Union Armies
Below are the Union field armies created during the war.
Eastern Theater
| Army |
Commanding General(s) |
Fate |
Army of the Shenandoah I (Jun 1861 - Aug 1861) |
Robert Patterson |
Most troops mustered out; some troops to the Dept. of the Shenandoah |
Army of Occupation (Jun 1861 - Sep 1861) |
George B McClellan – Jun 1861-Jul 1861
William S. Rosecrans – Jul 1861-Sep 1861
|
The army was merged into the Dept. of Western Virginia under William S. Rosecrans |
Army of the Mountain Department (Mar 1862 - Jun 1862) |
John C. Fremont |
Merged into the Army of Virginia as the I Corps |
Army of Virginia (Jun 1862 - Sep 1862) |
John Pope |
Merged into the Army of the Potomac |
Army of the Potomac (Aug 1861 - Jun 1865) |
George B McClellan – Aug 1861-Nov 1862
Ambrose E Burnside – Nov 1862-Jan 1863
Joseph Hooker – Jan-Jun 1863
George G Meade – Jun-1863-Jun 1865
|
|
Army of Northeastern Virginia (Jul 1861 - Sep 1861) |
Irvin McDowell |
Some troops mustered out; most troops to the Military District of the Potomac |
Army of the Shenandoah II (Jun 1864 - Jul 1864) |
David Hunter |
Most troops become the Army of the Kanawha; some troops fall under the Dept. of West Virginia |
Army of the Kanawha (Jul 1864 - Aug 1864) |
George Crook |
Army renamed the Army of West Virginia |
Army of West Virginia (Aug 1864 - Dec 1864) |
George Crook |
Army merged into Army of the Shenandoah III |
Army of the Shenandoah III (Aug 1864 - Jun 1865) |
Philip Sheridan - Aug 1864-Apr 1865 Alfred T. A. Torbert - Apr 1865-Jun 1865 |
|
Western Theater
| Army |
Commanding General(s) |
Fate |
Army of the Ohio (Nov 1861 - Oct 1862) |
Don Carlos Buell |
Renamed Army of the Cumberland Oct 1862 |
Army of the Mississippi (Feb 1862 - Oct 1862) |
John Pope - Feb-Jun 1862 William S. Rosecrans - Jun-Oct 1862 |
Merged into Army of the Tennessee Oct 1862 |
Army of West Tennessee (Feb 1862 - Oct 1862) |
Ulysses S. Grant |
Renamed Army of the Tennessee Oct 1862 |
Army of the Mississippi II (Jan 1862) |
John A. McClernand |
Merged into Army of the Tennessee Jan 1862 |
Army of the Tennessee (Oct 1862 - Aug 1865) |
Ulysses S. Grant |
|
Army of the Cumberland (Oct 1862 - Aug 1865) |
William S. Rosecrans - Oct 1862-Oct 1863 George H. Thomas - Oct 1863-Aug 1865 |
|
Army of the Ohio II (Apr 1863 - Aug 1865) |
Ambrose E. Burnside |
|
Army of the Gulf (Feb 1862 - Aug 1865) |
Benjamin F Butler |
Renamed Army of West Mississippi Feb 1865 |
Army of Georgia (Nov 1864 - Aug 1865) |
Henry W. Slocum |
|
Army of West Mississippi (Feb 1865 - Aug 1865) |
Edward R.S. Canby |
|
Trans-Mississippi Theater
| Army |
Commanding General(s) |
Fate |
Army of the West (Jul 1861 - Aug 1861) |
Nathaniel Lyon |
Some troops mustered out; troops form part of Western Army |
Western Army (Army of the West) (Sep 1861 - Oct 1861) |
John C. Fremont |
Troops dispersed to other organizations |
Army of Western Missouri (Dec 1861 - Feb 1862) |
John Pope |
Most troops sent to Army of Southwest Missouri |
Army of Southwest Missouri (Army of the Southwest) (Dec 1861 - Dec 1862) |
Samuel Curtis - Dec 1861-Aug 1862 Frederick Steele - Aug 1862-Oct 1862 Eugene Carr - Oct 1862-Nov 1862 Willis Gorman (temp.) - Nov 1862-Dec 1862 |
Troops dispersed to other armie and districts |
Army of Kansas (Aug 1862 - Sep 1862) |
James G. Blunt |
Most troops sent to Army of Frontier; others to District of Kansas |
Army of the Frontier (Oct 1862 - Aug 1863) |
John Schofield - Oct 1862-Nov 1862 James G. Blunt - Nov 1862-Dec 1862 John Schofield - Dec 1862-Mar 1863 Francis Herron - Mar 1863-Aug 1863 |
Troops dispersed to Districts of the Missouri, Frontier and Border |
Army Southeastern Missouri (Dec 1862 - Mar 1863) |
John W. Davidson |
Troops sent to XIII corps and District of Southeaster Missouri |
Army of Arkansas (Jul 1863 - Aug 1865) |
Frederick Steele - Jul 1863-Dec 1864 Joseph Reynolds - Dec 1864-Aug 1865 |
|
Army of the Border (Oct 1864 - Nov 1864) |
Samuel R. Curtis |
Kansas State Militia released; rest of troops with Alfred Pleaston and Department of Kansas |
View the History of the Union Army Print