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Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861 to April 14, 1861
President Lincold 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. -
Hampton Road
March 8,1862 -March 9,1862 Confederate forces seized the Norfolk Navy Yard from the US Navy. Prior to evacuating, the Navy burned several ships in the yard including the relatively new steam frigate USS Merrimack. Commissioned in 1856, Merrimack only burned to the waterline and most of its machinery remained intact. With the Union blockade of the Confederacy tightening, Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory began searching for ways in wich his small force could challenge the enemy. -
Battle of Shiloh
April 7, 1862
On April 6th, the Confederate army attacked General Grant's soldiers, which forced Grant and his men back to the Tennessee River. However, the Confederates got cocky, and the next day, Grant launched a surprise attack. Both sides lost over 10,000 men. The Union realized that to achieve victory, they would have to gain control of the Mississippi River. -
Antietam
September 4, 1862 to September 8, 1862
On September 4th, General Lee of the Confederacy began crossing the Potomac into Maryland. Four days later, General McClellan met Lee at Antietam Creek. This battle raged all day, and both sides lost many troops; the Confederacy more than 13,000 and the Union more than 12,000. Despite this being a Union victory, Lincoln fired McClellan for letting the Confederates escape. This victory, despite it being by the skin of their teeth, raised hope in the North. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 11, 1862 to December 12, 1862
General Burnside sent his men across the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia. General Lee was controlling the hills near Fredericksburg. Burnside thought that Lee would not expect a frontal attack, so he ordered his men towards the hills. Lee took advantage of the hills that he and his men were positioned on and easily defeated the Union army. As a result, Lincoln transferred Burnside and gave command to General Joseph Hooker. -
Gettysburg
July 1, 1863 - July 3, 1863
After much fierce fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, the Federals were pushed back through the town of Gettysburg and regrouped south of the town along the high ground near the cemetery. Lee ordered Confederate General R.S. Ewell to seize the high ground from the battle weary Federals "if practicable." Gen. Ewell hesitated to attack thereby giving the Union troops a chance to dig in along Cemetery Ridge and bring in reinforcements with artillery. -
Battle of the Wilderness
May 5, 1864 to May 7, 1864
General Grant moved about 122,000 troops through the wilderness in Virginia. The Union soldiers fought against about 66,000 Southerners for two whole days. While the Union had about 5,000 more casualties than the Confederacy, Grant refused to back down. -
Spotsylvania
May 10, 1864 to May 19, 1864
Ulysses S. Grant, leading the Union army, clashed with Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia, with Grant being absolutely determined. Grant didn't back down even after heavy casualties, and was described as "a man...who either does not know when he is whipped, or who cares not if he loses his whole army." However, Grant finally had to back down on May 19th, after losing about 60,000 soldiers over 7 days. -
Siege of Petersburg
June 9, 1864 to June 12, 1864
After the battle at Spotsylvania, Grant moved his troops south to attack Petersburg, Virginia. He planned to cut off Richmond's supplies by seizing the railroad center. While Grant was forced to retreat after losing about 60,000 men since May 12th, he managed to drastically deplete Lee's army. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
September 2, 1864 to December 22, 1864
Sherman moved about 100,000 troops towards Atlanta, Georgia. Sherman captured Atlanta on September 2nd, evacuated the city, and burned it, cutting off the Confederate railroad link across Appalachia. This victory gave Lincoln's reelection campaign a boost. Sherman then proceeded to capture Savannah, Georgia. -
lincoln's assassination
April 14, 1865
