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Fort Sumter
April 12 - April 14, 1861
The Battle at Fort Sumter was the first official battle of the American Civil War. As South Carolina had seceded after Abraham Lincoln was elected president, federal Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor was at risk of an attack. Seeing that the fort had weak defenses and low supplies, Confederate armies demanded that the government surrender the fort. Once the Union refused, Confederate soldiers began their siege and defeated the opposing army. -
Union Naval Blockade
1861-1865
Also known as the "Anaconda Plan," the Union devised a naval blockade preventing ships from reaching Southern ports. With the South believing that foreign powers would provide them with military supplies, the blockade weakened Confederate forces that now lacked equipment. This plan would be key to defeating the Confederacy later on in the civil war. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run saw the first battle the Union and the Confederacy fought at a large scale, with about 60,680 soldiers engaged in battle. Fought in Fairfax and Prince William County, Virginia, the Confederacy defeated the Union despite neither of them having trained armies. In response, the Union reorganized their Northeastern Virginia army. -
Trent Affair
Nov. 8 1861 - Jan 1962
The Trent Affair almost escalated the Civil War into an international conflict with Great Britain. The British ship, the Trent, was detained by the USS Jacinto because two Confederate envoys were onboard. James Mason and John Slidell hoped to negotiate the support of Great Britain for the confederacy, but were arrested instead. The British were angered at the seizing of their neutral ship, but the US avoided conflict by letting the envoys go. -
Battle of Shiloh
April 6-7 1862
At the Battle of Shiloh (Hardin County, Tennessee), Union forces scored a victory against the Confederacy, which was attempting to move forces out to the West. In addition, Union forces both inflicted heavy casualties and cut Southern supply lines supporting Confederate troops, which dealt a blow to the latter's morale. -
Battle of Antietam
September 16-18 1862
The Battle of Antietam is considered the United States' "deadliest one-day battle" for its estimated 22,717 casualties. The Battle was significant for the Union troops as it proved that they could hold their ground on the Eastern border of the United States (Washington County, Maryland), albeit the battle was considered a draw. The Union's resistance in pushing Confederate troops out encouraged President Lincoln to present a preliminary copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation
Preliminary release: September 22, 1862; Official release: Jan. 1, 1963
After the Battle of Antietam reassured President Lincoln, he released the preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation. The document declared that all enslaved people in the belligerent Confederate states were free. This both served as a way to free part of the enslaved population and weaken Confederate forces that had enslaved people fighting in them. The document added abolition to the Civil War's focus, as well. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 11-15, 1862
The Confederacy gained a crushing victory against the Union in the Battle of Fredericksburg - the Civil War battle with the greatest number of combatants on the field. In Stafford and Spotsylvania, Virginia, opposing sides engaged in their first urban brawl. The Union's loss prevented them from enroaching on Confederate territory, and they lost their first chance at invading Richmond. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30 - May 6, 1863
Confederate general Robert E. Lee's greatest military victory is considered to be the one he enjoyed with troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Albeit a new general, Joseph Hooker, trained the Union army with higher standards, they were unable to defeat Lee's and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's army in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It was an embarrassment to the Union's government, and Hooker only kept his command for five months. -
Vicksburg Campaign
May 18 - July 4 1863
The Vicksburg Campaign and the Union's subsequent victory in it marked the "turning point" of the Civil War. Both belligerents desired Vicksburg, Mississippi, as its location on the Mississippi River united the Southeast and Southwest. Losing Vicksburg meant Confederate territory was now split in two by the Union, and it would be tougher to transport supplies to troops. -
Battle of Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863
The Civil War's deadliest battle is the Battle of Gettysburg for its morbid death toll - 51,112 casualties. It occurred in Adams County, Pennsylvania, and it ended with a Union victory that defended the North from a Confederate invasion. President Lincoln would later dedicate one of his addresses to the Union soldiers who lost their lives in this battle. -
Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863
President Abraham Lincoln delivered his iconic Gettysburg Address at the National Cemetery of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In it, he both honored the fallen troops from the Battle of Gettysburg and emphasized the importance of fighting for the ideals of the Declaration of Independence - that all men were equal. Lincoln's speech was considered "radical" for placing more importance on the Declaration of Independence than the Constitution, like most Confederates. -
Overland Campaign
May 5 - June 3 1864
To lead the Union towards more victories, President Lincoln assigned General Ulysses S. Grant to the position of General-in-Chief. Grant took on his position to lead the "Army of the Potomac" against the Confederate "Army of Northern Virginia." The Overland Campaign's main goal was to decimate Confederate forces as opposed to capturing Confederate territory, which resulted in resounding Union successes in Virginia and fame for Grant. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
November 15 - December 21, 1864
Sherman's March to the Sea enforced fear tactics onto the Southern population of Georgia to weaken Confederate morale. Troops under Union General William T. Sherman wrecked the Georgian landscape as they stole cattle, ravaged farms, captured the Georgian capital of Atlanta, and even boasted their strength in a small conflict with defending Confederates. The point of the March was to show that Confederates stood no chance at winning the Civil War. -
Appomattox Campaign
March 29 - April 9, 1865
The beginning of the Appomattox Campaign initiated the end of the Civil War. By the time battles began at Appomatox, the Union had enjoyed a significant increase in their troops (total 125,000+) compared to the drastically decreasing amount of fighting Confederates (55,000). Although Confederates tried retreating as the Union pushed through Virginian evacuation routes (including the capture of Richmond on April 3), the Campaign would culminate in General Lee's surrender. -
Lee's Surrender at Appomattox
April 9, 1865
Robert E. Lee couldn't turn around the war for the CSA, so he surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to the Union's General Grant at the Appomattox Court House. The surrender was the culminating event of the Appomattox campaign, where the parties met in the parlor of a house owned by a Mr. Wilmer McLean. The signing of the surrender terms initiated a chain reaction of surrenders throughout the South, but a couple of battles did occur afterwards(ie. Battle of Palmito Ranch).