Editing Army of Northern Virginia (section)

====Wing organization under Johnston 1862====
* Left Wing – commanded by Maj. Gen. [[D. H. Hill]]
* Center Wing – commanded by Maj. Gen. [[James Longstreet]]
* Right Wing – commanded by Maj. Gen. [[John B. Magruder]]
* Reserve – commanded by Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith

Under the command of Joseph E. Johnston, the Army immediately entered into the [[First Battle of Manassas]]. On October 22, 1861, the Department of Northern Virginia was officially created, officially ending the Army of the Potomac. The department comprised three districts: Aquia District, Potomac District, and the [[Valley District]]. In April 1862, the department was expanded to include the Departments of Norfolk and the Peninsula (of Virginia). Johnston was eventually forced into maneuvering the Army southward to the defenses of Richmond during the opening of the Peninsula Campaign, where it conducted delay and defend tactics until Johnston was severely wounded at the [[Battle of Seven Pines]].

During the months after the [[First Battle of Bull Run]], Johnston organized his Shenandoah Army and Beauregard's Potomac Army into two divisions under a unified command with Gustavus W. Smith and James Longstreet as division commanders. Beauregard quarreled with Johnston and was transferred to the Western theater over the winter months. Jackson was sent to the Shenandoah Valley in October 1861, initially with his own old Stonewall Brigade and later with two other brigades from Western Virginia. Several newly arrived brigades were added to Johnston's army in late 1861-early 1862.

When the Peninsula Campaign began, Johnston took his army down to the Richmond environs where it was merged with several smaller Confederate commands, including a division led by D.H. Hill as well as [[Benjamin Huger (general)|Benjamin Huger]]'s Department of Norfolk, John Magruder's Army of the Peninsula, and miscellaneous brigades and regiments pulled from various Southern states. Richard Ewell was elevated to division command in the spring of 1862 and sent to join Jackson in the Valley.

On May 27, an additional new division was created and led by A.P. Hill consisting of several new brigades from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia, soon augmented with James Archer's brigade from Smith's division. At Seven Pines, Longstreet and Smith served as temporary wing commanders, and operational control of their divisions went to Brig. Gen [[William H.C. Whiting]] and Brig. Gen [[Richard H. Anderson (general)|Richard H. Anderson]].