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Works Cited:
• National Park Service, Battles of the Civil War
• History.com Editors, Key Battles of the Civil War
• American Battlefield Trust, Civil War Battles -
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina when Confederate forces attacked the Union garrison.
Significance: Marked the official start of the Civil War and united the North against secession. -
This was the first major battle of the Civil War, fought near Manassas, Virginia. Confederate troops, led by General Stonewall Jackson, forced the Union army to retreat.
Significance: Showed that the war would be longer and bloodier than expected. -
The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia fought off the coast of Virginia in the first battle between ironclad warships.
Significance: Changed naval warfare forever by proving wooden ships were obsolete. -
Union forces under General Grant fought Confederate troops in Tennessee. The Union eventually won after fierce two-day fighting.
Significance: One of the bloodiest early battles; showed the need for stronger leadership and preparation. -
Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeated Union forces again near Manassas, Virginia.
Significance: Strengthened Confederate confidence and led Lee to invade the North. -
The Union army stopped Lee’s invasion of Maryland in the bloodiest single day in U.S. history.
Significance: Gave Lincoln the victory he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Union forces under General Burnside attacked Confederate troops in Virginia but suffered heavy losses.
Significance: A major Confederate victory that hurt Union morale. -
Lee’s army defeated a much larger Union force through bold tactics, but Stonewall Jackson was fatally wounded.
Significance: A huge Confederate win, but the loss of Jackson weakened their future strength. -
Grant’s army captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, after a long siege.
Significance: Gave the Union full control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two. -
The largest cavalry battle of the war took place in Virginia between Union and Confederate horsemen.
Significance: Marked the rise of the Union cavalry’s strength and skill. -
Union forces stopped Lee’s second invasion of the North in a brutal three day battle.
Significance: Turning point of the war; the South never invaded the North again. -
General Sherman’s troops marched from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying Southern infrastructure and supplies.
Significance: Crippled the South’s ability to fight and hurt Confederate morale. -
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War.
Significance: Marked the Union’s victory and the beginning of America’s reunification.