Army of the Potomac (Confederate)

This article is about the Confederate army. For the Union army of the same name, seeArmy of the Potomac.

Army of the Potomac
P. G. T. Beauregard
Active	April 1861 – March 14, 1862
Country	Confederate States of America
Branch	Confederate States Army
Role	Confederate army inEastern Theater
Engagements	American Civil War Manassas Campaign First Battle of Bull Run Battle of Ball's Bluff
Commanders
Notable commanders	P.G.T. Beauregard Joseph E. Johnston

TheConfederateArmy of the Potomac,whose name was short-lived, was under the command ofBrig. Gen.P. G. T. Beauregardin the early days of theAmerican Civil War.Its only major combat action was theFirst Battle of Bull Run.Afterwards, theArmy of the Shenandoahwas merged into the Army of the Potomac withGen.Joseph E. Johnston,the commander of the Shenandoah, taking command. The Army of the Potomac was renamed theArmy of Northern Virginiaon March 14, 1862, with Beauregard's original army eventually becoming theFirst Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

History

The army was formed from Confederate units defending northeastern Virginia, which arrived over the course of April to July 1861.Philip St. George Cockewas appointed to command the area of Virginia along "the line of the Potomac"and to muster the local militiacompaniesinto Confederate service. Regiments from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina also arrived in Virginia and were assigned to Cocke's command. On May 21, Cocke was replaced in command in northeastern Virginia byMilledge L. Bonham,who was in turn superseded byP. G. T. Beauregardten days later. Beauregard divided his army into sixbrigades(two of which were commanded by Cocke and Bonham) and concentrated them along the south bank of Bull Run, intending to defend the rail center of Manassas Junction. He would be reinforced by additionalregimentsover the next few weeks, forming a seventh brigade, and received the brigade ofTheophilus H. Holmesas well.

Over the course of his first weeks in command, Beauregard sent to Confederate presidentJefferson Davisvarious plans for an offensive against Union forces in northern Virginia, which usually involved coordination with Joseph E. Johnston'sArmy of the Shenandoah.Both Davis and his military advisor,Robert E. Lee,rejected these plans as being impractical.On July 18, as forces from the UnionArmy of Northeastern Virginiacommanded byIrvin McDowelladvanced to within a few miles of Beauregard's positions, theConfederate War Departmentordered Johnston to transfer his army to reinforce Beauregard; his army arrived by rail over the next few days. Johnston was the senior officer present and had overall command of the combined Confederate armies. Beauregard had drawn up plans for an attack on the Union left wing across Bull Run and convinced Johnston to approve the plan. Johnston deferred the issuing of orders to Beauregard since he was more familiar with the terrain.

During theFirst Battle of Bull Run,which occurred on July 21, ColonelNathan Evans' brigade from the Army of the Potomac began the opening stages of the fighting on Matthews Hill, reinforced by two brigades from Johnston's army. As the fighting shifted to Henry House Hill, Cocke's andJubal Early's brigades along with units from Bonham's brigade from Beauregard's army, along with the rest of Johnston's army, were shifted to the Confederate left wing. An attack by Early's brigade on the Union right flank at about 4 p.m. helped drive the Union army from the field. Beauregard's brigades lost fewer men than Johnston's brigades, but some commands still suffered a casualty rate as high as twenty percent.

Most of Beauregard's brigades remained on the Confederate right, since Beauregard still hoped to launch an attack on the Union left wing. However, because of contradictory and confusing orders, some of which apparently were never delivered to the intended recipients, the attack was never launched. The brigades on this part of the field never fought at all or participated in only minor skirmishing.David R. JonesandJames Longstreetcrossed Bull Run and attempted to organize an attack but following a brief skirmish Jones' brigade was thrown back due to heavy artillery fire. Both brigades subsequently withdrew back to Bull Run.

The two Confederate armies were consolidated into a single army following the battle, retaining the name "Army of the Potomac" and with Johnston in command; Beauregard was initially posted as its second-in-command but he was soon transferred to theWestern Theater.The army was spread through northern Virginia to observe the UnionArmy of the Potomacin Washington, fighting several small skirmishes including theBattle of Ball's Bluff.In the spring of 1862, Johnston's army was transferred to the Richmond area, where theArmy of the Peninsulaand the Confederate garrison ofNorfolk, Virginia,were incorporated into the army. At this time in thePeninsula Campaign,the army was officially renamed theArmy of Northern Virginia,although Johnston continued to use the name Army of the Potomac until he was wounded.

See also

• Army of the Potomac(a Union army)
• First Bull Run Confederate order of battle

References

• Davis, William C.Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War.Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977.
• Detzer, David.Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861.New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004.ISBN0-15-100889-2.
• Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J.,Civil War High Commands,Stanford University Press, 2001,ISBN0-8047-3641-3.
• Gottfried, Bradley M.The Maps of First Bull Run: An Atlas of the First Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign, including the Battle of Ball's Bluff, June - October 1861.New York: Savas Beatie, 2009.ISBN978-1-932714-60-9.
• Sears, Stephen W.To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign.New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992.ISBN0-89919-790-6.
• Civil War Home website