The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee.
History
The Army of Virginia was constituted on June 26, 1862, by General Orders Number 103, from four existing departments operating around Virginia: Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont's Mountain Department, Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell's Department of the Rappahannock, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks's Department of the Shenandoah, and Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis's brigade from the Military District of Washington. Maj. Gen. John Pope commanded the new organization, which was divided into three corps of over 50,000 men. Three corps of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac later were added for combat operations.
Banks's corps of the Army of Virginia fought against Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Cedar Mountain, gaining initial advantage, but was defeated by a Confederate counterattack led by A.P. Hill. The entire army was soundly defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run by Jackson, Longstreet, and Lee, and withdrew to the defensive lines of Washington, D.C.. On September 12, 1862, the units of the Army of Virginia were merged into the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Virginia was never reconstituted.
Commander
Organization
The first three corps were given numeric designations that overlapped with those in the Army of the Potomac. They were rededignated as shown for the Maryland Campaign and later.
- I Corps, Army of Virginia; commanded by Franz Sigel (this corps had been the Mountain Department under John Frémont; it eventually became the XI Corps)
- II Corps, Army of Virginia; commanded by Nathaniel Banks (formerly known as V Corps and Department of the Shenandoah; later known as XII Corps)
- III Corps, Army of Virginia; commanded by Irvin McDowell (formerly known as I Corps and Department of the Rappahannock; reverted to I Corps)
- Cavalry Brigade, commanded by George Bayard
The following corps were attached for operations during the Northern Virginia Campaign:
Major battles
References
External links
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Union Army Formations
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Independent
Departments |
- Department of the East: District of Central New York, District of Massachusetts, District of Western New York
- Department of the Pacific: District of Arizona, District of Humboldt, District of Oregon (military), District of California, District of Southern California
- Department of the Potomac
- Department of the South: District of Florida, District of Hilton Head, District of North Carolina, District of Savannah, Northern District (Charleston)
- Department of Virginia and North Carolina: District of Eastern Virginia, District of North Carolina
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Middle
Military
Division |
- Middle Department: Department of Rappahannock, Department of Shenandoah, Mountain Department
- Department of Pennsylvania: Department of the Monongahela, Department of the Susquehanna
- Department of Washington: District of Alexandria, District of Saint Mary's, District of Washington
- Department of West Virginia: District of Harper's Ferry, Kanawha District
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Military
Division of the
Mississippi |
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Military
Division of
West
Mississippi |
- Department of Arkansas: District of Eastern Arkansas, District of the Frontier, District of Little Rock
- Department of the Gulf: District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson, District of Carrollton, District of Key West and Tortugas, District of La Fourche, District of West Florida and South Alabama
- Department of Kansas: District of Colorado (military), District of Nebraska, District of North Kansas, District of South Kansas, District of Upper Arkansas
- Department of Missouri: District of Central Missouri, District of North Missouri, District of Rolla, District of Saint Louis, District of Southwest Missouri
- Department of New Mexico: District of Arizona
- Department of the Northwest: District of Iowa, District of Minnesota, District of Wisconsin
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| Union Armies |
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| Union Army Corps |
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