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Fort Sumter
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. -
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Civil War
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First Bull Run
The union army strikes firing bullets at the confederates across Bull Run, while more troops crossed the river at Sudley Fort in an attempt to attack the Confederate's left flank. The batttle took the lives of 3,000 union soliders and 1,750 confederate soldiers. Even though the confederates won they were not able to continue to chase the retreating union because of their lack of organization. -
Hampton Roads
This battle was part of the Confederate's attempt to break through the Union's blockade of the southern ports. Before this battle the navies still used wooden ships, however this was the first battle where ironclad ships were used. This battle was a draw between the Union and the Confederates because neither side could fire quickly and effectively. The battle ended when the Virginia headed for it's navy yard at 12:30 pm. -
Shiloh
Shiloh was one of the greatest battles of the civil war. It started when confederate troops surprise attacked Ulysses S. Grant's troops in Tennessee. At first it appeared that the Confederate forces were going to win, but then the Union forced them to retreat resulting in a Union victory. There were 23,000 casualties between the two sides. -
Antietam
This was the first battle of the civil wasr to be fought on northern soil. Generals Robert E. Lee and George McClellan's troops met near Antietam creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. General George McClellan was able to hult the Confederate's advance to the north, which gave President Lincoln an opportunity to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. Though this battle lasted only one day it remains the bloodiest battle in U.S. history with more than 22,000 casualties. -
Fredericksburg
On December 13th 1862 the Union attacked the Confederates. Part of Burnside's troops attacked Lee's troops and the other part attempted to assault Longstreet's First Corps at Marye's Heights. Splitting the troops was working, but when given the opportunity to send in more troops, General William B. Franklin who was leading the attack against Lee, failed to send in more troops to finish the job. By not sending in the troops when given the opportunity Jackson was able to launch a counterattack. -
Chancellorsville
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's greatest victory, Lee came up with the brilliant idea to split his troops into surprising and confronting the Union. The Union had more soldiers, but the Union general did not use the numerical advantage to his benefit. The Union fell into defensive positions and the Confederates were again able to split and attack thus forcing the Union to retreat. Though this battle was a great success it came with the loss of a beloved general "Stonewall" Jackson. -
Vicksburg
The capture of Vicksburg would yield the North control of the entire river, and enable it to isolate those Confederate states that are west of the river from those in the east. Grant moved his army of 40,000 to the west bank of the Mississippi. After he was over the river he started moving northeast. They took Port Gibson on May 2,and reached Grand Gulf on May 3. Pemberton surrendered the city on July 4. -
Gettysburg
In May 1863, Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had won victory over the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville. Lee's army had 75,000 men. The war started on June 1st. Both armies suffered a lot of losses on July 2, with 9,000 or more casualties on each side. The combined casualty total from two days of fighting came to about 35,000, that is the largest two-day toll of the war. Upset by the defeat at Gettysburg, Lee offered his resignation to President Davis. -
Chickamauga
Union General William Rosecrans had pushed Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga and got his army of 60,000 at Chickamauga. Early morning of September 19, the two armies met in the woods surrounding the banks of Chickamauga Creek. Both sides lost a lot of men. In October Grant arrived with reinforcements and took over the Union command in the region. Promoted to brigadier general after his service at Chickamauga.They had victory over the Confederates in the Battle of Chattanooga. -
Wilderness
This fight was crazy and chaotic. They would capture each others men and kill them. Longstreet was accidentally shot by one of his own men in the shoulder, the second day. The Federals were able to stabilize their postition, even a lot of there men or killed or wounded. The battle ended when the Union Army had a ton of casualties. -
Spotsylvania
The first 12 days Spotsylvania's court saw the bloodiest battle. On May 9, Grant sent the Army of the Potomac's 2nd Corps, it was led by Winfield Scott Hancock. The same afternoon five Union divisions attacked the Confederate. Grant's surprise attack failed on May 18th. The Union troops failed to take down the Confederate line. -
Petersburg
The Petersburg campaign was a series of events to the end of the Civil War to defeat the South. By the end of August, General Grant had crossed the Petersburg–Weldon Railroad; he captured Fort Harrison on September 29. The Southern railroads were destroyed and broken down. On March 25, 1865 the Confederates were driven back at the Battle of Fort Stedman, they left Lee with 50,000 troops. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865. -
Sherman's March
General Sherman's troops captured Atlanta on September 2nd. He wanted to destroy everything the Confederates had. The troops were going to make Georgia's civilizations life's misery so they wanted it to end. Sherman’s troops arrived in Savannah on December 21, 1864. Sherman's total war was very brutal. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Abraham Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth. John and others had planned to just kidnap the president, but on the day that the kidnapping was set for Lincoln failed to show up where he was supposed to, thus saving himself from the unknkown kidnappers. On April 14th at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. Booth slipped into the box and shot Lincoln with his .44-caliber single-shot derringer in the back of Lincoln's head, then he stabbed Henry Rathbone in the shoulder, and escaped from D.C.
