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Battle of Fort Sumter
The 7 Union states that seceded from the Union tried to claim Fort Sumter in SC. The South threatened the North telling them to evacuate the fort. When the North refused to evacuate, the South opened fire at 4:30 am on April 12, 1861. On April 14, the North’s Gn. Anderson surrendered the fort to the South. During the rest of the war, this Fort was constantly being bombed during July 1863 – February 1865. This battle is the first battle of the American Civil War. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The 1st Battle of Bull Run took place at the Bull Run River near Manassas Junction, VA & began on July 21, 1861. In command of the 20,000 Confederate troops was Gn. P.G.T. In Command for the 35,000 Union troops was Gn. McDowell. By 4pm on July 21, 1861, both the Union and Confederate troops were even. The Union then counterattacked the Confederates creating the “Rebel yell.” The Union wins the First Battle of Bull Run. Pr. Lincoln replaced General McDowell from command with George B. McClellan. -
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign was a Union operation launched from March through July 1862. The operation intended to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. McClellan was successful at first but General Robert E. Lee turned the following Seven Days Battles into a humiliating Union defeat. The campaign resulted in a Confederate success and a Union withdrawl. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads was part of a Confederate effort to break the Union blockade of Southern ports--including Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia. This battle began on March 8, 1862 and was between the Monitor and Merrimack (CSS Virginia). This was a naval battle. At 8am on March 8th, Virginia opened fire on the Minnesota and the Monitor appeared. At about 12:30pm Virginia headed for its navy yard, Virginia won the battle. After the Confederates left Norfolk, its crew destroyed the Virginia. -
The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh took place from April 6 – 7 in 1862. A Union army had moved on the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and was encamped at Pittsburg Landing. Confederate forces launched a surprise attack on Grant there. The Confederates were successful on the first day, but were beat on the second day. The war resulted in a Union victory. -
The Battle of Vicksburg
Ulysses S. Grant took Port Gibson on May 2nd, reached Grand Gulf on May 3rd, and stopped the Confederate army from connecting with the Vicksburg forces. The date of the war was May 18, 1863 – July 4, 1863. On May 18 Grant arrived at Vicksburg, and Pemberton's troops were inside. Pemberton surrendered the city on July 4 after Grant stopped all supplies going into the city including amunition and food. This battle resulted in a union victory. This battle marked the turning point of the war. -
The Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run took place August 28–30, 1862. It was the conclusion of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia. It resulted in a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam began on September 17, 1862. This battle took place along the Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This is the first battle to take place of Northern grounds. The start date of this battle is considered America’s bloodiest day because of the Confederate audacity and Union command failure. The Confederates withdrew from this battle on September 18, 1862. The Union wins the battle. After the battle, Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
Before the battle, Lincoln had wanted Ambrose Burnside to take over McClellan’s position but Burnside declined. In September 1862, Burnside led the left wing of the Arm of Potomac at Battle of Antietam. On 7 November 1862, Lincoln removed McClellan and replaced him with Burnside.The Battle of Fredericksburg began on December 11. Burnside ordered his left side to attack Lee’s right side but Franklin failed to send 50,000 troops when he had the opportunity so Jackson counterattacked succcessfully. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was April 30 - May 6,1863 and was fought in the Wilderness region of Virginia. This battle is considered the Confederate Gn. Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory in the American Civil War. Gn. Lee split his troops into two, surprising the Union’s Gn. Hooker. The most intense day of combat was May 3 because the Union was now defending themselves vs. the Confederates on their home ground. The downfall for the Confederates is that they lost General Jackson. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The South starts the Battle of Gettysburg by invading the North at Gettysburg, PA. Lincoln named M. Gn. George Gordon Meade to replace Hooker. The 1st day of battle was 1 July 1863. Lee planned to attack Gettysburg, PA. On the 2nd day, there was bloody fighting along Sickles’ line. The Union & Confederates suffered 9,000 or more casualties each from the 2nd day of battle only. On the 3rd day, Lee sent three divisions against the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. The Union opened fire on them. -
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chattanooga began on September 19, 1863. The Union and Confederates were fighting over the railroad center in Chattanooga, TN. The Union Gn William Rosecrans pushed Braxon Brigg’s army of TN out to Chickamauga, GA, 12 mi outside of Chattanooga. The first day of battle for the Battle of Chickamauga started on September 20th. The “Rock of Chickamauga” is a reputation for Gn George Thomas’s (Union) effort against the Confederates. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is one of the most memorable speeches in history. Abraham Lincoln gave the speech at the dedication of military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863, 4 months after the Battle of Gettysburg. Before Lincoln gave the Address, the crowd listened to Edward Everett talk for two hours. The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln lasted only 2-3 minutes. -
The Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of Wilderness started on May 5, when Confederates clashed with the Union around the Orange Turnpike. At dawn on May 6, Union attacked along the Plank Road, driving Hill's back in confusion, but the First Corps of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet arrived in time to prevent the collapse of the Confederate. By the morning of May 7, the armies were basically where they had been at the start of the battle. The battle was considered to be inconclusive but in my opinon the Union won. -
The Battle of Spotsylvania
The date of the Battle of Spotsylvania was from May 8–21, 1864. Ulysses S. Grant's army detached from Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army and moved southeast, trying to entice Lee into better conditions. Some of Lee's army beat the Union army to thecrossroads of Spotsylvania Court House and began dig defensive ditches. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, 1864, and was one of the most expensive battles in the campain. The battle resulted in a Union victory. -
Petersburg Campaign
The Petersburg Campaign took place from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865. The campaign was nine months of trench warfare in which Union forces assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines. Lee abandoned both cities in April 1865, leading to his retreat and surrender at Appomattox Court House. The campaign resulted in a Union victory. The Siege of Petersburg foreshadowed the trench warfare that was common in World War 1. -
The Battle of Mobile Bay
The battle of Mobile Bay was from August 2, 1864 –August 23, 1864. A Federal fleet commanded by Rear Adm. David G. Farragut attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Admiral Franklin Buchanan and three forts that guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay. This battle resulted in a Union victory. This battle was a giant boost for Abraham Lincoln's bid for re-election three months. -
Sherman’s March
Sherman's March lasted from November 15 to December 21, 1864. The campaign began with Sherman's troops leaving the city of Atlanta, Georgia, on November 16 and ended with the port of Savannah on December 21. His forces destroyed almost everything in their path from military targets to civilian properties. Sherman's bold move of marching within enemy territory and without supply lines is considered to be revolutionary in the records of war. -
Battle of Appomattox
The Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the front parlor of Wilmer McLean’s house in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. This is the end of the Civil War, which the Union wins. Appomattox is made a national historical landmark in 1940. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 10:15 p.m. while watching Laura Keene's performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. John Wilkes Booth was the man who snuck into Lincoln's booth, shot him in the head, and then escaped on horse. Lincoln was carried to a house across the street from the theatre where the surgeon general said that Lincoln could not be saved and would die in his sleep. Lincoln died at 7:22 A.M. on April 15th, 1865.
