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Q: General McClellan was about to block general lee where because he knew the confederate army was divided into two parts?
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How did General Lee expect to counter General McClellan's plans to cut Lee's communications in Virginia in 1862?

When Union Major General George B. McClellan finally decided to cross the Potomac River, his plans were to take over railways and cut off General Lee's lines of communications from Richmond.In anticipation of this plan, Lee divided his forces. He moved General Longstreet's forces to Culpeper, Virginia and Stonewall Jackson's forces were left in the Shenandoah Valley. There Jackson could keep McClellan in check or even threaten McClellan's own lines of communications.


What choices did Confederate General Robert E Lee have when he discovered that his battle plans were intercepted by the Union in 1862?

With his army divided, General Lee was tempted to retreat back into Virginia. Additionally, Union General George B. McClellan was advancing at an unusual rate of speed to catch Lee's army.Knowing that he was severely outnumbered, Lee contemplated retreating back to Virginia and avoiding a battle with McClellan. When he learned, however, that Harper's Ferry had been secured by Stonewall Jackson, Lee decided to make a stand, knowing that Jackson's army was heading back into Maryland.


What was Confederate General Robert E Lee's reasoning for attacking at Antietam?

Because a Confederate spy in the Union camp notified him that the enemy had found a set of his orders, revealing that his army was divided into widely-separated parts. So Lee had to concentrate these units quickly, or the Union army would have destroyed them, one by one.


What important military objective did General McClellan achieve at the Battle of Antietam in 1862?

AnswerLee had invaded Maryland hoping to score a decisive victory, on Northern soil, against the Army of the Potomac and gain a strategic advantage. McClellan, again commanding the Northern army, discovered Lee's movements and that his army was divided. McClellan hoped to attack and destroy the separate pieces of Lee's army individually. But he moved too slowly and Lee was able to reunite his scattered forces. So, by the time they met at Antietam Creek, McClellan was still hoping to destroy Lee but Lee was just hoping for a defensive victory that he might turn to his advantage. Neither of them got what they wanted.Niomieshon


What battle gave the South confidence it could win the US Civil War?

The Confederates gained momentum in several US Civil War battles. The First Battle of Bull Run was expected to be a Northern victory by most Union based pundits. Northern leaders were shocked although there were a number of Union military figures such as General in Chief Winfield Scott who knew the Union was not quite ready to launch an attack into Virginia.Later, the much heralded General George B. McClellan's defeat during the Peninsula campaign surprised and disappointed President Lincoln. Blame for the failure in the North was divided between the Lincoln administration and Republicans who saw McClellan as a poor battlefield commander. As the war moved along, there were shifts in momentum based on the results of major battles such as the Confederate win at the Second Battle of Bull Run and Northern confidence with the victory at Gettysburg.

Related questions

How did General Lee expect to counter General McClellan's plans to cut Lee's communications in Virginia in 1862?

When Union Major General George B. McClellan finally decided to cross the Potomac River, his plans were to take over railways and cut off General Lee's lines of communications from Richmond.In anticipation of this plan, Lee divided his forces. He moved General Longstreet's forces to Culpeper, Virginia and Stonewall Jackson's forces were left in the Shenandoah Valley. There Jackson could keep McClellan in check or even threaten McClellan's own lines of communications.


What choices did Confederate General Robert E Lee have when he discovered that his battle plans were intercepted by the Union in 1862?

With his army divided, General Lee was tempted to retreat back into Virginia. Additionally, Union General George B. McClellan was advancing at an unusual rate of speed to catch Lee's army.Knowing that he was severely outnumbered, Lee contemplated retreating back to Virginia and avoiding a battle with McClellan. When he learned, however, that Harper's Ferry had been secured by Stonewall Jackson, Lee decided to make a stand, knowing that Jackson's army was heading back into Maryland.


Was Alabama Union or Confederate or was the state divided?

It was confederacy


How did the lost Confederate order recovered by Union forces affect Union General George B McClellan?

On the Confederate side, the lost Lee order concerning Lee's decision to divide his army was unfortunate. With that said, it helped Union General McClellan, but in a back-handed way only led to his confusion. The "lost order" made it clear that Lee's forces were to be divided, however, the proportions of the division were not clear. In light of Lee's discovered plans, it meant to McClellan that Lee's army had to be very large in order to accomplish this. From a military point of view this held water inasmuch it would be risky for Lee to do this especially when conducting an offensive in enemy territory. On top of this "dilemma" was this fact: four days had passed from the discovery of the lost order to when it reached McClellan. It could not be certain if Lee had changed his plans. It is understood that alternate ideas concerning the value of Special Order No. 191 literally abound.


What was Confederate General Robert E Lee's reasoning for attacking at Antietam?

Because a Confederate spy in the Union camp notified him that the enemy had found a set of his orders, revealing that his army was divided into widely-separated parts. So Lee had to concentrate these units quickly, or the Union army would have destroyed them, one by one.


What important military objective did General McClellan achieve at the Battle of Antietam in 1862?

AnswerLee had invaded Maryland hoping to score a decisive victory, on Northern soil, against the Army of the Potomac and gain a strategic advantage. McClellan, again commanding the Northern army, discovered Lee's movements and that his army was divided. McClellan hoped to attack and destroy the separate pieces of Lee's army individually. But he moved too slowly and Lee was able to reunite his scattered forces. So, by the time they met at Antietam Creek, McClellan was still hoping to destroy Lee but Lee was just hoping for a defensive victory that he might turn to his advantage. Neither of them got what they wanted.Niomieshon


What were important US Civil War military events that took place on September 13 1862?

September 13, 18632 was an eventful day in the US Civil War. Here are important operations leading up to the Battle of Antietam:1. Federal troops concentrate in and around Frederick, Maryland which was vacated earlier by Rebel forces under Robert E. Lee;2. Two infantrymen find Lee's famous "lost order" that outlines how he divided his army into three parts;3. Union General George B. McClellan believes that with Lee's divided forces divided as they were offers him the chance to defeat all three Rebel armies in detail. This would destroy the Army of Northern Virginia;4. McClellan orders General Franklin and his VI Corps to relieve Confederate pressure on Harper's Ferry;5. General Lee learns that evening that his orders are in the hands of McClellan and makes plans to defend against the Army of the Potomac; and6. Lee cannot communicate with generals Jackson and McLaws who are now in position to attack Harper's Ferry.


How does Senator John Crittenden's personal story reflect the peculiar nature of the Civil War?

The Civil War divided families as well as states. Crittenden had one son who was a general in the Union Army, and one who was a Confederate general.


Why was it possible for Union General George B McClellan to save Harpers Ferry in September of 1862?

Both during the US Civil War and afterwards, it's been easy for historians to come up with the "What if" scenarios regarding military operations at the time and also to critique generals. An easy target of course has been Union General George B. McClellan. Far to easy it can be argued as he did not enjoy the luxury of having 600,000 troops at his disposal as did US General Grant in 1864. Nevertheless, historians debate whether McClellan had the chance prior to the Battle of Antietam to actually prevent that costly and horrific battle. His critics claim that if he had acted quickly upon receiving the lost orders of General Lee, McClellan could have saved the garrison at Harper's Ferry, disabled the Confederate troops assaulting it and thereby forcing Lee to withdraw from Maryland. What cannot be disputed is that the enormous cost of the dead and wounded at Antietam, was not worth the "victory" claimed by the Union.The anti-McClellan scenario goes like this: * With the knowledge of Lee's divided army, McClellan could have ordered Burnside and Franklin to march during the night of September 13th instead of waiting until dawn of the 14th of September; * A successful night march, always dangerous, could have relieved Federal forces at Harper's Ferry; and * The Confederate forces of General Longstreet could have been destroyed or so severely reduced as to make it impossible for the Southern armies to capture Harper's Ferry and soon after march north to reunite with Lee's main force in Maryland. With those actions, McClellan would have forced Lee to retreat. Speculation and having hindsight is not fair in placing blame on McClellan for not following the steps outlined by so many post Civil War historians.


In nations such as Great Britain and France how is government power divided How does this differ from a confederate government?

In nations such as Great Britain and France, how is government power divided? How does this differ from a confederate government?


How were Confederate defenders confused when Union General Sherman divided his troops in his march to the sea campaign?

By dividing his armies into two groups, Sherman caused confusion in the ranks of Confederate defenders. With that strategy, Confederates did not know if Sherman's target was Macon, Augusta or Savannah Georgia.


When in us history were we a confederate system?

We were never a Confederate system, but during the Civil War, the nation was divided when the southern states seceded to become the Confederate States of America.