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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. -
First Bull Run
July 21, 1861
Union forces controlled by Gen. McDowell attacked Confederates at Manassas. The Union celebrated a victory early, and later the Confederates attacked and broke the Union’s line, causing the Union to retreat. 3,000 Union soldiers died, and 1,750 Confederates died. The Union was awed by the loss. Confederates argued over whose fault it was that Union soldiers weren’t attacked as they were retreating. Abe Lincoln replaced McDowell with George B. McClellan. -
Hampton Roads
March 9, 1862
The battle between the Union’s Monitor and the Confederate’s Merrimack (Virginia) was the first battle ever between ironclad ships. After much morning battle, the Virginia hit the Monitor’s pilothouse and disabled it. Later, after fighting other Union ships, the Virginia retreated at around 12:30 PM. Because there was no clear winner, neither side benefited greatly. The Virginia was destroyed, and the Monitor was lost. -
Shiloh
April 6, 1862- April 7, 1862
On April 6, Southern generals commenced a surprise attack on Ulysses S. Grant’s troops in southwestern Tennessee. The Confederates at first succeeded, but weren’t able to keep the attack going and were pushed back, allowing the Union to pull away with a victory. Each side lost about 10,000 men, keeping both sides from action for the next few weeks. -
Antietam
September 17, 1862- September 18, 1862
Fought along Antietam Creeek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, this was the first battle fought in Northern Territory. Northern general George McClellan was unable to completely destroy Robert E. Lee's army, but he kept them from advancing Northward. This was the bloodiest battle in American history with more then 22,000 deaths. Because the Union won, Abraham Lincoln felt comfortable issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Fredericksburg
December 11, 1862- December 13, 1862
Here, Ambrose Burnside first appeared as a Union general. The North attacked via pontoon bridges, but due to miscommunications of their generals, suffered defeat. While the South had no more than 5,000 casualties, the North had almost 13,000. The Republican cabinet was in crisis after this, but Lincoln handled the situation well, limiting the political consequences. Confederate morale was restored, and they felt more confident in the battles that followed. -
Chancellorsville
April 30, 1863- May 6, 1863
Gen. Lee performed a risky move where he split his troops in two to take down the Union forces. General Lee’s tactic worked wonders except it cost Lee his most prized general, Stonewall Jackson. The battle resulted in 17,298 Union causalities, compared to the 12,826 Confederate losses. It allowed the South to continue north towards Gettysburg. -
Gettysburg
July 1 1863 - July 3 1863
Lee planned to plant his troops at Gettysburg when he heard the news that the South was on its way. The Union army established control points at Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge. Later fighting raged along Sickles’ line. On the third day of fighting, Union forces pushed back the Confederates to secure Culp’s Hill. Finally, Pickett’s Charge happened and over half of the South’s men died. This battle turned the tables in the North's favor. -
Vicksburg
May 18 1863 - July 4 1863
The North wished to take control of Vicksburg so they could control the entire Mississippi River. Grant moved his 40,000 troops to the west side of the Mississippi. He then blocked as sides of Vicksburg and forced the Confederate troops to stay in the city. They eventually ran low on ammunition and food and had to surrender the city. The surrender strongly helped boost Northern morale. -
Chickamauga
September 19 1863 - September 20 1863
On September 19 the two sides met in the woods near the Chickamauga Creek. After a while, the south broke through Northern lines and sent the Union troops into frenzy. The North then retreated north to Chattanooga. The Union forces were allowed to safety get to Chattanooga, resulting in a victory for the South at Chickamauga but a loss for them in Chattanooga. This led Abe Lincoln to send Ulysses Grant to Chattanooga to take control of those troops. -
Wilderness
May 5 1864 - May 7 1864
The battle began near the Orange Turnpike with chaotic fighting in dense woods. The next day, General Longstreet was accidently shot in the shoulder by his own men. On May 7, both armies were more or less the same as they were two days earlier, which meant this battle was a draw. At the end of this war, Grant refused to retreat because he promised Lincoln he would not stop his advance. The Federals then began to march towards Spotsylvania… -
Spotsylvania
May 8 1864 - May 21 1864
The two sides met a Spotsylvania and had two days of bloody but indecisive fighting. For the next twelve day, very violent battling occurred. First, the Union tried to attack the Confederate’s “Mule Shoe” except they were not able to break it. Then Hancock’s troops attacked the Mule Shoe again at what came to be known as Bloody Angle. Later Grant ordered his troops to stop attacking. He then continued his march toward Richmond. -
Sherman's March
July 22 1864
Gen. Thomas took 60,000 men towards Nashville while Sherman took 62,000 to march from Georgia to Savannah. Sherman believed the South’s power came from their industries, so if he knocked them out, the South would be useless. This thought from Sherman led to the idea of total war where he took as much as he could and burnt the rest that he could not carry. -
Petersburg
June 9 1864- April 2, 1865
The North used the tactic of "war of attrition." They kept pounding the South, continuously going back down to Virginia for battle, weakening the Confederates. At first the Union soldiers weren't succeeding, but over time, came out with the victory. The South realized they couldn't defend anymore, and gave up. On April 9, General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to General Grant. -
Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes Booth wanted to kill President Lincoln and his successors in an attempt to ruin the U.S. government. At 10:15, Booth slipped into the box in Ford’s theatre where Lincoln was enjoying a play, and shot him in the back of the head. Lincoln was pronounced dead the next morning. Booth escaped, only to be caught later in Virginia. Supporters of Booth were attacked all around the country. The death was mourned by the U.S. for a very long time.
