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The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. The Union Army is also known as the Northern Army, and the Federal Army.1 History of the Union Army
1.1 Secession and the Beginning of the war
The United States of America was in crisis in 1861. Secessionist firebrands and radicals in the South had won out over the more moderate voices, and secession was spreading like wildfire. By early April 1861, seven Southern states had already seceded from the Union, with four more threatening secession. See: Origins of the American Civil War.
The states that seceded formed a new government, called the Confederate States of America. This new Southern government saw Fort Sumter, a fort on the coast of South Carolina, as "the presence of a foreign force" on its territory, since Fort Sumter's commanding officer and men were still loyal to the Union. On direct orders from the Confederate government, Confederate forces attacked the fort On April 12th, 1861. Fort Sumter surrendered the next day. The war had begun.
1.2 Formation of the Union Army
In April 1861, there were only 16,000 men in the US Army. What made matters worse was that many soldiers and officers in the US Army who were from the South resigned and joined the Confederate Army after secession and the attack on Fort Sumter (One of the resigning officers was Robert E. Lee, who had initially been offered the job as commander of the Union Army. Lee would become the commander of the Confederate Army instead). With the rebelling Southern states declaring independence and declaring war, and with the shortage of men in the Army, President Abraham Lincoln called on the states to provide 75,000 men for three months to put down the insurrection in the South. The war would prove to be longer and bigger than anyone had expected, and on July 22nd, 1861, Congress authorized a volunteer army of 500,000 men.
At first, the call for volunteers was easily met by Northerners with abolitionist feelings (those who sympathized with John Brown, for instance), and enthusiastic immigrants (Over 6,000 Germans in New York immediately responded to Lincoln's call for volunteers, and another 4,000 Germans in Pennsylvania also joined. The French were also among those quick to volunteer). As more and more men were needed, the number of willing volunteers fell. Nevertheless, between April 1861 and April 1865, 2.8 million men would serve in the Union Army. The vast majority were volunteers, although some were drafted.
1.3 Leaders
Several men served as commanders of the Union Army throughout its existence, among them George McClellan, "Fightin' Joe" Hooker, and George MeadeGeorge Gordon Meade ( December 31, 1815 November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. He is best known for defeating the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, at the Battle of Gettysburg. Early career M. All of them were replaced for one reason or another. In March 1864, president Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant Order 18th President Term of Office March 4, 1869 March 4, 1877 Followed Andrew Johnson Succeeded by Rutherford B. Hayes Date of Birth April 27, 1822 Place of Birth Point Pleasant, Ohio Date of Death July 23, 1885 Place of Death Mount McG General-in-Chief of the Union Army. Grant was the commander of the Union Army from then until the surrender of the Southern armies some 13 months later. Grant led the Union Army in delivering the final knockout punches to the Confederacy by decisively defeating the Confederate Army in many fierce battles in Virginia, eventually capturing the capital of the Confederacy itself, RichmondRichmond is the capital of Virginia, a state (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 197,790. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities it is an inde (something McClellan, Hooker, and Irvin McDowellIrvin McDowell ( October 15, 1818 May 4, 1885) was an American military officer, famous for his participation in the American Civil War. Born in Franklin County, Ohio, McDowell graduated from West Point in 1838, and was posted to the 1st Artillery. He was, the original commander of the Union Army in the spring of 1861, had all tried to do and failed).
Grant had critics who complained about the atrociously high numbers of casualties that the Union Army suffered while he was in charge, but Lincoln would not replace Grant, because, in Lincoln's words: "I cannot spare this man. He fights." (a reference to what was viewed as the over-cautiousness that McClellan and others had displayed early in the war)
