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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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In any war, an important target isthe enemy's capital city. To capture the enemy's capital usuallymeans victory.

In America's Civil War, the north hoped for a quick victory bycapturing the southern capital at Richmond, Virginia. Northernforces were strong enough. There were aboutone-hundred-fifty-thousand Union soldiers in and around Washington.

General George McClellan led this army of the Potomac. His wasthe biggest, best-trained, and best-equipped of the Union armies.

I'm Tony Riggs. Today, Larry West and I report on Mcclellan'smove against Richmond.

VOICE TWO:

For the first year of the Civil War, the army of the Potomac didnot fight. General McClellan kept making excuses for his failure toact. He had a plan, he said. And he would not move until he was surehis men were ready.

McClellan's plan was to put his army on boats in the PotomacRiver. They would sail down the river to where it emptied into theChesapeake Bay. Then he would land the boats on the coast ofVirginia, east of Richmond.

President Abraham Lincoln wantedto capture the Confederate capital. But he did not like the idea ofmoving all of McClellan's men. That would leave the city ofWashington without protection.

McClellan tried to calm Lincoln's fears. He said that as soon ashe marched toward Richmond, any Confederate soldiers near Washingtonwould withdraw. They would be needed to defend their own capital.

VOICE ONE:

The army of the Potomac began to move on March seventeenth,eighteen-sixty-two. Within two weeks, more than fifty-thousand hadreached Fort Monroe, southeast of Richmond. They were equipped withone-hundred big guns and tons of supplies. Day by day, the Unionforce at Fort Monroe grew larger.

McClellan had planned to move quickly to Yorktown, then push onto Richmond. He would move along the finger of land between the YorkRiver and the James River.

He soon learned, however, that he could not move as quickly asplanned. Heavy spring rains had turned the dirt roads into rivers ofmud. McClellan's men could push through. But there was no way theycould bring their big guns. McClellan decided to wait. He did notwant to attack Yorktown without artillery.

VOICE TWO:

President Lincoln was not pleased. He sent a message toMcClellan. "You must strike a blow," Lincoln said. "You must act."But still McClellan delayed.

By the time his artillery had arrived and was in place,Confederate troops had withdrawn. They moved to the woods outsideWilliamsburg. McClellan chased them. For the first time, his armywent into battle.

The fighting was strange. The woods were so thick that the twosides could not often see each other. Soldiers fired at the flash ofgunpowder, at noises, anything that moved. Their aim was goodenough. About four-thousand soldiers were killed.

VOICE ONE:

In his reports to Washington, McClellan claimed great victoriesat Yorktown and Williamsburg. Yet he was worried. He believed theConfederate force around Richmond was much larger than his. Hedemanded more men.

The Confederate force was, in fact, much smaller than the Unionforce. But it was deployed in a way to make it seem much larger.

The trick fooled McClellan. By the middle of May,eighteen-sixty-two, his army was only fifteen kilometers fromRichmond. Still, he did not attack. He continued to wait for moremen and equipment.

Confederate President JeffersonDavis was worried. He knew the Confederate army was smaller than theUnion army. Davis' military adviser, General Robert E. Lee, offereda plan.

Lee proposed that General Stonewall Jackson lead his army upVirginia's Shenandoah Valley. The north would see the move as athreat to Washington. Union troops would be kept near Washington,instead of being sent to Richmond. President Davis agreed. Orderswere sent to Jackson.

VOICE TWO:

Stonewall Jackson was one of the south's best generals. He was aforceful leader. And he could make his men march until they dropped.

He got the name "Stonewall" at the battle of Bull Run in thesummer of eighteen-sixty-one. Southern soldiers were withdrawing. AConfederate officer tried to stop them. He urged them to followJackson's example, to stand and fight. He shouted, "There standsJackson -- like a stone wall."

General Jackson faced three large Union forces in and around theShenandoah Valley. Yet he struck hard and fast, and soon had controlof the valley's main towns.

His campaign is still studied at military schools around theworld. It is considered an excellent example of how to move troopsquickly to where they are most needed.

VOICE ONE:

Jackson's raids produced the exact effect Robert E. Lee hadwanted.

Everyone in Washington feared an immediate attack on the city.Soldiers were hurried to the capital from Baltimore and other nearbycities. And President Lincoln sent thousands of troops to chaseJackson in the Shenandoah Valley, instead of helping McClellan atRichmond.

The Union army outside Richmond was deployed on either side ofthe Chickahominy River. The Chickahominy was not a big river. Itcould be crossed easily at several places.

While McClellan waited to attack the Confederate capital, heavyrains began to fall. The little river began to rise. The commanderof Confederate forces in Richmond saw this as a chance to smash alarge part of McClellan's army.

VOICE TWO:

The flooding river would soon cut the Union force completely intwo. When that happened, the Confederates would attack. Theyexpected to destroy at least half of McClellan's army.

The plan seemed good. And after the first few hours of battle,the Confederates were close to victory. But one bridge remained overthe Chickahominy River. Union soldiers were able to cross it. TheConfederates were forced to withdraw to their earlier positions.

No ground was gained. And more than eleven-thousand men werekilled or wounded. Among the wounded was the commander of allConfederate forces, General Joe Johnston. General Robert E. Leewould take his place.

VOICE ONE:

Lee wasted no time. He wanted to push the Union army far awayfrom Richmond. First, however, he wanted more information about hisenemy. He sent a young officer -- Jeb Stuart -- to get it.

Stuart set off with more than a thousand men on horseback. Theirswas a wild ride around the edge of the Union army. When theyreported back three days later, General Lee knew exactly where hewould attack.

It would be the first in a series of battles known as the SevenDays Campaign.

VOICE TWO:

Lee took a big chance. He moved most of his men into position toattack what he now knew was the weak, right side of the Union line.He left only a few thousand men to defend Richmond.

He hoped the Union commander, McClellan, would be fooled by thisplan. For if McClellan discovered how few men were left behind, hecould smash through easily and capture the city.

With the help of Stonewall Jackson's army, Lee's plan worked.McClellan was fooled. And after a day of fierce fighting, he wasforced to withdraw from the area.

VOICE ONE:

Lee chased McClellan for a while. They clashed at such places asMechanicsville, White Oak Swamp, and finally Malvern Hill. The southwon the Seven Days Campaign. The threat to Richmond was ended. TheConfederacy was saved.

But victory came at a terrible price. Twenty-thousand Confederatesoldiers were killed or wounded. As both the north and south werelearning quickly, the Civil War was becoming more costly than anyonehad imagined.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Tony Riggs and Larry West.Our program was written by Frank Beardsley.