THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA Lee’s Un in the American Civil War 1861–1865 The Great Armies A series of books that examines the great armies of history. By looking in detail at the separate components of each army, and how these components combined effectively, each title presents a unique view of a particular army, and explains why it was so successful in battle. Each volume analyzes the various elements required to make an army a battle-winning force: an efficient supply system, good chain of command, effective tactics, good equipment, high morale, and fine leadership. But these separate elements are only effective when combined successfully, and so each volume analyzes how they interacted to forge an effective fighting force, and why a particular army under examination did it more effectively than its opponents. THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA Lee’s Army in the American Civil War 1861–1865 Philip Katcher FITZROY DEARBORN An Imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group New York • London © 2003 The Brown Reference Group plc All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form Published by Fitzroy Dearborn An imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group 29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001–2299 and This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go towww.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Fitzroy Dearborn An imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Katcher, Philip R.N. The Army of Northern : Lee’s army in the American Civil War, 1861–1865/Philip Katcher. p. cm. -- (The great armies) Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index. ISBN 1-57958-331-8 (alk. paper) 1. Confederate States of America. Army of Northern Virginia—History. 2. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Regimental histories. 3. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Campaigns. I. Title II. Series. E470.2.K245 2003 973.7’455-dc21 2003044888 For The Brown Reference Group plc Editorial Director: Lindsey Lowe Editors: Martha Bremser, Peter Darman, Matt Turner Designer: Mike LeBihan Cartographer: Bob Garwood Picture Research: Susannah Jayes Production Director: Alastair Gourlay Picture credits: Brown Reference Group: National Archives 228, 253. Corbis: 170. v Mary Evans Picture Library: 69, 82, 88, 100, 110, 118, 160, 164, 186, 236, 300, 310. Robert Hunt Library: 22, 59, 85, 125, 145, 176, 225, 239, 244, 249, 263, 267. Peter Newark’s Pictures: 10, 15, 25, 26, 28, 59, 62, 78, 103, 109, 113, 124, 128, 131, 148, 153, 157, 177, 179, 190, 212, 230, 243, 314, 328, 339, 341. Northwind Picture Archives: 42, 56, 56, 66, 70, 73, 77, 99, 121, 133, 138, 141, 154, 172, 182, 188, 192, 195, 199, 202, 205, 208, 217, 233, 255, 258, 260, 271, 277, 286, 290, 297, 319, 334. ISBN 0-203-49101-7 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-59325-1 (Adobe eReader Format) Contents Key to maps viii Foreword ix Introduction x PART I CREATING THE MACHINE 1 BACKGROUND TO WAR 3 RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING 20 NATURE OF THE WAR 36 LOGISTICS 54 PART II THE YEARS OF ATTACK 72 THE FIRST MANASSAS CAMPAIGN 74 JACKSON’S VALLEY CAMPAIGN 92 THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN 110 THE SECOND MANASSAS CAMPAIGN 129 THE 1862 MARYLAND CAMPAIGN 145 FREDERICKSBURG 162 CHANCELLORSVILLE 180 GETTYSBURG 199 PART III THE NATURE OF THE ARMY 220 ROBERT E.LEE 222 THE SENIOR COMMAND STRUCTURE 236 THE RANK AND FILE 249 THE ARMY AND THE STATE AUTHORITIES 262 PART IV THE YEARS OF DEFENSE 274 vii THE WINTER OF 1863–64 276 THE WILDERNESS TO COLD HARBOR 290 COLD HARBOR TO PETERSBURG 304 THE FINAL CAMPAIGN 318 APPENDIX ORDER OF BATTLE, PETERSBURG APRIL 2, 1865 331 THE FINAL ORDERS 340 Bibliography 341 Index 345 Key to Maps Military Units—Sizes Army Movements Army Attack/advance (in national colors) Corps Retreat (in national colors) Division Defensive works Brigade Geographical Symbols Regiment River Road Battalion Railroad Military Units—Types Urban area Infantry Cavalry Town Trees General Military Symbols Cannons Bridge Battle Hill National Colors Mountains Confederate Union Foreword After four years of service, on April 9, 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to the U.S. Army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Within days its men had all turned in their arms, been paroled, and headed off on sometimes very long treks home. Although its surrender did not mark the ending of all fighting in the Civil War at that point, most Southerners knew and accepted that their bid to establish an independent nation was over. The army came together as volunteer units in 1861 to defend this new would- be Confederate States of America, and fought a hard-pressed war for that purpose. Yet within days of surrendering no physical trace of the army remained. The legacy of that army did not die. Famed twentieth-century novelist William Faulkner, son of a regimental commander in the Army of Northern Virginia, suggested that for every Southerner of his generation time would always be stopped at that point just before Lee gambled by sending two divisions straight into Union lines at Gettysburg. Today, thousands of costumed men armed with copies of period weapons throughout the world reenact units and battles of that army. So, too, were the actions fought by the Army of Northern Virginia studied by future military historians and theorists for years thereafter. Lee’s army was remarkable in its ability to confuse and defeat superior forces in the field time after time. West Point instructors point to Chancellorsville, where Lee not only had considerably fewer men available to him than did his enemy commander, but he even split that smaller number to obtain a stunning victory, as one of history’s most perfect battles. The Army of Northern Virginia, created out of volunteer civilians with a smattering of trained, professional soldiers in command positions, was by its nature an army of individuals. Therefore this account not only discusses the campaigns and battles of the army, it also stresses the individuals from the wellknown generals such as Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson, “Jeb” Stuart, and the rest, down to the rifleman in the ranks who did not hesitate to offer his opinion on everything the army and his superiors did. There were many controversies within the army’s ranks. Who lost the Battle of Gettysburg? Should Lee have struck after the Union army’s failed assault at Fredericksburg? Why did Jackson, who had done so well in the Valley of Virginia, behave so sluggishly on the Peninsula? While answers were no clearer then than now, proud Southerners held their positions on them strongly. The top level of command was riddled with feuding generals. A.P. Hill and James Longstreet fell out over press reports after the Peninsula Campaign. Hill also feuded with Jackson, who actually placed him under arrest. Notwithstanding all this, added to generally poor, amateurish staff work for much of the war, the Army of Northern Virginia fought long and well until finally totally overwhelmed and forced to surrender. The army’s legacy, however, lives on to this very day. Philip Katcher, Devon, Pennsylvania, February 2003