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Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The siege and ultimate surrender of Fort Sumter by Brig. General P.G.T. Beauregard was the official start of the Civil War.
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(West) Virginia. A skirmish involving over 3,000 soldiers, Philippi was the first battle of the American Civil War.
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Virginia. The skirmish of Big Bethel was the first land battle of the Civil War and was a portent of the carnage that was to come.
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Manassas, Virginia. Also known as First Manassas, the first major engagement of the American Civil War was a shocking rout of Union soldiers by confederates at Manassas Junction, VA.
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Wilson’s Creek/Oak Hills, Missouri. The Battle of Wilson’s Creek, a k a Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Western Theater and is often called the “Bull Run of the West.”
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Santa Rosa Island (Florida). The Battle of Santa Rosa Island was a failed attempt by Confederate forces to take the Union-held Fort Pickens.
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Port Royal Sound, South Carolina. The battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War.
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Belmont, Missouri. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant took command and began his Civil War career.