american military history midterm 2

what the army did between the war of 1812 and the civil war

fought indians; built frontier forts; built infrastructure

what the navy did between the war of 1812 and the civil war

protect overseas commerce; facilitate diplomacy; protect against foreign invasion

professionalization (1817)

education and experience; responsibility to perform functions for society; corporateness

southern military tradition

idea that the south has always been uniquely militaristic

manifest destiny

1845; america’s god ordained destiny to spread across the continent and bring democracy and christianity to new territories; Polk

mobilization strategies in the Mexican american war

expand regular army with the expansible army concept; state militia; volunteer militia

strategic implications of the Mexican war

Scott’s brilliant vera cruz/Mexico City campaign; professional officer corps; volunteers perform well if properly trained

civil war as America’s first “modern” war

tech and industrial rev. advances gave the north a decisive advantage

what is a “total” war

a nation mobilizes all available resources, entire society is committed

what are total wars fought over and what can become a target as a result

fought over ideological differences; civilian population is a target

union’s anaconda plan

Scott; gain control of southern rivers, blockade coastline, use controlled waterways to launch land invasions

confederate offensive/defensive strategy

attack at the tactical or operational level to contribute to the strategic goal of defending territory

first bull run

1861; disorganized and chaotic; public shocked by casualties; McDowell vs. Beauregard and Johnston

important result of first bull run (1861)

bolstered the confidence of the south and showed the north it would take them longer to defeat the south than they thought

fort Henry and fort donelsson

1862; grant uses naval power to take the forts, boosts northern morale, gives grant recognition and control of the TN/Cumberland rivers

shiloh

1862; grant vs Johnston; offensive/defensive used by south who attacked first

peninsula campaign

1862; McClellan pushes with naval backing and Johnston retreats to seven pines, attacks when union army is split

seven days campaign

1862; offensive/defensive of VA by Lee; McClellan retreats for operational confederate victory

2nd bull run

1862; Lee wins big victory against Pope and pushed union out of VA but lost a lot of men

Lee’s hope

win on northern soil would get the north to quit the war or get Britain to step in

antietam

1862; McClellan gets a copy of Lee’s orders, defeats him

emancipation proclamation strategic implications

restatement of the north’s war aims—slavery is the official reason, making it more difficult for foreign powers to intervene and turning the slave population into a potential manpower asset for the north

emancipation proclamation says

as of 1863, any slaves who lived in territory in a state of rebellion were free; later version enlisted them to the army

Chancellorsville

1863; confederate victory but stonewall Jackson dies, showing declining level of leadership in Lee’s army; cements Lee as a great commander

Gettysburg

July 1863; if confederates had won they would’ve controlled at least one important northern city; confederates no longer have strength for offensive; massive casualties

vicksburg

1863; grant captures, shows capability and naval superiority; split the confederacy and gave control of MS river

After Bragg is defeated in the Chattanooga campaign, what is the only condition left for the Union to clear?

Defeat Lee in VA

wilderness campaign

grant vs lee; grant can replace losses, lee cannot; lee fights defensively, siege of Petersburg begins from 1864-1865

loss of Atlanta

hood attacks after Johnston is fired, Sherman captures Atlanta and begins his march to the sea

Sherman’s march to the sea results

cripple south’s ability to continue the war; politically shows confederacy cannot protect its people; leaves legacy of bitterness in the south

by the end of august 1864—

sherman is outside ATL; grant is outside Petersburg; election brings war weariness and frustration

Sherman’s march through the Carolinas

1865; harsher than in GA; cities burnt to the ground

end of Siege of Petersburg

in 1865, grant’s forces break through siege lines and Lee surrenders at Appomattox

Civil War vs Southern War of Independence

assuming it is a fight between sides in one country vs a fight between two independent states

US colored troops

segregated units with white officers; less pay than white troops; more commonly assigned to labor battalions rather than frontline troops

reduction act of 1821

cut the size of the army and slowed construction of warships, but incorporated the expansible army concept

expansible army concept

extra officers kept to train and be able to train new recruits if war was necessary

beginning of professional military/officer corps

men begin to choose the army or navy as a profession after 1817

West Point

sylvanus Thayer applied French military standards; Dennis hart Mahan introduced French theory; Henry halleck wrote a textbook

Mexican American war begins

Battle of Palo Alto; May 11th 1846

Polk’s political plan that backfired

Polk split Taylor’s army and transferred them to Scott, who conducted a brilliant campaign as Taylor managed to hold position

Santa Ana

tricked american government, fought Taylor at Buena Vista (Feb 1847) and lost; lost to Scott’s campaign

Texas secedes

texas secedes from Mexico in 1836, wants annexed by the US

Battle of Monterrey

urban battle, shows performance of volunteer troops

treaty ending Mexican war

Guadalupe Hidalgo; texas obtained and we pay 10mil

September 17th, 1862

bloodiest single day in american history at antietam

Battle of Chickamauga

September 1863; Bragg defeats Rosencrans, who withdraws to Chattanooga

Implications of Sherman’s March for southern history

creates a legacy of bitterness in the south; slows national reconciliation after the war; delays economic recovery

grant’s lenient terms

officers keep sidearms; troops keep horses; swear to not take up arms; 3 days of rations

Battle of Hampton Roads

first naval battle between ironclad ships (Monitor vs Virginia); Peninsula Campaign

First submarine

Built by confederates, CSS Hunley

54th Massachusetts

black regiment that refused pay if it wasn’t equal to white troops; in June 1864 congress made it equal

Cleburne’s Memorial

argued black men should be enlisted; implied soldiership = citizenship

Result of Cleburne’s memorial

in march 1865, confederate congress allowed black men in the army

Commerce raiding

confederate ships destroyed or captured merchant ships

Blockade running

steamships would sneak through union blockades to take cotton to foreign ports and return with supplies

Essay question: When could they have won?

Antietam; Gettysburg