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Confederate Geographical Advantages

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This literary study will define the presentation of the Confederate geographical advantage of Henry House Hill in Manassas: A Novel of the Civil War by Upton Sinclair. The journey of Allan Montague defines the transformation a young man from a Confederate sympathizer to an Abolitionist fighter in Sinclair’s depiction of the Civil War conflict. The First Battle of Manassas defines an important victory for the Confederate forces, which temporarily demoralized the Union Army. Sinclair’s description of this battle defines the geographical advantage of the Confederate Army by taking and holding Henry House hill. By taking the higher ground, the Confederates were able to have an open view of the advances of the Union Army. This advantage led to …show more content…

In essence, Sinclair’s novel provides insight into the geographical advantage that the Confederate Army had over the Union Army during the First Battle of Manassas in 1861. In the novel, Manassas: A Novel of the Civil War by Upton …show more content…

The historical development of the First battle of Manassas is founded on the decision to send McDowell’s Union forces to directly confront Beauregard’s Confederate forces around Bull Run River. In this context, the geographical advantage that the Confederate Army wielded was choosing the proper hillside in which to base their defense against the Union forces. The initial retreat from Stony ridge and Matthew’s Hill define Beauregard’s strategy of gaining a stronger position on Henry House Hill and Chinn Ridge. This decision was based on the more accurate knowledge of the geography of the area, which allowed them to expose the Union Army on the open fields below Henry House Hill. Montague’s experiences during this battle define the problems with Union Army strategies, which exposed them to gunfire from hills and ridges. This explains Sinclair’s understanding of the loss of the battle due to the Union Army’s lack of positioning on the higher ground. These experiences provide a literary context for the bloodshed and nightmarish horrors of the war for the Union Army, since they were the victims of Confederate attacks on their positions from Henry Hill and Chinn Ridge. Historically, Sinclair provides a compelling narrative of Montague’s experiences during the First Battle of

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