Lincoln would be forced to deal with numerous commanders who failed to understand that the main objective of the Union military machine should be defeating the Confederate armies, not merely occupying enemy territory. In the East, after suffering many defeats in 1862, Union forces had a new commander and were preparing to take the war deeper into Virginia.Īs promising as the Union outlook was at the beginning of the year, there would be many problems and disappointments before 1863 ended. In Tennessee, a Northern army had fought the Confederates to a draw at Stones River and was preparing to push the Southerners out of middle and eastern Tennessee. When this was done, the Confederacy would be cut in two. In the West, Federal forces were preparing to move down the Mississippi River to capture Vicksburg, Miss., the last major port along that river not already in Union hands. At the beginning of that year, the Union was poised on all fronts to take the offensive. Lincoln’s active managerial style was most prominent in 1863. He could do this because of recent inventions that speeded communication, most notably the telegraph. Never before had a president been able to communicate his desires to far-off commanders as quickly as Lincoln was able to. More out of necessity than inclination, Abraham Lincoln became one of the most active commanders in chief in American history, directly influencing and managing events and generals in every field of operations during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln: Commander in Chief Close
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