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Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861- April 14 1861
President Lincoln 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. -
Bull Run
July 21-22 1861
McDowell's Union force struck on July 21, shelling the enemy across Bull Run while troops crossed at Sudley Ford in an attempt to hit the Confederates. By four in the afternoon, both sides had an equal number of men on the field, and Beauregard ordered a counterattack along line. As McDowell's Federals retreated across Bull Run. Despite their victory, Confederate troops were far too disorganized to press their advantage and pursue the retreating Yankees. -
Hampton Roads
8:00 AM March 9, 1862 - 12:30 PM March 9, 1862
History's first duel between ironclad warships, part of a Confederate attempt to destroy the North blockade of Southern ports. The Virginia headed for their naval yard at around 12:30 PM. The Union ship, "Yankee Cheese Box on a Raft" created a new naval design. -
Shiloh
April 6, 1862 - April 7, 1862
In southwestern Tennessee, this battle was a surprise attack by the Confederate generals on Ulysses S. Grant's forces. The Confederates were forced back, making it a Union victory. Both sides had more than 23,000 casualties, and they could not move for the next three weeks. In 1864, The Shiloh National Military Park was made to honor the battle. -
Antietam
September 17, 1862 - September 18, 1862
Near Antietam creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, this was the first battle of the American Civil War fought on northern soil, led by Generals Robert E. Lee and George McClellan. It was the bloodiest day in American history, with more than 22,000 casualties. Because of Union's claim of victory, President Lincoln finally issued the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Fredericksburg
December 11- december 13, 1862
Due to a miscommunication between Burnside and Henry Halleck, general in chief of all Union armies, the pontoons were delayed in arriving, and Confederate corps had ample time to occupy a strong positon. On December 13, Burnside ordered an attack on the right. Jackson was able to launch a successful counterattack. Burnside accepted responsibility for the defeat, though many blamed Lincoln for pressuring him to go ahead with an impossible offensive. -
Chancellorsville
April 30, 1863 - May 6, 1863
During the Civil War, this battle fought in the Wilderness region of Virginia was General Robert E. Lee's greatest victory, although Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was wounded. The attack Jackson led destroyed half of General Joseph Hooker's line. The Confederate victory helped lead General Lee north to Gettysburg. -
Gettysburg
July 1, 1863 - July 3, 1863
On the first day, Confederate forces drove the Federal defenders back to Cemetery Hill but three more Union corps joined along Cemetery Ridge to Little Round Top. After the battle, the Confederates lost around 28,000 men while there were 23,000 casualties for the Union. Offering to resign, General Lee was refused, and his loss of this battle helped the Union win the war. -
Vicksburg
May 18- July 4 1863
Vicksburg's commander, General John C. Pemberton, led his forces out in an effort to link up with Johnston but met Grant moving westward and was forced to return to the city. After two assaults in mid-May failed. Grant settled down to methodical siege tactics while augmenting his forces.The surrender of Vicksburg, with the victory at the Battle of Gettysburg the previous day; greatly heartened the North and in fact marked the turning point of the war. -
Chickamauga
September 19-20 1863
On the first day of battle, Bragg's men repeatedly attacked the Union left, anchored by a large Union corps led by George Thomas. With reinforcements sent in by Rosecrans, Thomas was able to hold his position for the most part, with heavy losses on both sides. The rebels were able to burst through a gap in the Federal lines and send the Union troops into a chaotic retreat north towards Chattanooga. Ten Confederate generals had been killed or wounded, including the fiery Tex -
Wilderness
May 5, 1864 - May 7, 1864
Soldiers on both sides were made prisoners, and each side ended up where they began in the beginning. On the second day, General Longstreet was shot by his own men, and General Lee ordered an attack at dusk, sending the Union back to their headquarters. The Confederates beat the Federals to the Spotsylvania Courthouse, stalling their advance and causing the next battle. -
Spotsylvania
May 8- 21 1864
Spotsylvania saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War, with some 18,000 Union and 11,000 Confederate casualties. The Confederates built a huge salient in their lines pointing north toward the Federals; its shape earned it the name "mule shoe.Grant shifted his army to the left and looked for weak points in the Confederate line. As it became clear to Grant that his troops could not gain an advantage, He disengaged his army and ordered his men to continue their march. -
Sherman's March
November 15- December 21, 1864
The Confederate army headed west into Tennessee and Alabama, attacking lines as they went. Sherman was reluctant to set off on a wild goose chase across the South, and so he split his troops into groups.3,500 Confederates started a skirmish with the Union at Griswoldville, but that ended badly--650 Confederates were killed or wounded, compared to 62 Yankees. Southern troops initiated no more battles. Instead, they fled South ahead of Sherman’s troops. -
Siege of Petersburg
June 9, 1864 -
South of Richmond, Petersburg was a stragetic place for the Confederates. The Petersburg Campaign was in southern Virginia during the last few months of the American Civil War that resulted in the Union's victory. General Lee surrendered to General Grant on April 9, 1865 after being defeated in the last battles. -
Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes Booth, who killed President Lincoln, was born in 1838 in Maryland and stayed in the North against his beliefs. Hoping to overthrow the government, Booth and his accomplices planned to kill President Lincoln, his Vice President, and the Secretary of State. Andrew Jackson was President afterwards, becoming one of the least popular presidents in American history.
