why did the north experience such limited military success in 1861-62
Military Strategy. When the Civil War began, there were fewer than 20,000 soldiers in the national army, and thousands of those troops soon moved south to fight for the Confederacy. The secession of Virginia also prompted a large exodus of some of the militaryâs most experienced officers.rantâs first success in the Civil War happened in February, 1862, when he led the capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donaldson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. After northern forces seized New Orleans, Grant led his army to attack Vicksburg, Mississippi.