ABSTRACT
As America’s bloodiest conflict, the Civil War is integral to not only American history but also the American cultural tradition. Militarily, the Civil War was a Jominian conflict in part because West Point graduates versed in Jomini’s writings commanded the most massive armies ever seen in North America. Civil War grand strategy mainly revolved around two ideas. First, many believed that capturing the opponent’s capital city would end the fighting and force a peace settlement. Second, Napoleonic tradition held that destroying the enemy’s armies could achieve the same goal. Army organization was mostly the same for both the Union and Confederate armies, with each comprising the three combat arms: infantry, artillery, and cavalry. Reconstruction ended with a political bargain as a result of the election of 1876. The US Navy grew to record levels during the Civil War and played an essential role in blockading Southern ports and conducting river operations in conjunction with Union armies.
