Civil-War_Ch4_Homework-1

=**Civil War Chapter 4 Homework #1**= Answer the questions at the end of the passages.

1. In the weeks following secession, both the Union and Confederacy issued a call to arms and began a mad rush to organize their growing numbers of untried volunteers into effective armies. The net result was two American armies, both composed mainly of volunteer units. The two armies were similar in structure. The Union army had an established way of organizing its forces. Since many Confederate officers came out of that army, they organized the same way. Both armies were organized into Territorial Departments (the area where they would be used) and then into smaller units. Confederate armies were named after the state or the region in which they operated. One Confederate army was the Army of Tennessee, for example. The Union armies were named after the major river flowing near where they operated. It had an Army of //the// Tennessee. Both sides then had smaller units that operated inside this larger "army." The smallest unit was the company. Companies were hometown volunteer units, with most members coming from the same town or county. This would make the horror of war very real when the company suffered heavy losses in battle. In the Union army, companies had about 100 officers and soldiers. Company officers included a captain, two lieutenants, five sergeants, eight corporals, and a teamster (wagon driver). Early in the war, the men elected company officers but by 1862 both armies held examinations to choose officers. This weeded out incompetents and appointed better-qualified men to lead the units. Regiments were composed of companies. Infantry regiments contained 10 companies, but cavalry regiments were composed of 12. In both armies, regiments were commanded by a colonel; other officers were a lieutenant colonel, major, adjutant (assistant to the commander), quartermaster, three surgeons, and a chaplain. As the war continued, new soldiers were not put into old regiments, but new ones were started. Regiments were numbered by the order in which they formed and their state; for example the 33rd Virginia or the 20th Maine. Brigades were composed of two or more regiments, with both armies assigning four or five regiments to a brigade. In the Union army, brigades were numbered (3rd Brigade), while Confederates named their brigades after their commanding officer (Hood's Brigade). In both armies, brigades were commanded by a brigadier general. Divisions were made up of two or more brigades. Divisions were commanded by staff officers, major generals, or lieutenant generals. Corps (pronounced "cores") were made up of at least two divisions, with three being the most common. They were given Roman numerals to identify them, such as III Corps. In the Union army, major generals commanded them; in the Confederate army, lieutenant generals were the commanders.
 * 1. What is meant by Territorial Department?**


 * 2. How were Territorial armies named in the Union army?**


 * 3. How were Territorial armies named in the Confederate army?**


 * 4. Why were heavy casualties in a battle so important to small towns?**


 * 5. Early in the war, how were company officers selected?**


 * 6. What rank did a regiment commander usually have?**


 * 7. How many companies were in a cavalry regiment?**


 * 8. How were brigades named in the Confederate army? ...Union?**


 * 9. How many brigades made up a division?**


 * 10. How many divisions made up a corps?**

By the time of the American Civil War, European armies had defined the roles of three major branches of warfare. It remained only for the leaders of the two American armies to adapt these roles to their struggle. With minor differences, the Union and Confederates used them in the same ways. The infantry was the backbone of both armies. War, in the 19th century, was a "stand up and shoot it out" affair. Both armies maneuvered their troops into battle lines at ranges of 300 yards or less and swept the enemy line with thousands of large-caliber musket balls. Firing was normally "by the book," with officers ordering their men to "load-aim-fire" in separate commands. In this way, they controlled the timing as well as the volume of fire. This is referred to as "firing by volleys." Many soldiers were poor shots, and controlled firing by thousands of muskets at the same time had a way of making up for bad marksmanship. Hours were spent drilling infantrymen according to the "Manual of Arms," teaching the soldier to handle his musket the same way every time he loaded and fired. After many drills, every man did the same thing at the same time. Much time was spent teaching soldiers to march and maneuver in unison. Moving large numbers of men into position in the heat of battle was as important as actually firng at the enemy. Once in position, the usual practice for the attacking army was to fire several volleys, then charge, using bayonets attached to the muzzles of the muskets. When a charge began, it was impossible for the defenders to get off more than one or two volleys, so everything depended on the courage of both armies. The last moments of the charge were always the most critical, since it always ended in hand-to-hand combat. After the battle, bodies of dead and injured infantrymen littered the battlefield. Artillery was vital to a battle. Civil War cannons had a fairly short range (1,500 to 2,500 yards for most), but they could reach the enemy at longer distances than muskets. If a defending general had enough cannons, he might break up a charge before it got close enough to succeed. Artillery fired a variety of shells: solid cannonballs, explosive shells (shrapnel), or canister (small iron balls). In a siege, artillery had a deadly effect, lobbing exploding shells into the enemy line, day and night if necessary. The cavalry consisted of mounted soldiers that could do many things. They were lightly equipped and lightly armed, so they could move quickly. Weapons included a revolver and saber for mounted fighting and a short rifle (carbine) for fighting on foot. General Lee called the cavalry "the eyes of my army" and used it to scout Union positions. Cavalry also rode rapidly to support infantry, dismounting and filling gaps in the line when they arrived. Because cannons were so hard to turn, cavalry could charge at artillery positions from the side, kill the gun crews, and capture the guns.
 * 1. Which branch was called the "backbone of the army?"**


 * 2. Teaching the soldiers to handle their muskets in the same way was done according to which book?**


 * 3. What was the critical point in an infantry charge?**


 * 4. What were two uses for artillery?**


 * 5. What was canister?**


 * 6. What was the range of most Civil War cannons?**


 * 7. As a cavalryman, what weapons would you have?**


 * 8. Why did Lee call the cavalry the "eyes of my army?"**


 * 9. Why might a cavalryman be used on foot in battles?**


 * 10. Did cavalry charge directly in front of artillery positions? Why or why not?**

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