Chapter 16:2 Early Years of the War
Characters:
Scene Setter General McClellan
Narrator 1 Southern Businessman
Narrator 2 Merimakc Naval Officer
General PGT Beauregard Monitor Naval Officer
General Stonewall Jackson General Grant
Rebels Soldier at Battle of Shiloh
Union Soldier Robert E. Lee
Confederate Soldier General Pope
Newspaper Reporter Jefferson Davis
Lincoln Volunteer
Scene Setter: The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in Northern Virginia. 30,000 inexperienced Union troops commanded by General McDowell fought inexperienced Confederate troops commanded by General P.G.T Beauregard. This battle was an eye opening experience for not only the troops but for both countries, The United States of America and the unrecognized Confederate States of America.
General P.G.T. Beauregard: Don’t let those Yankee’s drive us back, continue to fight! Those Yankee’s haven’t got the guts to beat us!
General “Stonewall” Jackson: We will break the Union line and we will never give up. Charge!
Rebels: (Screaming and Yelling) CHARGE! YIPEEE!
Union Soldier: What are those Rebels doing? They are crazy and that unearthly scream is terrorizing us! Look they are running after us even while we are shooting at them. They are just flat crazy. I’m out of here! Come on Union, let’s turn and run!
Narrator 1: Terrified, the Union began to drop their weapons and run away while the Confederates cheered and yelled.
Confederate Soldier: Look at those chickens run! I told you that the Union troops don’t have the guts or the determination to whip us. I can’t wait to write home and tell my family about those chicken Yankees. Whoopee! We claim victory for the Battle of Bull Run.
Union Soldier: What the heck just happened? It was chaos and we were supposed to beat those Rebels hands down. It was so confusing and now we are even more confused about what we need to do to prepare for the next battle. I am just plain SHOCKED!
Newspaper Reporter: Being an observer of the Battle of Bull Run, I have to report that the Union looked disorganized and the Confederates looked fierce. I was among the picnic crowd looking down on the event of a life time. This planned battle quickly became disorganized, panic, blood, gore, smoke and cries of agony which quickly turned to a nightmare.
Narrator 2: This war was not going to be like any war in history. This war was going to be photographed for posterity and reported by newspapers that will spread stories of battles and events across the nation.
Abraham Lincoln: I am determined to win this war! I need to call for more volunteers for the army. I need 1 million more soldiers who would serve 3 years.
Union Soldier: 3 years? What happened to the 3 month deal?
Abraham Lincoln: I can see that the South is very determined to fight with all their fierce souls and we have to be ready to fight back. Join for the USA!
Narrator 1: Volunteers soon crowded into the recruiting office to join up to fight the Rebels. George B. McClellan was appointed to head the Union army of the East and to organize the troops.
George McClellan: With my skills as a brilliant General I can bring this war to an end and we will be victorious!
Scene Setter: Meanwhile, Lincoln had ordered a naval blockade on the South to prevent the South from getting supplies in and crops out of the country. The plan was to break the South’s back financially.
Narrator 2: The USA did not have many ships to cover the 3500 mile Southern shoreline, but they did their best to cover major port areas. At first, many Confederate ships called blockade runners were able to break through the blockade so the North built more ships. The blockage was able to stop about 2/3 of the Southern trade.
Southern Businessman: Dog-gone those Yanks, they are causing me pains. I can’t get my cotton crops to France because of the blockade. How am I going to earn enough money to support my family and slaves? And, I hear that the Southern army is having a difficult time getting supplies from Europe like guns and ammo, coffee, shoes and nails. This war is important but it is costing me lots of money.
Merimack Naval Officer: We Confederates are tricky! We took an old wooden ship from the naval shipyard and rebuilt the ship and covered it with iron plates. When cannon balls would hit our boat, it would bounce off its side. Splash, HA HA!
Monitor Naval Officer: We were confused at first when we could not strike or sink the ironclad ship, the Merimack, but we are fast learners! We created our own ironclad ship called the Monitor.
Scene Setter: On March 9, 1862, the Merimack and Monitor clashed and after the exchange of fire, neither ship could sink the other. But, because of this clash, the Merimack was kept in harbor because it could not get by the Monitor.
Narrator 1: The ironclad ships marked a new age in naval warships. Today warships are made of metal.
Scene Setter: After the Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, both sides spent time and effort turning civilians into soldiers. The North started focusing on the West. The primary goal in the West was to gain the Mississippi River.
General Grant: Under my control we captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donnellson on the Cumberland River. We seem to be doing quite well controlling the rivers in the Northern part of Tennessee which will create problems for the Confederates trying to get supplies to their soldiers. Let’s go forward! Today we take Tennessee, tomorrow Mississippi and Alabama. I hear that the Confederates are trying to get Kentucky to secede. Absolutely not if I can help it!
Scene Setter: On April 6, 1862, under the Confederate forces led by P.G.T. Beauregard and other Confederate generals, the Confederates launched a surprised attack on the Union troops near a small church named Shiloh in Tennessee. The battle lasted for two days with 20,000 casualties-people killed or wounded. The Union endured a narrow victory at Shiloh.
Soldier at Battle of Shiloh: Nothing but blood. Death is all one can see for as far as the eye can look. But, heck, we won! War is war! Now we continue to move south and take control of Southern Tennessee. Corinth, Memphis and more! Those poor Rebels can’t stop us now! We are on our way of controlling the Southern part of the Mississippi River and once that is secure, the Rebels will fall like rock off of a cliff. Splat!
Scene Setter: Memphis and Corinth did fall to the North and the Union naval forces under David Farragut captured the major port city of New Orleans. The Mississippi River is mostly controlled by the North except the fort at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
General Grant: We have been trying to get Vicksburg, the fort that controls the middle of the Mississippi River, for months without success. I guess we will keep on trying because eventually they will get worn out and we can walk in and take the fort.
Narrator 2: Meanwhile, General McClellan was training the Army in the East to be a success fighting machine.
General McClellan: I am an expert in training men to be soldiers. I am worried that our men are still not prepared to fight in a vigorous battle. I have heard that the Rebel forces around the Potomac are large and ready to fight and that worries me a lot. My orders from Washington DC are to take the capital of South, Richmond. We are preparing for a major offensive known as the Peninsula Campaign. This will take weeks if not months to be successful. But I think I will wait until I am prepared. Maybe later, maybe tomorrow or next week. Let’s see, I think I will just wait and see how my men are doing.
Lincoln: McClellan you must act and act now! Go get the capital! Don’t just wait. I order you to do it now! Your delays are not only allowing the Rebels to prepare for your attack, it is wasting time and money!
General McClellan: OK, OK already! I am going! Oh, I can hear the church bells ringing in Richmond. We are very close. Oh my gosh, there is the Rebel forces waiting for us to attack.
Robert E. Lee: We are ready for McClellan and his army. J.E.B. Stuart my cavalry leader is going to lead his 1200 troopers in a circle around the Union forces that are advancing under McClellan. McClellan will be surrounded before he even knows what happened to him!
Scene Setter: The meeting of the Union and Rebel forces became known as the Seven Days Battle. The Union Army was forced to retreat and they were not able to capture Richmond.
Lincoln: If McClellan would have acted more hastily we could have captured Richmond but now we have to re-arm and reinforce our army again. We need 300,000 new soldiers to enlist. Come on everyone, where is our American spirit?
Volunteer: I don’t know Lincoln; we don’t seem to be winning this war. Why do you want more men to fight this loosing war? Why don’t we just let the South have their little country? We didn’t get along with the South. We were always battling about the idea of States Rights and slavery with them before the war too.
Narrator 2: Getting men to enlist was a slow process. Perhaps the South’s war plans to weary and tire the North was working.
Lincoln: McClellan, attack again because we still have the larger army. We can do this if you attack now! Go for it now!
General Pope: McClellan and I joined forces so we could attack the Confederates again at Manassas, which is where the Battle of Bull Run took place. This time we will win!
McClellan: We lost again under General Lee’s command. Lee is brilliant and yes, I guess I am too slow, as I have been told by Lincoln. But, heck what does he know? He has never been to West Point Military Academy and he has never been a soldier except for a few months in the backwoods-Illinois militia. He just does not know military strategy like me. I will continue to do what I think is the best for my troops regardless of what President Lincoln wants me to do.
General Lee: We won the Second Battle of Bull Run! Now our capital is safe and we are only 20 miles from Washington DC. I bet Lincoln is so mad that his famous hat is ready to blow! AHA!
Jefferson Davis: Lincoln is sure having a difficult time winning any battles in the East. Sure, they are having success in the West, but we are winning the battles in the East. General Lee is the best general! You can’t whoop Lee! Lee, attack Maryland on your way to capturing Washington, DC.
General Lee: Here we come Maryland and Washington DC! Maryland, join the Confederacy and you will be protected and safe!
McClellan: Sorry Lee, we have a little bit of information about your army. One of our soldiers found your orders and attack plans wrapped around 3 cigars that were accidentally dropped. We know your plans, strategies and how many men you have. We got you now. We will wait to build up our army and make plans to attack. We may do it tomorrow, or next week. Oh, I don’t know, we will attack someday.
Narrator 2: McClellan had the opportunity to attack and really smash the Confederates under Lee, but he didn’t attack for 4 days. 4 days was enough time for Lee to prepare for the attack. McClellan and Lee’s army clashed on September 17, 1862. In the single bloodiest day of the entire war, there was 6,000 dead and 17,000 wounded. Because Lee’s army withdrew, the Union claimed victory! This battle becomes known as the Battle of Antietam.
Lincoln: McClellan you could have attacked Lee sooner. You had his plans and you waited which allowed Lee to build up his forces. I tell you to attack, and you wait. You’re fired! Ambrose Burnside, will you take the command of the Army of the Potomac which was under McClellan?
Newspaper Reporter: The Battle of Antietam changed the direction of the war for the Union. The newspapers reported a blazing success over the Rebels and gave confidence to many Americans that this war could be won.
Lincoln: We now have a major victory for this country. Many Americans now believe that we can win this war. It is time to step up and target the issue of slavery. Although our war aim was to bring the South back into the Union at the first of this war, I am now going to be bold and take action against slavery. Won’t that make them Rebels angry? Bring it on Rebels!
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