Your final paper assignment will apply lessons from earlier weeks to Civil War military campaigns

Your final paper assignment will apply lessons from earlier weeks to Civil War military campaigns

Assignment:  Select and analyze a battle from the US Civil War.   You may focus on the Union role or the Confederate role.  You may not use the Chancellorsville or Gettysburg battles for your paper.

1.  Your paper must include a summary of the battle/campaign, including why the battle was fought, the main operational actions, and the results By “why the battle was fought” I want you to provide a strategic context for the battle. For example, the battle of Chancellorsville was a continuation of the Union’s desire to take Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy.  After the defeat at Fredericksburg, Lincoln placed General Hooker in charge of the Army of the Potomac with the objective of not only seizing Richmond, but also destroying Lee’s army.  Hooker planned to defeat Lee by a double envelopment using infantry and cavalry.  Hooker’s initial movements had his forces cross the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers and had them concentrate in the Chancellorsville area.  You also should describe the main operational actions involved in the battle.  Include elements of the “order of battle” (the hierarchy of the forces) as needed.  You should describe the results of the event, also.
2.  Your paper must include an analysis of the battle, using the Army FM 3-0 Principles of War as the foundation of the analysis.The analysis of the principles is the most important portion of the paper, it is more important than the summary of the battle.  You do not have to cover all nine principles.  Cover those principles that were clearly demonstrated in the event.  You may also discuss those principles that were failed to be employed if that failure influenced the result.   Most battles demonstrate, in one way or another, all nine principles, but most battles also demonstrate several principles in a significant manner.  Those “significant” principles should be your focus.  Your analysis for each principle should be thorough and focus on “how” the principle was demonstrated in the event.
3.  Your paper must apply proper Chicago Manual of Style notations and a full bibliography with all sources listed.  You should rely on primary and secondary sources,  relying exclusively on reference works will not be a successful strategy.   Part of your grade will be determined by your sources, their quality, and proper Chicago Style formatting.  You must have a bibliography.
4.  Final papers will be 6-8 pages in length. Papers should be a word document, double-spaced, with standard 1-inch margins and a 12 point Times New Roman Font. Papers significantly shorter or significantly longer than 6-8 pages will be penalized.   Maps can add clarity to battle descriptions, but they will not count in the page count.   A bibliography page does not count in the required page count of the paper.