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Lasting two days, the Fort Sumter battle marked the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861. The battle took place in Charleston, SC and ended with Confederate victory. The significance of this battle was that it started the Civil War and was the cause of all of the battles to follow. -
Shortly following the battle at Fort Sumter, the Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, recommended a blockade of all southern ports. This was to prevent the Confederacy from being granted a belligerent status from any foreign countries, and getting any help that they needed. The blockade lasted the entire war, from 1861-1865. Its significance was stopping the Confederacy from receiving many supplies or troops from foreign countries. -
Marking the first major land battle of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run occurred at Manassas Junction, Virginia on July 21, 1861. The Union army of 35,000 marched in from Washington D.C., while the Confederate army of 20,000 were at a small river, Bull Run. After fighting defensively for most of the battle, the Confederates were able to send the Union army into retreat, ending in their victory. This battle's significance was that it gave the Confederacy a vote of confidence in the war -
A crisis between the US and Great Britain which started when a US Navy Officer, Charles Wilkes, captured two envoys aboard the British mail ship. The British considered this a violation against their neutrality and demanded return of the captive Confederate envoys and a formal apology. The significance of this event was the confirmation of British neutrality in the war. -
Beginning when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on the Union, the Battle of Shiloh lasted two days and caused over 23,000 casualties. Though the Union were taken by surprise and driven back, they were able to counterattack and ultimately win the battle after suffering many casualties. The significance of this battle was the reminder that the war would be very tough and result in loss on both sides. -
One of the deadliest one-day battles in the war, the Battle of Antietam had troops from both sides faced off in a 30-acre cornfield at Antietam Creek. Prior to the battle, the Confederates abandoned their campsite around the town of Frederick in Maryland, and some Union troops moved in and discovered Special Order 191. This had Confederate troop movement plans and was the reason for the start of the battle. The war resulted in Union victory and led to the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation -
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 which scheduled a date for the freedom of over 3 million slaves, and renamed the Civil War as a fight against slavery. The document unified the Republicans and made it impossible for anti-slavery countries to support the Confederacy. Since it was only a presidential order, Lincoln had to involve Congress, creating the 13th amendment and eliminating slavery in America. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg, lasting for 5 days, had the highest concentration of troops in the Civil War, with nearly 200,000 soldiers. The Union troops crossed the river to attack Confederate snipers, but were taken down in a counterattack, losing on the high ground. The Union suffered a defeat with 13,000 casualties, and the Confederate victory boosted morale and gave them confidence in the next battle. A new commander of the Army of Potomac was appointed, Joseph Hooker. -
Led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the Union force cut off the Southern Railroad that supplied Vicksburg, and destroyed the Jackson logistic and manufacturing center. After succeeding at these targets, they focused on the defenses around Vicksburg led by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton. The Union had Vicksburg surrounded by May 18, and Pemberton surrendered on July 4. This battle divided the Confederacy and boosted the reputation of Ulysses S. Grant. -
During this battle, Lee's Confederate army, though having fewer soldiers, fought more offensively while Hooker's troops fought defensively. The armies clashed on May 1, and Lee's offensive plan led the Confederates to victory. Still distraught from the loss, Hooker tried fighting off attacks by himself, but Lee outsmarted him, and moved onto 27,000 troops left behind. Hooker called for a hasty retreat to Washington D.C. after his loss of over 17,000. -
The Battle of Gettysburg was a large turning point in the war for the Union. During the battle, the Confederates were at an advantage with 30,000 troops overpowering the Union's 20,000.Lee launched a heavy assault, fighting their way through until locking in on the Union's position in Cemetery Hill.Lee continued attacks the next day, thinking he had an advantage,but was taken down by the Union's close range fire.This was a colossal win for the Union, and boosted the hopes of the war ending soon. -
Lincoln found it very significant that the Vicksburg siege and the Battle of Gettysburg both ended on the same day as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He decided to make some remarks at Gettysburg where he held a speech lasting less than two minutes. Lincoln dedicated the Gettysburg battlefield as a final resting place for those lost there. The speech went down in history as one of the most classic and heartfelt. -
Opening on May 5, Union troops encountered Confederates on the Orange Turnpike in northern Virginia, where men fought in the wilderness for two days. Grant's campaign kept running, even when Confederate Gen. James Longstreet's corps arrived, and Longstreet was wounded in friendly fire. The Union army continued to Spotsylvania, where they would fight for two weeks. After a lot of relocation, the brutal campaign ended with over 88,000 deaths in total, yet a strategic success for the Union. -
Lasting from November 15-December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led 60,000 troops to Savannah, Georgia. They marched through Georgia looting and stealing food and livestock, and burned down the barns of anyone who fought back, attempting to scare them into abandoning the Confederate cause. They arrived on December 21 to an undefended city. This victory would lead to the very close end of the war. -
The final campaign of the war started with Ulysses S. Grant on March 29, 1865. The Union moved around the Confederate trenches around Petersburg, who were forced to evacuate. The Union outnumbered the Confederates and was able to win the race that Lee started in order to escape. Defeated, Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. The significance of this battle was that it ended the war with Union victory. -
On April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Robert E. Lee surrendered his remaining 28,000 troops, ending the Civil War. Grant quickly wrote up the terms to the end of the war, and the Confederates became American countrymen again.