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Uncle Tom's Cabin
The novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a very important book that changed the views of slavery in America. It was also called Life among the Lowly. This novel was by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book became very popular, especially to readers in the North. This book visually dramatized the experience of slavery. This book really made the North question slavery, and this book contributed to the Civil War. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is an island fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President prepared to resupply and reinforce Fort Sumter. The Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12th, 1861. After 1 and a half days, the soldiers of Fort Sumter surrendered the fort on April 13th. In this battle, there was the first ever casualty of the Civil War. -
First Battle of Bull Run
There were two battles of Bull Run. The First Battle of Bull Run has another name. It is also called the Battle of First Manassas. This battle was the first major battle of the Civil War. The battle was fought in Prince William County, Virginia. The confederates were mostly playing defense for most of the battle, but they later broke the Union flank, winning this battle. This was a great victory for the confederates. -
Battle of the Ironclads
This battle has a few different names. This battle was also called the battle of Hampton Roads. It was also referred to as the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (or Virginia). This was a battle between 2 ships during the Civil war. It was fought for more than 48 hours, from March 8th to March 9th. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh has another name. It is also referred to as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. The Battle of Shiloh was one of the first battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought from April 6th to April 7th, Tennessee. The battle started when the Confederate Army made a surprise attack on the Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederates weren’t able to hold their positions and they lost the battle. There were 24,000 casualties. -
Battle of Seven Pines
The battle of Seven Pines also has another name. It is also called the Battle of Fair Oaks. The battle was fought from May 31st to June 1st. The battle was fought between Union forces led by Major General George B. McClellan and the Confederate forces were led by General Joseph E. Johnston. There were 11,000 total casualties. There were more than 5,000 northern casualties and more than 6,000 southern casualties. -
Battle of Gaines' Mill
There were actually two battles of the Cold Harbor. The first battle of Cold Harbor was also known as the Battle of Gaines’ Mill. These two battles were about 10 miles away from Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the Confederate capital at the time. The Union’s mission in this battle was to take control of the Confederate capital. This battle was a defeat for the Union army, and a major victory for the Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
There were two battles of Bull Run. The Second Battle of Bull Run was on August 29th, 1862. This battle was also referred to the Second Battle of Manassas. This army was between Union forces led by John Pope, George McClellan’s army of the Potomac, and Confederate forces led by Robert E. Lee. Lee ordered his troops to invade the Federal supply base at Manassas. Because of this decision, Robert E. Lee’s army won the battle. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam is also referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg. It was fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. It was the first field army level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. It was the most violent battle in American history. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The battle of Fredericksburg was fought on December 13th. This battle was between Union forces under Major General Ambrose Burnside and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee. There were about 200,000 soldiers from both sides in total. There were 120,000 on the union side and 80,000 on the confederate side. This is the largest amount of troops in any Civil War in the entire world. The battle was a major loss for the union, and a great victory for the confederates. -
Battle of Stones River
The battle of Stones River took place on December 31st, 1862. The battle was located in Tennessee. Union and Confederate forces battled in Stones River, near the city Murfreesboro. The Union forces were led by Major General William Rosecrans and the Confederates were led by General Braxton Bragg. The Union were able to withhold 2 Confederate assaults and made the Confederates retreat. There were about 23,000 casualties. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville lasted from April 30th to May 5th, 1863. It was an attack by the Union army in Virginia that failed to destroy the Confederate army of Northern Virginia. The Confederate army was under Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Of the 130,000 Union soldiers, 17,000 were casualties and of 60,000 confederates, 12,000 were casualties. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was fought from May 18th to July 4th, 1863. Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the union army waged a campaign to take the Confederate fort of Vicksburg. The climax of the campaign would end with the Union soldiers surrounding the Confederate army. After 1 and a half months, Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River. The Siege of Vicksburg was a great victory for the Union. It gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863. Union and Confederate soldiers fought in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This battle is still considered the most important battle of the Civil War. The battle had the highest amount of casualties of the entire Civil War. It was a great victory for the Union. This event was described as the war’s turning point. -
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga was fought from September 19th to September 20th. The battle was between Union forces led by Braxton Bragg and Confederate forces led by General William Rosecrans. The Union were able to push the Confederate forces out of Chattanooga but the Confederates counterattacked. When the Confederates counterattacked, they failed. This was a great Union victory. -
Battle of Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 4th, 1864. This battle was the first battle site closer to the Confederate Capital, Richmond. This was the first battle for the Union who were advancing towards Richmond. The battle was a very close battle. The Union’s army was severely weakened, but they didn’t surrender and continued pressing on and they were successful. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
There were actually two battles of the Cold Harbor. The second battle of Cold Harbor lasted for 1 and a half months, on May 31st to June 12th. The union army under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant confronted the Confederate army at the Confederate Capital, Richmond. This was one of the last major victories that the Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee have had. -
Battle of Petersburg
The battle of Petersburg was fought on June 9th, 1864 to April 9th, 1865. It was located 23 miles south of the Confederate capital of Richmond. The battle was between the Union forces of Ulysses S. Grant and the Confederate forces led by Robert E. Lee. There were 100,000 soldiers in Petersburg. The Confederate forces led by Robert E. Lee only surrendered a year later. This was a great victory for the Union. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
The battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia. The battle was fought on April 9th. Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army lost and surrendered to the Union army led by General Ulysses S. Grant. A few days before, Lee’s plan was to gather the rest of his weakened army and meet with more Confederate reinforcements but he failed. This was a great Union victory that ended the Civil War. -
Lincoln Assassination
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, the country's biggest crisis. The assassination took place in Ford’s theatre in Washington D.C. He was shot in the head by Confederate John Wilkes Booth. Booth worked as an actor at Ford’s Theatre, and he found out that Lincoln was coming to Ford’s Theatre. Lincoln died the next morning (April 15th, 1865).
