George B. McClellan and the Birth of an Army
Following the defeat at Bull Run, the Union troops around Washington were reorganized into a new command known as the Army of the Potomac. Officially created on August 20, 1861, the Army of the Potomac would be the primary Union fighting force in the East for the duration of the war. To lead this army, Lincoln selected Major General George B. McClellan. A West Point graduate, McClellan had seen service as an engineer in the Mexican-American War before leaving the army to pursue a career in railroads.
A superb organizer, McClellan built the army's structure and inspired the men through frequent reviews and visits. This attention earned him the loyalty of the troops which was to endure even after his removal from command. Though he was adored by the men, McClellan clashed with Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott over strategic matters, preferring to seek a deciding battle with the enemy than implement the Anaconda Plan. This issue was decided on November 1, when Scott retired and McClellan briefly ascended to the post. Shortly after taking command, another issue arose with regard to McClellan, that of a constant belief that his army was outnumbered. This led to extremely overcautious behavior and a lack of initiative in the field when, in fact, rarely during his tenure of command did he enjoy less than a two-to-one advantage in manpower.
Operations in Carolinas
In the late summer of 1861, amphibious operations began to secure bases for enforcing the Union blockade along the coasts of North and South Carolina. Attacking in August 1861, troops under Major General Benjamin Butler captured Hatteras Inlet. That November, Union troops occupied Hilton Head Island, which would become a vital base with a full military hospital and repair facilities for US Navy warships. The following February, Major General Ambrose Burnside occupied Roanoke Island and New Berne, NC.
Moving to the Peninsula
After prodding from Lincoln, McClellan planned to move his army by water to Urbanna on the Rappahannock River. This would allow him to land south of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Northern Virginia and march on Richmond against minimal opposition. This plan was abandoned after Johnston withdrew his forces south to Culpeper. In its place, McClellan decided to embark the majority of his army and transport them to the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. From there he would march up the Peninsula and into Richmond. The Army of the Potomac began boarding steamers and moving south down the Chesapeake Bay in mid-March.
Duel Between the Ironclads
As McClellan's men were preparing for the new campaign, history was made near their future point of disembarkation. Following the burning of the Norfolk Navy Yard in 1861, the Confederates had constructed an ironclad warship from the remains of the steam frigate USS Merrimack. Mounting ten guns and an iron ram, the newly christened CSS Virginia was designed to break the Union blockade. Steaming out of Norfolk on March 8, 1862, Virginia moved directly for the Union ships in Hampton Roads. Singling out USS Cumberland, Virginia opened fire and attacked with its ram. The crew of Cumberland fought bravely, but their shells bounced off of Virginia's armor plating. After sinking Cumberland, Virginia turned its attention to the frigate USS Congress and reduced it to a flaming wreck.
On the night of March 8/9, the Union Navy's salvation arrived in the form of the ironclad USS Monitor. Designed by Swedish inventor John Ericsson, Monitor sat low in the water and was armed with two guns mounted in a rotating turret. The next morning Virginia returned to finish off the Union fleet and encountered Monitor in Hampton Roads. The two ironclads battled for several hours with neither inflicting significant damage on the other. Unable to defeat the Union ship, Virginia withdrew to Norfolk where it was destroyed two months later to prevent capture. The contest had signaled the rise of armored warships and spelled doom for the "wooden walls" of the world's navies.
Jackson in the Valley
In the spring of 1862, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was ordered by Johnston to operate in the Shenandoah Valley with the goal of preventing the Union troops there from reinforcing McClellan on the Peninsula. On March 23, he attacked a Union force under Major General Nathaniel Banks at Kernstown. Though Jackson lost the battle, it proved to be a strategic victory as Lincoln ordered Banks to remain in the Valley to deal with the threat. In May and early June, Jackson, operating with 17,000 soldiers, managed to win five battles over multiple Union opponents whose combined number was over 60,000. The campaign provided a tremendous boost to Southern morale and made Jackson one of the most famous soldiers in the Confederacy. In addition, his actions prevented significant reinforcements from joining McClellan's army.
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