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Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861 to April 14, 1861
President Lincoln sends a ship to resupply the federal fort.
Believing the ship had troops and weapons, the Confederacy fired on the fort. Due to the attack on the fort, Lincoln calls up 75,000 troops and some of the border states, such as Virginia, secede. -
Battle of Bull Run
Led by McDowell's Troops, the Union forces struck against the enemy on the 21st of July. Both sides with an equal amount of troops, the confederates had General Thomas "Stonewall" Jacksson, a former Military Professor from Virginia. The Union Lost the First Battle of Bull Run. -
Hampton Roads
Confederates planed to break up the Union's blockade on southern ports. The Union, led by Lieutenatn John Worden, arrived the same night as the Confederates. This Naval Battle was a victory for the Union, though some naval ships were lost. -
Battle of Shiloh
Also known as The Battle of Pittsburg Landing, the Battle of Shiloh was the second great engagement of the American Civil War. Confederate generals launched an attack on the Union general Ulysses S. Grant's forces in southern Tennessee. With about 10,000 men on each side, this battle sided as a Union Victory. -
Battle of Antietam
Generals Robert E. Lee and George McClellan faced off near Antietam creek. This Battle was the first on northern soil. McClellan failed to utilize his numerical superiority to crush Lee's army. This battle still remains the bloodiest day in American History, with more than 22,000 casualties. Antietam sided as a Union Victory. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 11, 1862 to December 13, 1862
Lincoln took out McClellan and put Burnside in his place who went after the confederates. The Army of the Potomac could not cross the Rappahannock and could not get the pontoon bridges until later, giving the Confederates time to get in place and destroy cause 13,000 causualties for the Union and fewer than 5,000 deaths for themselves.Lincoln was blamed and was asked to change his cabinet but he rufused. Lee gained a higher morale from this victory. -
Battle of the Wilderness
Confederate corps led by Richard Ewell clashed with the Union's 5th corps, starting a fierce fight between the rivals. On the second day of the battle, the Union's 2nd Corps led by Windfield Scott Hancock, attacked the opposing troops along Plank Road. Grant refused to retreat when he had suffered 17,500 casualties over two days. Grant had suffered this loss -
Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30, 1863 to May 6, 1863
This was known as one of Lee's biggest victories because his enemies were twice his army's size but he split his army in two surprising General Hooker. Hooker fell back into defense getting attacked by Lee forcing him to retreat. The Confederate lost General "Stonewall" Jackson in this battle due to his wounds as well as 12, 826 deaths. The Union had 17,278 casualties and were forsced to cross back over the Rappahannock. -
Battle of Gettysburg
June 1, 1863 to June 3, 1863
Lincoln replaced Hooker with General Meade due to Hooker's reluctance to pursue Lee after his defeat at Chancellorsville. Ewell refused Lee's orders to attack allowing Union troops to line up on top of Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top. Lee ordered the attack but the Union held off even though both sides suffered nearly 35,000 casualties in only two days and on the next they attacked again. Meade chose not to pursue his enemy as Lee retreated. -
Battle of Vicksburg
May 18, 1863 to July 4, 1863
The Confederates were losing their forts and states, Vicksburg was one of the key remaining strongholds because it was the defense for the Mississippi River. Sherman attempted to take thecity for the Union and Grant tried to cut a canal to divert the river but instead moved his troops blocking the other Confederate soldiers from combining with Jackson's line. The Confederates ran short of ammunition and were starving so the Confederates surrendered the city to Grant. -
Battle of Chickamauga
The first day of battle General Bragg's men repeatedly attacked the Union. With a stroke of luck for the confederates, they advanced to a point when general Rosecrans was shifting his troops. With this luck the Confederates attacked the Union troops sending them into a retreat, siding in a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
May 8, 1864 to May 21, 1864
Ulysses S. Grant wanted to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA. He was to preoccupy Lee while Sherman made his way into Georgia. Lee moved his army to intercept the enemy, they fought for two days. Grant sent the Army of the Potomac to the Spotsylvania Court House to flank Lee's army. This area was some of the bloodiest fighting in the Civil War. Days later Grant disengaged his army and continued moving towards Richmond, he would not stop fighting. -
Battle of Petersburg
An important rail center south of Richmond, was a strategic point for the defense of the Confederate capital. The Union army began to siege two of the cities rapidly constructing fortifications. Union losses were high but at the end of August, Grant crossed Petersburg and captured Fort Harrison. Though the Confederates still controlled Richmond, their troops were defeated by physical exhaustion and lack of draft animals. therefore siding in a Union Victory. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
November 22, 1864 to December 21, 1864
After Sherman captured Atlanta, the Confederates headed west attacking Union supplies. Sherman marched his army from Georgia through Savannah destroying Confederates supplies and resources. Confederates tried to stop them but they fought them off working their way to the sea burning, destroying everything along the way. Savannah was captured and Sherman kept on pillaging down South Carolina to Charleston; the Confederates surrendered in April. -
Lincoln's Assassination
April 14, 1865
There has been many planed attempts to assassinate President Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth found out that Lincoln was to attend a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Booth was a well known actor at the time therefore giving him easy access to the President. Booth shot Lincoln in his booth and ran out the back trying to escape but was later caught. Lincoln was the first President assassinated; there were attacks in many cities due to people who supported Booth.
