Army of the Potomac
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| Army of the Potomac | |
|---|---|
 Commanders of the Army of the Potomac at Culpeper, Virginia, 1863. From the left: Gouverneur K. Warren, William H. French, George G. Meade, Henry J. Hunt, Andrew A. Humphreys, George Sykes. |
|
| Active | 1861-1865 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Role | Premier Union Army in Eastern Theater |
| Garrison/HQ | Washington, D.C. |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
George B. McClellan Ambrose Burnside Joseph Hooker George Meade |
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps (relatively speaking). Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, and it was the army that fought (and lost) the war's first major battle, the First Battle of Bull Run. The arrival in Washington, D.C., of Major General George B. McClellan dramatically changed the makeup of that army. McClellan's original assignment was to command the Division of the Potomac, which included the Department of Northeast Virginia under McDowell and the Department of Washington under Brig. Gen. Joseph K. Mansfield. On July 26, 1861, the Department of the Shenandoah, commanded by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, was merged with McClellan's departments and on that day, McClellan formed the Army of the Potomac, which was composed of all military forces in the former Departments of Northeastern Virginia, Washington, Baltimore, and the Shenandoah. The men under Banks's command became an infantry division in the Army of the Potomac.[1]
The Army of the Potomac was also the name given to General P.G.T. Beauregard's Confederate army during the early stages of the war (namely, First Bull Run; thus, the losing Union Army ended up adopting the name of the winning Confederate army). However, the name was eventually changed to the Army of Northern Virginia, which became famous under General Robert E. Lee.
It is a popular, but mistaken, belief that Maj. Gen. John Pope commanded the Army of the Potomac in the summer of 1862 after McClellan's unsuccessful Peninsula Campaign. However, Pope's army consisted of different units and was named the Army of Virginia. During the time that the Army of Virginia existed, the Army of the Potomac was headquartered on the Virginia Peninsula, with McClellan still in command, although three corps of the Army of the Potomac were sent to northern Virginia and were under Pope's operational control during the Second Battle of Bull Run.
The Army of the Potomac underwent many structural changes during its existence. It fought in most of the Eastern Theater campaigns, primarily in (Eastern) Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It was disbanded on June 28, 1865, after the end of the war.
[edit] Well known units
Because of the promixity to the large cities of the North, such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City, the Army of the Potomac received more contemporary media coverage than the other Union field armies. Such coverage produced fame for a number of the Army's units. Individual brigades, such as the Irish Brigade, the Philadelphia Brigade, the First New Jersey Brigade, the Vermont Brigade, and the Iron Brigade, all became well known to the general public, both during the war and after.
[edit] Commanders
- Brigadier General Irvin McDowell: Commander of the Army and Department of Northeastern Virginia (May 27 – July 25, 1861)
- Major General George B. McClellan: Commander of the Military Division of the Potomac, and later, the Army and Department of the Potomac (July 26, 1861 – November 9, 1862)
- Major General Ambrose E. Burnside: Commander of the Army of the Potomac (November 9, 1862 – January 26, 1863)
- Major General Joseph Hooker: Commander of the Army and Department of the Potomac (January 26 – June 28, 1863)
- Major General George G. Meade: Commander of the Army of the Potomac (June 28, 1863 – June 28, 1865; Major General John G. Parke took brief temporary command during Meade's absences on four occasions during this period); Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, located his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac and provided operational direction to Meade from May 1864 to April 1865, but Meade retained formal command.
[edit] Major battles and campaigns
- First Bull Run Campaign or First Manassas: McDowell
- Peninsula Campaign, including the Seven Days Battles: McClellan
- Northern Virginia Campaign, including the Second Battle of Bull Run (three corps participated under the control of the Army of Virginia)
- Maryland Campaign, including the Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg: McClellan
- Fredericksburg Campaign: Burnside
- Chancellorsville Campaign: Hooker
- Gettysburg Campaign: Hooker, then Meade from June 28, 1863
- Bristoe Campaign: Meade
- Mine Run Campaign: Meade
- Overland Campaign: Meade
- Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, including the Battle of the Crater: Meade
- Appomattox Campaign, including Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House: Meade
[edit] References
- Beatie, Russel H., Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860 – September 1861, Da Capo Press, 2002, ISBN 0-306-81141-3.
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Beatie, p. 480.
[edit] Further reading
- Chamberlain, Joshua L., The Passing of the Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac, Bantam reprint, 1992, ISBN 0-553-29992-1.
- Taaffe, Stephen R., Commanding the Army of the Potomac, University of Kansas Press, 2006, ISBN 0-7006-1451-6.
