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In April 12, 1861 the American Civil was begins with the battle of Fort Sumter which is located in South Carolina. The battle was won by the confederates and the Union forces had no choice but to retreat.
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Also known as the First Battle of Manassas by many Confederates, the Fist Battle of Bull Run was the first major land battle in the Civil War. The battle took place in Manassas, Virginia. The Confederacy won the battle leaving a total of more than 2800 dead Union and Confederate solders in the process.
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The battle of Hampton Roads or better known as the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, was a naval battle between two ironclads the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Some could say that this was the most important naval battle in the American Civil War. After two long days of fighting the battle ended with a Union Victory but at the cost of 261 deaths and 108 wounded solders.
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The Battle of Shiloh was a intense battle fought in southwestern Tennessee. The Confederates planed a surprise attack on the Union troops led by General Ulysses S. Grant. But the surprise attack failed and General Grant and the Union forces won the Battle.
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The Second Battle of Bull Run, which again took place in Manassas, Virginia, was a decisive victory for the Confederacy. Led by Robert E. Lee the Confederates were successfully able to strike quickly defeating George McClellan's troops before reinforcements could arrive.
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After the Union lost the Second Battle of Bull Run, General "Stonewall" Jackson was egger to cut off the Unions retreat. With the help of General Lee and others the Confederates met up with the Union armies of General Kearny and Stevens at Ox Hill, which was located in Fairfax County, Virginia. Despite being outnumbered Stevens pushed on the attack. Soon after Stevens was killed by Confederate General Early's forces and the Union armies were forced to retreat to Washington D.C.
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The battle of Antietam was fought in Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. The battle is known to this day as the bloodiest single-day battle in American History. This battle was also a huge turning point for the Union's eastern campaign. Under the command of Major General George B. McClellan the Union was successful in stopping Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his men from further invading Maryland.
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Ambrose Burnside, the appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac by Abraham Lincoln, ordered his men to cross the Rappahannock River. After crossing the river the Army split into two, one half attacking General Lee's forces from the right, the other attacking from the left. By being on top of the Marye's Hights Lee's army had the advantage. The battle was a dramatic failure for the Union, but couldn't have been more successful for the Confederacy after loosing the Maryland Campaign.
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The Emancipation Proclamation writing by Abraham Lincoln states that all slaves in the Confederacy were free. This document turned the Civil war into a official war against slavery.
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After the Union experienced difficulties recruiting soldiers President Abraham Lincoln passed the Enrollment Act, also known as the War Military Draft act, which states that men between the ages of twenty and forty-five are eligible to be drafted. If necessary one could avoid being drafted by finding someone to take their place or paying a fee.
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The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. General Joseph Hooker attempted to pry Robert E. Lee's forces from Fredericksburg. The plan was successful and the two forces met at Chancellorsville. Even though General Lee's forces were outnumbered they were still able to overwhelm General Hooker's army forcing them to their defensive positions. This battle was known as Lee's greatest victory but also for the death of "Stonewall" Jackson who was shot by his own men.
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After many small skirmishes General Grant was able to push back General Pemberton's forces to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Preparing for a siege Pemberton constructed 15 miles of trenches. Grant ordered his men to blockade Vicksburg trapping Pemberton and his men, preventing any Confederate reinforcements. After what seemed like endless fighting Pemberton decided to surrender giving control of the Mississippi River the Union. This battle also greatly influenced General Grants military carrier.
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The battle of Chickamauga was the greatest Confederate victory in the west. The battle was fought in northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, near the town of Chattanooga. The Confederate forces who greatly outnumbered the Union Troops, cough the Union off guard giving them no choice but to retreat to Chattanooga.
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The Gettysburg Address was written and spoken by Abraham Lincoln. The speech took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and was dedicated to the solders who died in The Battle of Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address was considered one of the greatest speeches in American History. President Lincoln's speech put a new perspective on the way Americans view themselves and the US government .
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The Battle of the Wilderness was the first battle in Ulysses S. Grant's "Overland Campaign". The goal of this campaign was to capture Richmond, Virginia. The newly appointed General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George Meade were successful in their attack, putting the Confederacy in a defensive stance for the rest of the war.
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General Ulysses S. Grant and his army continued on their "Overland Campaign" moving south, once again colliding with General Robert E. Lee's Army at the Spotsylvania Court House. This was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War with a total of 29,000 Union and Confederate deaths. This battle also featured nearly 20 straight hours of hand-to-hand combat. Eventually General Grant ordered his men to retreat and continue marching towards the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
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General Grant prepared an assault along all Confederate fronts on June 2nd. But when some of his men didn't arrive on schedule, he was forces to postpone the event. This allowed General Lee's forces time to fortify themselves with trenches. When Grant gave the order to attack on June 3rd they were no match for the heavy fire power of Lee's men. Only able to capture a few trenches, Grant decided to retreat from Cold Harbor and try to outflank Lee's forces in a effort to take Petersburg.
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In June 1864 General Grant advanced his army toward Petersburg. General Lee and his army wasted no time fortifying the city, waiting for General Grant and his men to arrive. After days of fighting Lee noticed his men were fairly outnumbered, so he ordered his men to start digging trenches. After months of trench warfare General Lee's right flank was suffering, Grant ordered an attack on all fronts. As a result Lee was forced to retreat and the Union successfully took Petersburg and Richmond.
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The Savannah Campaign was a campaign led by Union Major General William Sherman. Sherman's campaign started with the capture of Atlanta, Georgia, and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah. Along the way Sherman and his men destroyed Confederate strongholds. In doing this General Sherman was able to interfere with Confederate supply lines. The fact that Sherman could operate deep in enemy territory without reinforcements was considered revolutionary in how war was fought.
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After the loss of their capital, Richmond, General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia were forced to retreat to Appomattox County, Virginia. General Grant's carvery forces quickly outran Lee's men, trapping their escape. But, even surrounded the Confederate forces didn't give up. With the remaining man-power they have left they attacked. The attack was some-what successful but Lee soon realized they were far out numbered, and he surrendered to General Grant effectively ending the Civil War.
