Army Of Northern Virginia Essay

The Army Of Northern Virginia

The army of Northern Virginia was the most famous and recognizable army of the confederate field forces during the American Civil War. Led to great success by General Robert E. Lee, Son of the Governor of Virginia and West Point Graduate, the army didn’t often suffer a loss. As time progressed though, the Union became stronger and the Confederates began losing manpower and resources. Consequently, The Army of Northern Virginia would eventually be defeated, but not without the respect from both sides of the battlefield. The most recognizable army of the Confederate forces was undoubtedly The Army of Northern Virginia. It was first led by a man named General Joseph E. Johnston. This was when the army was also

Lee led the once known Army of Potomac to great success and wasn’t fond of losing. As soon as president Davis instated General Robert E. Lee, the army’s name became the Army of Northern Virginia, so it would no longer get confused with the Union army. Not only did he change the name, he changed the face of the army and how it maneuvered. Lee was brilliant when it came to fighting battles and his tactics were not easy to stop. In addition to that, his soldiers adored him and would do everything they could to win for him. During battle, The Army of Northern Virginia could reach as many as 92,000 men and as little as 52,000. These numbers came from everywhere in the confederacy, so they were a diverse group. This could be seen as both a good and a bad thing; Meaning some of the men had different speech patterns and were tough to understand, but some men also knew many different landscapes; like Louisiana Bayous or the Apache Mountains. Sadly, the Confederate army was running short on supplies and manpower. In the Seven Days Campaign, McClellan’s army only miles from Richmond, put Lee’s army on the offensive and in a series of battles, his troops pushed McClellan’s larger army back to the James River. Though Lee’s army won, they suffered many more casualties which could be tough to replace. The Confederate Army’s were dwindling and growing

After battles, it was difficult for the Army of Northern Virginia to replace its men. In what had been known as Lee’s finest battle, his army was outnumbered by the Army of Potomac, but still managed to defeat them at the battle of Chancellorsville. Though Lee’s army won, they still suffered a major setback when one of Lee’s Generals died. Winning did not matter for the Confederates because they were still losing numbers, which at this time, they couldn’t afford to do. Ulysses S. Grant and The Union was aware of this weakness and they used it to their advantage. It led to the Army of Northern Virginia’s defeat, and so on to the Confederates defeat, which meant the Union had won the Civil