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Civil War
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Fort Sumter
The battle started April 12, 1861 and ended April 14, 1861. General Beauregard of the Confederacy demanded the Union to surrender Fort Sumter, but commander Anderson of the Union refused. The Confederacy attacked For Sumter and took it over. This marked the beginning of the Civil War. -
First Bull Run
The battle of Bull Run started and ended on July 21,1861. The Union throughout the day kept pushing back the Confederacy. The Confederacy then brought reinforcements and broke the Unions right flank; this was the turning point in the battle because the Confederates ended up winning this battle. This battle showed Lincoln that this would be a long and costly war. -
Hampton Roads
The battle of Hampton Roads started on March 8, 1862 and ended on March 9, 1862. The Virginia's success on March 8 had not only marked an end to the day of wooden navies but had also thrilled the South and raised the false hope that the Union blockade might be broken. The battle itself was inconclusive, but it began a new era in naval warfare. -
Shiloh
The battle of Shiloh started on April 6, 1862 and ended on April 7, 1862. The battle of Shiloh was the second great engagement of the American Civil War and also known as the Pittsburg Landing. After initial successes, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced back, resulting in a Union victory. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with more than 23,000 total casualties. -
Antietam
The battle of Antietam started on September 17, 1862 and ended on September 18, 1862. After a string of Union defeats, this tactical victory provided Abraham Lincoln the political cover he needed to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. Though the result of the battle was inconclusive, it remains the bloodiest single day in American history, with more than 22,000 casualties. Lee withdrew suffering 10,318 casualties (of 38,000) to McClellan's 12,401 (of 75,000). -
Fredericksburg
The battle started December 11, 1862. The Union outnumbered the Confederacy, but the Confederacy beat up on the Union. The Union had over 13,000 casualties when the Confederacy had fewer than 5,000 casualties. This led to most Republicans voting to remove Secretary of State William Seward. -
Chancellorsville
The battle of Chancellorsville began on April 30, 1863 and ended on May 6, 1863. This battle is considered to be Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's greatest victory during the American Civil War. Facing an enemy force nearly twice the size of his own, Lee daringly split his troops in two, confronting and surprising Union Gen. Joseph Hooker. Hooker held numerical superiority; he did not press this advantage, instead falling back to defensive positions. Lee's victory came at a high cost. -
Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg started on July 1, 1863 and ended on July 3, 1863. The battle was a crashing defeat for the Confederacy. Union casualties in the battle numbered 23,000, while the Confederates had lost some 28,000 men. Lee offered his resignation to President Jefferson Davis, but was refused. The battle of Gettysburg turned the tide of the Civil War in the Union’s favor. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The battle started May 18, 1863 and ended July 4, 1863. General Grant surrounded Vicksburg with the Confederate Army trapped. Grants forces took over Vicksburg after many siege operations. Grant's success in Vicksburg led to his appointment of General in Chief of the Union Army. -
Chickamauga
This battle started September 18, 1863 and ended September 20, 1863. The Confederates under order from General Bragg broke a whole in the Union line. General Rosecrans found out about this but ended up making a gap while trying to fix the gap he was informed about which let the Confederates drive one third of the Union Army from the field for a victory. This led to the Union victory at Chattanooga because the Union forces were allowed to get to Chattanooga safely. -
Wilderness
On May 5, 1864 the battle of the Wilderness began and ended on May 7, 1864. The battle ended inconclusively, though the Union Army suffered more than 17,500 casualties over the two days of fighting, some 7,000 more than the toll suffered by the Confederates. Despite the costly nature of the battle, Grant refused to order a retreat, having promised Lincoln that regardless of the outcome, he would not halt his army's advance. -
Spotsylvania
The battle starts on May 9, 1864 and ends on May 21, 1864. Grant and the Union army attacked the Confederacy at first. Then the confederacy fought back in counter attacks while grants attempt at flanking them failed. The battle ended when it was clear that Grant wasn’t going to get an advantage allowing the Confederacy to discourage the Union because of the high casualty rate. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March began September 2, 1864 and ended December 21, 1864. Sherman captured Atlanta and destroyed the railroad that the Confederates used for shipping supply. He also took over Savannah which wasn't even guarded. Sherman's March hurt Southern Morale and made it so Confederates couldn't fight at full capacity. -
Petersburg
The battle of Petersburg began on June 9, 1864 and ended on March 25, 1865. The battle was a series of military operations in southern Virginia during the final months of the American Civil War that culminated in the defeat of the South. On June 9, 1864 the Union army began a siege with two cities. By year's end, however, General Robert E. Lee still held Richmond and Petersburg. On March 25, 1865 the Confederates were driven back leaving Lee with 50,000 troops as opposed to Grant's 120,000. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln’s assassination occurred on April 14, 1865. John Wilkes Booth killed him at the Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. Andrew Johnson was in as President following Lincoln's death. Johnson became one of the least popular presidents in American history. He was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1868 but the Senate failed to convict him by one vote.
