In analyzing the Civil War, there was period of time, notably the first 3 years, that the Union or North was unable to sack Richmond. The factors attributing to this will be examined, laid out, and discussed. With the shelling of Fort Sumter, the Civil War began. Immediately, President Lincoln wanted to capture or put troops inside of Richmond, Virginia due to it being close to Washington, and being the Confederate capital of the War. This move proved daunting in execution. The first battle that was waged, was the battle of Bull Run in 1861, 30 miles southwest of Richmond. Union forces believed they could and should win this battle, and with this win a quick and quiet end to the Civil War. Unfortunately, this did not occur, as the Union army was met in battle by a determined and grizzled bunch of …show more content…
This advancement was going to plan of McClellan, as he wanted to attack from the waterways leading to Richmond. As he advanced, McClellan was expecting to meet up with another group of Union soldiers, but they were diverted from the attack by Lincoln to take on Stonewall Jackson. This caused McClellan’s advance to stall, and for the Confederates to maintain control of Richmond. This stall also gave General Robert Lee time to mount a counter-offensive and push McClellan back to sea. The interesting part of this battle was the first battle between armored ships, with the battle between the Merrimack and Monitor. This defeat caused Lincoln to strip McClellan of his command and placed others in charge, who not knowing how to command, held their troops back giving Generals of the Confederacy the upper hand. This upper hand proved useful for the Confederates, as they pushed the idling troops back through Bull Run again. This upset Lincoln to the point he re-installed McClellan of his leadership role, in hopes that he would lead the Union army to a