Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2)

In Short

This second volume of Ann S. Stephens’s national chronicle provides a detailed, contemporaneous history of the American Civil War from May 1862 through its conclusion in 1865. Blending high-level strategic summaries with eyewitness accounts, official reports, and granular tactical detail, the narrative charts the brutal ground and naval campaigns that decided the fate of the United States. Stephens leads the reader through the bloody conflicts of the Army of the Potomac, the protracted river warfare along the Mississippi, the devastating marches through Georgia and the Carolinas, and the desperate final sieges in Virginia. The work stands as a testament to the generation that lived through the conflict, preserving the raw intensity, ideological fervor, and immense human sacrifice of the era. It has survived as a primary cultural artifact, offering a window into how Northern society processed the war's violence, honored its military leadership, and understood its ultimate victory in the immediate shadow of its resolution.

The Story

The volume opens in the late spring of 1862, with the Union and Confederate armies locked in a massive struggle across multiple theaters. In Virginia, General George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac advances toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, sparking intense engagements at Hanover Court House, Fair Oaks, and Seven Pines. This momentum culminates in the brutal Seven Days’ Battles, where fierce clashes at Oak Grove, Gaines’ Mill, Savage’s Station, Nelson’s Farm, and Malvern Hill force a strategic change of base for the Union forces. Concurrently, Jackson’s raid in the Shenandoah Valley throws Northern plans into disarray, leading to the retreat of General Banks and hard-fought battles at Cross Keys and Cedar Mountain. The violence shifts back to northern Virginia, where the Second Battle of Bull Run and the bloody clash at Chantilly force Union strategic realignments.

While Virginia remains locked in heavy fighting, the naval forces and Western armies work to divide the Confederacy along its major river systems. Federal naval operations clear key Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River, resulting in the capture of Forts Pillow and Randolph and the dramatic naval battle before Memphis, where the Union river fleet destroys the Confederate vessel Lovell and disables the Jeff. Thompson, forcing the city's surrender. Joint land and sea operations push deep into enemy territory, securing Baton Rouge, establishing military posts along the river, and testing iron-clad warships against formidable earthworks like Drury’s Bluff on the James River. In the West, Union forces under General Halleck occupy Corinth, Mississippi, and defend it against desperate Confederate counterattacks, while bloody encounters at Iuka, Perryville, and Richmond, Kentucky, check Confederate invasions into the border states.

By late 1862 and early 1863, the Eastern theater sees command changes and costly offensives. General Ambrose Burnside takes command of the Army of the Potomac, leading his forces into the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg, where Federal columns charge high Confederate positions at enormous cost. In the West, General Rosecrans fights a grueling campaign in Tennessee, while naval squadrons maintain a punishing blockade along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. As summer approaches in 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launches a bold invasion of the North, marching up the Shenandoah Valley toward Pennsylvania to panic the Federal populace and gather supplies. This movement triggers panic across the region, leading to heavy cavalry engagements at Culpepper and set-piece clashes that set the stage for the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg.

Simultaneously, the war reaches a decisive climax along the Mississippi. General U. S. Grant tightly invests the fortress city of Vicksburg, enduring difficult bayou campaigns and heavy assaults against fortified bluffs at Haines’s Bluff. Following extensive cavalry raids behind enemy lines—such as Colonel Grierson’s sweep through Mississippi—and a relentless siege, Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton surrenders Vicksburg to Grant on July 4, 1863. Grant's victory secures the entire Mississippi River for the Union, while opening up operations against remaining Confederate forces in the region. Meanwhile, northern cities face internal unrest, illustrated by the horrific Draft Riots in New York City, where mobs destroy infrastructure, murder military officers like Colonel O'Brien, and burn private property before being suppressed by military force.

In late 1863 and 1864, the conflict shifts to coordinated multi-front offensives. In Tennessee, the catastrophic Federal defeat at Chickamauga isolates Rosecrans at Chattanooga, but General George H. Thomas earns his reputation as a steadfast defensive leader, allowing Union forces to hold until Grant arrives to shatter the besieging armies at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. General William T. Sherman assumes command of the Western armies and initiates a relentless campaign toward Atlanta, maneuvering against Joseph E. Johnston’s forces through Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, and Allatoona Pass. In Virginia, Grant takes supreme command and launches the bloody Wilderness and Overland campaigns, suffering tremendous casualties in dense timber and fortified lines, losing valued commanders like General James S. Wadsworth, but continually pressing Lee’s forces back into a grinding siege around Petersburg and Richmond.

The narrative marches through the closing months of the conflict in late 1864 and early 1865. Sheridan lays waste to the Shenandoah Valley, turning early setbacks at Cedar Creek into decisive victories. Sherman completes his sweeping March to the Sea and turns north through the Carolinas, driving Confederate forces before him and uniting with General Schofield at Goldsboro. Grant’s unrelenting pressure on the Petersburg lines finally snaps the Confederate defense, forcing the evacuation of Richmond and leading directly to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. The narrative reaches its somber climax with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the inauguration of Vice-President Andrew Johnson, and the systematic surrender of remaining Confederate armies across the South, culminating in the grand military review of Northern troops in Washington and the complete restoration of federal authority.

How It Unfolds

The Peninsula and Northern Virginia The Union army marches toward Richmond, engaging in fierce actions at Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, and through the grueling Seven Days' Battles. General McClellan is forced to change his operational base under constant assault from Lee and Jackson, while Federal forces suffer defeats at Second Bull Run and Cedar Mountain before checking the Confederate invasion at Antietam.

Clearing the Western Waters Federal gunboats and iron-clads wage a relentless campaign along the Mississippi and James Rivers, bombarding fortifications and engaging Confederate fleets. The destruction of enemy vessels at Memphis secures the city for Federal troops, while joint army-navy operations push inland along the southern bayous to systematically sever Confederate supply lines.

The Turn of the Tide at Vicksburg and Gettysburg General Lee drives his army North into Pennsylvania, sparking widespread panic across the Northern states and setting up a major confrontation. Concurrently, General Grant encircles Vicksburg, forcing Lieutenant General Pemberton into a desperate siege that ends in unconditional surrender on the Fourth of July, 1863, fully opening the Mississippi River.

Internal Draft Riots and Western Battles Violent anti-draft riots erupt on the streets of New York City, leading to brutal murders, arson, and destruction of infrastructure before federal troops restore order. In the West, Union forces suffer a near-disastrous rout at Chickamauga, but hold firm under General Thomas at Chattanooga, preparing the way for dramatic victories on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

The Dual Offensives of 1864 General Grant assumes overall command, launching a unrelenting campaign against Lee through the bloody timber of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Petersburg. Simultaneously, General Sherman drives deep into Georgia, defeating Confederate forces in hard-fought engagements at Resaca, Allatoona Pass, and Atlanta before embarking on his march to the sea.

The Final Surrenders and Post-War Transition Sheridan clears the Shenandoah Valley while Grant breaks the Petersburg lines, forcing the retreat and ultimate surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox. The national victory is immediately shadowed by the tragic assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the swearing-in of Andrew Johnson, and the final disbanding of the Union armies following a grand review in Washington.

The People

• General Ulysses S. Grant: The relentless Union commander whose pragmatic strategy drives the war to its conclusion. Grant seeks total military victory by maintaining unyielding pressure across all operational fronts, refusing to relinquish gains despite heavy casualties or difficult terrain. His firm negotiations during the siege of Vicksburg and his stubborn persistence during the Overland Campaign and the siege of Petersburg define the final, winning Federal strategy.
• General William T. Sherman: Dedicated as the book’s hero, Sherman represents the aggressive maneuver warfare of the Western armies. He seeks to break the military and economic infrastructure of the Confederacy by driving deeply into its interior, targeting key railroad lines and supply depots from Atlanta through the Carolinas. His tactical movements constantly force Confederate commanders into untenable positions, leading directly to the collapse of the Western rebellion.
• General George B. McClellan: The cautious commander of the Army of the Potomac who struggles against both Confederate resistance and political friction in Washington. McClellan seeks to preserve his force while attempting to capture Richmond through methodical, large-scale combined operations. His hesitancy to commit reserves at critical moments, such as the battle of Antietam, leads to persistent conflicts with the administration and his ultimate replacement.
• General George H. Thomas: Known as a immovable pillar of the Union army, Thomas embodies steadfast defense under catastrophic pressure. When the Federal line breaks at Chickamauga, Thomas stands his ground against overwhelming odds, holding off repeated Confederate charges and saving the army from total destruction, earning a reputation as an invincible defensive commander.
• General Robert E. Lee: The brilliant Confederate strategist who seeks to relieve pressure on the South by striking bold, aggressive blows against Northern armies. Lee uses swift maneuver and tactical skill to frustrate Union commanders in Virginia and lead audacious invasions into Northern territory. His offensive capabilities are gradually ground down by Grant's superior numbers and resources, ending in his encirclement at Appomattox.
• Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton: The Confederate commander tasked with holding the crucial river fortress of Vicksburg. Pemberton seeks to defend his position against Grant’s siege operations while facing dwindling provisions and isolated troops. Overwhelmed by superior forces and unable to secure relief, he is forced to negotiate surrender terms that give the Union total control of the Mississippi.

In Its Own Voice

As Federal river gunboats engage Confederate iron-clads before Memphis, the horrific nature of naval artillery combat becomes terrifyingly clear:

"Many of the wretched crew sank in the wreck; some fifty or more, wounded and scalded, plunged into the river; and a few of them were rescued by boats sent by the Union flotilla to their relief, as they struggled in the waters."

During the desperate fighting along the Antietam, General McClellan weighs the fate of his armies, holding back his final infantry reserves:

"Porter’s fifteen thousand troops were impatient to join the fight; but when the two Generals, McClellan and Porter, looked into each other’s faces, each read in the other’s eyes, 'They are the only reserves of the army—they cannot be spared.'"

When anti-conscription violence erupts in the streets of New York City, the narrative captures the lawless brutality directed against Union officers:

"Several persons witnessed this outrage from their near windows, and protested against it, when the mob cried out 'kill them too, don’t let’s have any witnesses.'"

What It's Really About

Beneath its exhaustive tracking of regiment positions, casualty lists, and tactical maneuvers, this volume explores the immense structural and human cost required to preserve a constitutional republic. The book argues that the American Union is an indivisible, sacred entity, worth defending through total national mobilization. It grapples continuously with the terrible math of modern industrial warfare, where victories are no longer achieved in single romantic battles, but through sustained, brutal pressure, economic starvation, and the relentless expenditure of human lives.

The narrative also examines the fragile nature of political authority and societal order during periods of total crisis. By balancing accounts of heroic battlefield sacrifice with raw coverage of domestic draft riots, treasonous backroom intrigue, and command infighting, the text highlights how fragile a nation becomes when torn apart by civil conflict. It frames the struggle not merely as a clash between opposing armies, but as a test of democratic endurance, investigating whether a free government can wield absolute military power to save itself without destroying its core principles.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a compelling, unfiltered look at the Civil War as it was understood by the generation that actually fought and survived it. Readers fascinated by military history will appreciate the book’s immediacy; rather than analyzing events through decades of retrospective bias, it captures the raw emotion, operational uncertainty, and visceral detail of the conflict. Stephens brings a dramatic, literary sensibility to non-fiction chronicle writing, combining high-stakes political drama with granular field reports that detail everything from massive troop movements down to individual bayonet charges and gunboat explosions.

The reading experience requires navigating the formal, elevated prose of late nineteenth-century historical writing, as well as period-typical patriotic sentiment and dense tactical summaries. Modern readers should be prepared for exhaustive operational lists, detailed battle timelines, and explicit depictions of war's violence. Yet these very elements give the text its enduring power. It leaves the reader with an indelible sense of the war's staggering scope—the sheer distance marched by infantry columns, the devastating noise of iron-clad naval bombardments, and the profound tragedy of a nation consumed by its own internal fire.