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Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861 to April 14, 1861
President Lincoln sends a ship to resupply the federal fort. Believing the ship had troopes 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 to secede. -
First Battle of Bull Run
On July 21st, 1861 Irvin McDowells union force struck Johnston from actross the River Know as Bull Run.WHile doing so, other troops crosed the river at sudely Ford in attempt to hit the confederate left plank. As the day and battle went on, they eventually gained an equal amount of men fighting on each side. Thomas J. Jackson led a virginia brigrade from the Shenandoah Valley into the battle, helping the confederates, leading them to victory. -
Hampton Roads
The battle of Hampton Roads began on March 9th, 1862. It was the first duel battle between ironclad warships. It broke out due to part of a Confederate effort to break the Union blockade of Southern ports. On 8:00 on March 9th, Virginia opened fire on the Minnesota. At about 12:30 PM Virginia headed for its navy yard, the battle was over. -
Shiloh
On April 6th, Confederate generals launched a surprise attack on Ulysses Grant's forces in South Western Tennessee. There was a great lose on both sides. Resulting in a Union Victory -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam began on September 17th, 1862. Generals Robert E. Lee and George McClellan faced off near Antietam creek. It was the first battle of the American Civil War to ever be fought on northern soil. This victory provided Abraham Lincoln the political cover he needed to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. To this day, it remains the bloodiest single day in American history. Over 22,000 casualties. -
Battle of Frederickburg
On December 13th, Burnside ordered his left wing, led by General William B. Franklin, in an attack on General Lee’s right wing, commanded by Jackson. During this, the rest of Burnsides army attempted to assault Longstreets’s First Corps at Marye’s Heights. While given the opportunity, Franklin failed at sending 50,000 more troops forward, and Jackson was able to launch an equal counter attack. By the time the sun went down, The Union had as many as 13,000 casualties, while the Confederates count -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The battle of Chancellorsville began on April 30th, it is said to be Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory during the American Civil war. He was facing an army almost twice the size of his. He ended up splitting his troops in two. The only downfall to his victory is that one of his most trusted generals, Thomas “Stone Wall” Jackson was killed during battle. This battle lasted untill May 6th. -
Vicksburg
May 18, 1863 to July 3, 1863
General Grant moved his army of 40,000 men to the west bank of the Mississippi River and marched to be 30 miles south of Vicksburg. While quickly moving northeast, Grant and his forces arrived in the rear of Vicksburg after forcing Pemberton and his isolated forces to return to the city. Starvation and lack of ammunition caused Pemberton to surrender to Grant and his methodical siege tactics. This heartened the North and in fact marked the turning point of the war. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The battle of Gettsburg started on July 1st, 1863. It lasted three days. The Union attacked the Confederacy under General E. Lee's orders to begin the fight. 3 day's later the Union came out with a victory. But did not celebrate too quickly, because they were waiting on a counter attack that never came. -
Chickamauga
September 19, 1863 to September 20, 1863
Chattanooga, Tennessee, home of a key point in the railroad, was fought over by the Union and Confederates in Chickamauga, right outside of Chattanooga. Union soldiers were forced to retreat. Thomas organized the remaining Federals in a desperate stand. The Union suffered some 16,000 casualties in the battle. General Thomas was promoted to brigadier general after his service at Chickamauga for the Union. -
Wilderness
May 5, 1864 to May 7, 1864
In northern Virginia, General Grant and George Meade met General Lee and Richard Ewell in the wilderness and began to fight. The trees and undergrowth made normal war tactics hard to utilize. The next day the Union’s second Corps drove the Confederates back in a fight that was more difficult than the day before. Union soldiers and broke into wild cheering when they realized they were not retreating. The battle ended inconclusively. -
Spotsylvania
May 8, 1864 to May 21, 1864
General Grant ordered the Army of Potomac to march south at night to Spotsylvania in hopes of getting between Lee's forces. 18,000 casualties for the Union were caused from the bloody 12 day battle. Stuart was mortally wounded in the battle that Sheridan won. With the little winning and much losing for both sides, General Grant disengaged his men. In the North, high casualty reports brought down the public's high hopes. -
Sherman's March
September 2, 1864 to December 21, 1864
The fall of Atlanta was a triumph for the Union. It gave them hope and a likely chance of prevailing in the war. Sherman took 62,000 soldiers on a march through Georgia to Savannah. Destroying factories, bridges, farms, and railroads was key to this march. Sherman presented the city of Savannah and its 25,000 bales of cotton to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift. The Union was confident in winning the war. -
Petersburg
June 9, 1864 to April 9, 1865
General Grant and the Union forces began a siege against Petersburg and Richmond, which were two strategic points for the Confederates. The hopeless and ill-fed Confederates were driven back at the Battle of Fort Stedman and the Battle of Five Forks by the outnumbered Union forces. After being driven back into Petersburg, the city was evacuated for the good of the Union, Lee's plan to join with General Joseph E. Johnston was thwarted, and Lee finally surrendered. -
Lincoln's Assassination
April 14, 1865
John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's killer planned out Lincoln's Assassination but his first attempt failed. Lincoln, watching "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in a private box was shot in the back of the head with a .44 caliber single shot derringer. Abraham was pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m. Booth was soon followed and shot by Union soldiers. Abraham Lincoln was the first United States President assassinated. Andrew Johnson, the new president was not well liked.
