy' it but enough may?

El Pip said:
"Yes we're siding with the slave owning CSA against the slave freeing USA because the CSA has allowed slaves to join the army and fight and die so that slavery can continue."

I wouldn't want to be the politician making that speech would you? :eek:
You may be right, but I hope that Davis has done enough for any offer of midiation may be looked upon as a stop to the bloodshed instead of sideing with one side or another... especially if everyone thinks the south's going to win?

El Pip said:
Still, don't let that put you off, I'll be interested to see where you go with this Wolfey. ;)
Have I ever Pippy? :p Thanks for the support dude! :D
 
this is pretty good mate. maps especially, and you must have done a hell of a lot of research. i know nothing about the american civil war really, is this what really happened or a version which gives the south a chance?
 
BritishImperial said:
this is pretty good mate. maps especially, and you must have done a hell of a lot of research. i know nothing about the american civil war really, is this what really happened or a version which gives the south a chance?
Thank you very much sir, so far I've made only four changes;

1. Sherman dies early (first Manassas/Bull Run)

2. an English officer (Archer) and his Boer's at Shilo

3. US Grant is sidelined after Shilo

4. Davis basically freed the 'southern' slaves...

the next two changes are the 'biggies'! :D
 
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Funkatronica said:
this is really enjoyable wolfey!
Thank you very much sir :D

Funkatronica said:
keep us uptodate on goings on at home as well mate!
I'll do my best... :) sorry about the Fu*ky fraudian slip in my PM :D
 
right, so subtle changes then. i liked hearing about general pope cos thats my name also (i mean i'm not a general but you know) :) even if he is a union bastard