It is my honor that I write down this Memoir to unveil the salutary experience that I gathered during the Civil War between the Union and the Confederate forces. To preserve the Union, which consisted of the collective states, I joined the Union Army to defeat the Confederate states, which were a threat to the Union. My principal aim is to pass these important episodes of my life to educate future generations and preserve American history.
The conflict between the Northern States and the southern states was due to state rights, tariffs, economic disparity, and the abolishment of slavery. However, these issues did not stir the division of the Union as much as the rise of our president, Abraham Lincoln, in the 1860 elections, who believed that a nation could not prosper while consisting of half free and half slave people. This election led to the disintegration of the Union because we, as the Northerners, wanted to safeguard our belief in the idea of popular sovereignty. In contrast, the Southerners wanted to protect their right in self-representation and continuation of slavery.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
On April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter, which was in the Harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, was attacked when General Pierce marched his troops over the fort. The fort was taken over by the Confederate State, marking the beginning of the Civil War. I was among the 30000 federal troops who marched from Washington D.C to attack the Confederate forces near Bull Run Creek at Manassas, under General Thomas. General Scott was our tactical General, who was the United States' most experienced military commander. When we were about to emerge victorious in the battle, we were attacked by the Confederate forces sending us back to Washington.
General Scott was replaced by McClellan, who was cautious and sought to minimize casualties. He instilled discipline and training in the soldiers. After we invaded Virginia in March 1862, we were defeated again because of General Lee's tactical strategy and we withdrew to Potomac. Pope replaced McClellan and this was an advantage to the Confederate Forces because it portrayed how disorganized we were due to generals' changes. We were attacked again in northern Virginia, and we were defeated again and sent back to Bull Run, painful and shamefully.
Despite our previous defeats, the Battle of Antietam was our turning point. It was the first battle on the Union soil; thus, we had a greater advantage. We celebrated our first victory at Antietam Creek, which was in the Maryland town of Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862. Lee led the Confederate army towards Washington. In Maryland, Lee lost his tactical plan, and we won the bloodiest battle I have ever witnessed. It was indeed a terrible sight where more than 12,000 federal soldiers and 11,000 Confederates soldiers died. However, General McClellan was replaced by Ambrose.
After the Antietam battle, the Union had the hope to capture Richmond. General Ambrose's paramount goal was to disband Lee's arm and send them to the South. On the other side, Lee's goal was to gain control of the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg to move to Richmond along the railroad. Our move was cut down by the inability to cross the river near Falmouth, which was deep. We had to wait for pontoon bridges to cross the river, which was delayed to arrive. The confederate army was thus advantaged and moved to the hill behind the river and became strategically advantaged. Despite being strategically positioned, Lee only offered little resistance so that Stonewall Jackson's corps could connect with Longstreet's to stretch their battle line by three miles. We had to attack the Confederate army in divisions; our General ordered the Left-wing led by Franklin, to attack Lee's right-wing, led by Jackson, while the rest of us tried to attack Longstreet's First Corps, which were stationed at Marye's Heights. Although our division, which was led by General George, temporarily broke Jackson's line, he failed to send reinforcements, and therefore the enemy was able to launch a successful attack. Longstreet's soldiers attacked the Union soldiers from their strong position, and we were defeated terribly. There were nearly 13,000 Union causalities while the Confederates had less than 5,000 casualties.
We had a major problem traveling long distances and through unfamiliar territories during the war. Many of us had no experience on the battlefield though we had a large population and our forces being enhanced with over 800,000 immigrants. We also controlled the navy, which we used to blockade seaports and counter our enemy's sea attack. However, the South had to move their troops and war supplies through shorter distances. Since the southern coastline was highly stretched, it was hard to blockade; this made the Southern forces well suited to better field strategies. However, the Confederate sources had some disadvantages because they had no allies and no navy.
It was a traumatic period for the soldiers during this period of war. It was heart-rendering for soldiers to sacrifice and fight courageously but fell victim due to incompetent generals who mismanaged the troops and sent down confusing orders. As soldiers, we were not only faced by the duty of dying in battles, but we also had to persevere life full of hardships. We had to encounter hunger, bad weather, and poor clothing. We had to encounter every emotional and physical injury. We had to persevere the pain of seeing your brother dying on the battlefield.
The war will continue as long as the Union and the Confederate don't come to agreeable terms. Therefore, the nation will continue to suffer unless our leaders agree to end the war rather than focus on winning the war. Many families will continue to lose their loved ones, and the economy will continue to downswing during this period of the war, which is shameful to the whole nation. However, I still have faith in a better and peaceful nation. I am hopeful that the war will end in the long run though it will need much effort from every party. To conclude, war is usually terrible; thus, people must always find alternatives to solve conflicts.
