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The Union Naval Blockade was a naval strategy used by the Union that involved Union ships created a blockade on Confederate Ports. This strategy aimed to prevent goods, supplies, and weapons that were sent by other nations to the Confederacy. Though it took a while to fully complete blockade, it succeeded in stopping the Confederacy from trading with other nations like Great Britain and other countries in Europe, significantly reducing the amount of resources available for them.
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The Battle of Fort Sumter was a bombardment of the fort in Charleston, South Carolina. Confederate General P.G.T Beauregard wanted to gain control of the fort after hearing that President Lincoln was going to resupply it. After 34 hours of exchanging artillery fire, Union general Robert Anderson finally surrenders the fort, triggering the beginning of the Civil War -
Known for being the first major land battle of the war, around 35,000 Union troops clashed with the Confederate's 20,000 soldiers near Manassas Junction, Virginia. Though both sides suffered many casualties, the Confederate came out on top of this battle which shocked many people in the north and realized that this war was going to be much more difficult than what was presumed. -
In November of 1861, navy officer Charles Wilkes captured two Confederate messengers on the British ship, the Trent. This event created a diplomatic crisis between Great Britain and America as the British accused them of violating their neutrality. Had this incident gotten worse, it was very likely that another war could have broken out between the United States and Great Britain. -
Another major battle during early years of the war, the Confederate Army began with a surprise attack on Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant in southwestern Tennessee. Failing to hold their advantageous positions, the Union Army succeeded in defeating the Confederates in this battle. General Grant used the momentum of this victory to start a massive operation near the Mississippi Valley. -
Being the most deadly one-day battle in American history, this fight put Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Union General George McClellan at the Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Even though the Union claimed victory, this battle was considered to be a stalemate because of over 23,000 men being killed. But since the Confederates were unable to gain new grounds leading to the Union win, this enabled President Lincoln to release the Emancipation Proclamation 13 days later. -
In July 1862, President Lincoln informed his cabinet that he wanted to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which would give freedom to over 3 million slaves in America. However, his cabinet persuaded him that he should hold off the announcement until a Union victory came in the Civil War. This opportunity finally came when the Union claimed victory in the Battle of Antietam, prompting Lincoln to declare that all enslaved people in America would be free within 100 days. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg had the nearly 200,000 soldiers fighting in the battle, making it the largest concentration of troops in any Civil War battle. With 80,000 troops, Confederate general Robert E. Lee defeated the 120,000 army of the Union and only suffered half as much casualties. With their defeat, the Union failed to advance further into enemy territory and the Confederates succeeded in preventing a possible capture of Richmond. -
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of battles and sieges that occurred near the Western Theater, being the area east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachian Mountains. With General Ulysses S. Grant leading the Union army, they were able to defeat the troops under General Robert E. Lee and gain full control of the Mississippi River. The capture of Vicksburg also split the Confederacy in half, as Union soldiers now occupied the middle of their territory. -
Another major win for the Confederacy, General Robert E. Lee reigned victorious in this battle by defeating a Union General Joseph Hooker's army of 130,000 troops with only 60,000 men. The defeat was able to stop the Union's second attempt on trying to push into Richmond, Virginia. -
Hoping to put an official end to the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee marched his army into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where he clashed with the Union army under General George G. Meade. After 3 days of fighting, the Union come out victorious with over 51,000 casualties adding up for both sides, being one of the most bloodiest battles of the Civil War. This battle proved to be a turning point in the war for the Union as it stopped Lee's plans of invading northern territory. -
In November of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This speech was intended to urge everyone to honor all of the soldiers who had died during the Battle of Gettysburg and call for Americans to remember the principles of human equality and freedom that was originally written in the Declaration of Independence. -
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The Overland Campaign was a series of battles planned out by General Ulysses S. Grant where his army would intend to weaken the strength of the Confederate troops led by Robert E. Lee in the Rapidan and James Rivers in Virginia. After a successful three-pronged attack, Grant's army had severely damaged the Confederate Army. Since much of the Confederacy was occupied in fighting Grant's soldiers, this allowed General William T. Sherman to easily sweep through their enemies near Atlanta.
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Sherman's March to the Sea was a military campaign led by William T. Sherman where he and 60,000 soldiers took a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah in an effort to frighten Georgia into abandoning the Confederate cause. While on their march, they wrecked many bridges, forests, railroads, and burned the industrial district of Atlanta. Even it was brutal and destructive, Sherman did succeed in his goal of hurting the Confederacy and making the end of the war seem sooner. -
The Appomattox Campaign was the final campaign in the Civil War where General Ulysses S. Grant and his soldiers fought to push the Confederate army out of Petersburg. Around this time, the army of General Robert E. Lee was dwindling severely as they were running out of resources while Grant's army continued to grow. After numerous retreats which forced his men into the Appomattox Court House, General Lee finally surrendered to General Grant, which soon led to the end of the American Civil War.
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During the battle of Appomattox Court House, General Lee had no choice but to surrender his army when it became clear that the Confederates were too weak to win the war. His surrender soon led to many other Confederate generals also surrendering, putting an end to the four-year war.