Army of Northern Virginia - Legacy

Legacy

The Army of Northern Virginia is one of the most respected military formations in American history. Although usually outnumbered, it won victories in the American Civil War at Fredericksburg, Second Manassas, Chancellorsville, and Cold Harbor. Additionally, it successfully drove the Army of the Potomac away from the "gates" of Richmond in the Seven Days Battles, effectively ending McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in 1862. The army held out against long odds in the 1864 Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg, inflicting grievous casualties on the opposing forces of Grant. These successes sometimes gave the army a psychological advantage over its enemies. However, the army was most defined by its beloved commander, Robert E. Lee. To this day, the army and Lee are famed in Southern culture.