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Peninsula Campaign
Confederate victory. General McClellan got a plan approved to send soldiers by boat to the mouth of the Rappahannock River to get in between the Confederate army and Richmond. The plan would have been very effective, had McClellan not have been so cautious. He heavily outnumbered the Confederate troops, yet he still continued to call for reinforcements. He also retreated, even though he had won just about every battle, and outnumbered the enemy. -
The Battle of Shiloh
Union victory. On April 6, rebel forces attacked the Union army. At first, the rebels were successful, but they couldn’t hold out for very long and were forced to retreat. There were very many casualties on both sides. The rebels rallied and attacked the Union troops before they could get any reinforcements. The battle was fought mainly by soldiers that had little to no experience on both sides. . It ended on April 7 when the Union took back their camp. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Confederate victory. Before the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lincoln appointed Henry Halleck as the new commander in chief for the Union army. The plan was to unite the two armies and then to attack Richmond. General Lee sent troops to attack the one of them before the other army could join up with the first. McClellan, in command of the other army, refused to send troops to help because they were needed to defend Washington. After a lot of fighting, the Union soldiers were forced to retreat. -
The Siege of Vicksburg
Union victory. The rebel stronghold of Vicksburg was very well defended. There was a series of swamps to the North, and it was on high bluffs with artillery batteries that could easily outgun any Union ships, including ironclads. Vicksburg was very important to the South. All previous assaults on it had failed. On May 18, General Grant and his troops arrived at Vicksburg. He then surrounded the city and starved them out. On July 4, the city surrendered due to lack of food and ammunition. -
The Battle of the Wilderness
No victor. On May 4, General Grant led his 115,000 troops into a thick forest known as the Wilderness. General Lee ordered 65,000 of his own troops into the Wilderness as well. Fighting started on May 5 when two corps met at a major road. The fighting was very fierce. When the fighting ceased, it was a stalemate. The next day, heavy fog and smoke made it very hard for soldiers to see. The rebel general was shot by his own men. There was not clear winner. Grant led his troops around Lee's army. -
The Battle of Spotsylvania
Neither side. Union troops under General Grant attacked the rebel army, under General Lee. After two days of bloody fighting, Grant decided to go around the rebels. The rebels, however, found out and got to their destination first. They set up fortifications. On May 12, the Union attacked and captured most of the rebels in the middle, but then there was fierce fighting for 20 hours. The Union was pushed back, but then the Rebels fell back. Grant then went aroung Lee's army. -
Petersburg campaign
The Petersburg Campaign was a series of military campaigns in Virginia in the last few months of the war. On June 9, the Union army began siege of Richmond and Petersburg. On September 29, the Union troops captured Fort Harrison, but the Confederates still held Petersburg and Richmond. Eventually, the South’s railroads broke down, and the Confederate soldiers started to starve, and they started getting driven back. General Lee officially surrendered on April 9, 1865. -
Mobile Bay
Union victory. A fleet of Union ships under the command of Admiral David Farragut sailed into port at Mobile Bay. Mobile Bay was guarded by the ironclad ship, the Tennessee, by Fort Morgan, and by some mines known as torpedoes. One of the Union ships was hit by a mine and sunk, but the Admiral urged them on anyways. After two hours of fighting, the Tennessee surrendered, which made the port fall into Union hands. On August 23, Fort Morgan surrendered to the Union. -
Sherman's March
Union victory. On September 2, 1864, General Sherman’s troops captured Atlanta. Atlanta was very important to the South because it had many factories and supplies in it. It crused Southern morale. Sherman then sent half of his army north to meet a group of rebel soldiers who were attacking supply lines. He led the other half on a march from Atlanta to Savannah, raiding and destroying anything in their path. Sherman captured Savannah, and then marched his army to Charleston, doing similar things. -
Lincoln's Assasination
Confederate victory. John Wilkes Booth was a northerner who was born in Maryland. Even though he lived in the North during the war, he supported the South. He planned to kidnap President Lincoln and take him to Richmond. The plan failed because Lincoln didn’t go to the planned place. On April 14, John discovered that Lincoln was going to go to Ford’s theatre to see a play. John shot him in the back of the head and jumped onto the stage. He got away, but was killed twelve days later.