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Battle of Fort Sumter
It was the first battle of the Civil War and a Confederate victory. In its aftermath, powerful Virginia joined the Confederacy. Southerners were jubilant. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This Confederate victory stunned the overconfident Union forces. The Union Army retreated in disorder to Washington, D.C., as horrified citizens looked on. Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson won his nickname “Stonewall.” -
Battle of Shiloh
This Union victory was won at a terrible cost: each side lost more than 10,000 men killed, wounded, or missing. Americans were appalled at the number of casualties. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
This was the second Confederate victory at this battle site named for a nearby creek. The Confederates again swept Union forces from the field. -
Battle of Antietam
General Robert E. Lee marched his troops into Maryland wanting a win on northern soil. This battle would be known as the single bloodiest day in American military history with 24,134 causalities. No clear side was a winner when the fighting ceased. However, due to Lee's retreat, the North claimed victory. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Northern troops attacked General Robert E. Lee’s forces, but the Confederates were firmly dug in on high ground and repelled the attack. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This Confederate victory showed General Robert E. Lee’s brilliance as a military commander. With Union forces threatening to outflank him, Lee divided his forces and ordered an attack that outflanked the Union instead. -
Battle of Vicksburg
Controlling Vicksburg meant controlling the southern Mississippi River. Union General Ulysses S. Grant laid siege for weeks during May and June. The weakened city finally fell on July 4, 1863. -
Battle of Gettysburg
A turning point in the war, this three-day battle claimed more than 50,000 casualties. On the third day, General Lee directed General George E. Pickett to attack the Union line in its center. "Pickett’s Charge" as it was called, failed—half the men were killed or captured—and the battle was lost. Lee withdrew, but Union troops failed to destroy the retreating Confederate Army. -
Battle of Fort Wagner
Led by the 54th regiment, troops fought their way into the fort before being forced to withdraw. Almost half of the regiment was killed. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
Seven thousand Union soldiers were cut down by Confederate gunfire in the first few minutes of this bloody battle. It was a defensive victory for the Confederates. -
Battle of Atlanta
The fight to capture Atlanta was a series of actions. Brilliant maneuvering by General William T. Sherman forced the Confederates to abandon the great city. Union soldiers occupied it the next day—and burned much of it. -
Appomattox Courthouse
This tiny settlement made history as the place of the Confederate surrender. General Robert E. Lee, a brilliant strategist, knew further resistance would result in loss of life without hope of victory. The war was over.