-
Period: to
Civil War
-
Fort Sumter
April 13 1861 - April 15 1861
President Lincoln sends a ship to resupply the federal fort. Believing that the ship had troops and weapons, the Confederacy fired on the fort. Due to the attack on the fort, Lincoln calls up 75,000 troops and some of the border states, such as Virginia, secede. -
First Battle of Bull Run
July 21 1861 - July 22 1861
Union General Irvin McDowell struck force against Confederate troops across Bull Run resulting in a Confederate victory. It cost some 3,000 Union casualties and 1,750 Confederate causalities. This battle made northerners realize that this would not be a speedy victory and gave southerners a false hope of a quick and easy victory. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
March 8 1862 - March 9 1862
The Confederates, using the Merrimack, a steam frigate which they salvaged from the Norfolk navy yard, destroyed a Union fleet of wooden warships in Virginia. This was history's first duel between ironclad warships which began a new era in naval warfare. Virginia's success gave the southerners the false sense of hope that the Union blockade was broken. -
The Battle of Shiloh
April 6 1862 - April 7 1862
Confederate generals launched a surprise attack on Union General Ulysses S. Grant in southwest Tennessee. Both sides claimed victory with each having about 10,000 casualties, it was a Confederate failure. This battle allowed the Union to continue their southward advance, but both sides were immobilized for the next three weeks because of the high number of causalities. -
The Battle of Antietam
April 6 1862 - April 7 1862
Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General McClellan faced off at Antietam creek in Maryland. It was the first battle of the Civil War to be fought on northern soil. The battle resulted in a victory for the Union. It also gave Lincoln enough to justify the Emancipation Proclamation. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
December 11 – December 13 1862
New Union General Burnside crossed the Rappahannok with about 120,000 troops and then on the 13th he ordered his left wing to attack on Confederate General Lee's right while the rest of his army tried to attack Longstreet's First Corps at Marye's Heights. The Union had resulted in about 13,000 casualties compared to the Confederates casualties, less than 5,000. After that, most republican senators pressed Lincoln to reorganize his cabinet. He refused. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30 1863 - May 6 1863
Confederate General Robert E. Lee spilt up his troops and surprising Union General Joseph Hooker. While General Hooker had a numerical advantage, he did not use it to his advantage and fell back to defensive positions. The Confederates won having only lost 12,826 casualties to the Unions 17,278. However one of the Confederates Generals Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson was one of them. -
Vicksburg
May 18, 1862-July 4 1863 The Union forces launched a campaign to take Vicksburg, Mississippi from the Confederates. This battle proved the military genius of Union general Ulysses S. Grant. During this war, the Union had 157 troops killed, 777 wounded and 8 people missing. However the Confederate side had only 8 killed and 62 wounded. The Union was victorious during this battle. This battle, along with the Union win at the battle of Gettysburg the previous day, the north was greatly affected. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
July 1 1863 - July 3 1863General Lee gave orders to attack Cemetery Hill seeing that they were able to drive Federal defenders back through town. The battle resulted in a win for the Union. The casualties for the Union were 23,000 men while the Confederates lost 28,000 which was more than a third of General Lee's army. After the lost, he tried to resign to President Davis, but it was refused. -
Chickamauga
September 19-20 1863 The opposing sides were struggling over control of the control of the railroad center of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Union sides general remained as General Ulysses S. Grant and the confederate side’s general was Braxton Bragg. During this battle, the Union had 16,000 casualties and the Confederacy had 20,000. Yet another battle was won by the Union while ten Confederate generals had been killed or wounded. -
Wilderness
May 5-7 1864 The battle of the Wilderness took places in Virginia with the Union under the control of Ulysses S. Grant and George G. Meade and the Confederates under the control of Robert E. Lee. During this battle, the Union lost 17,666 soldiers and the Confederates lost 11,125 soldiers. The Union took yet another win because Grant refused to surrender. -
Spotsylvania
May 8-21 1864 The battle of Spotsylvania took place in Virginia. Grant planned a major offensive toward the Confederate’s capital. This battle led to 18,000 Union casualties and 11,000 Confederate casualties. Somehow, Grant got his army between enemy lines and the Confederate capital. -
Sherman's March
November 15-December 22 1864 The Confederate’s were now under the control of General Sherman. There were 650 Confederate causalities opposed the Union’s total of 62. This battle made Sherman realize that his army had to step up their game to beat the Union. -
Lincoln's Assassination
April 14, 1865 Mr. John Wilkes Booth first planned to kidnap the president and the take him to Richmond. Unfortunately, his plan fails. On April 14th, Booth sneaks into Lincoln’s booth at the theatre with a Philadelphia Derringer pistol and shots Lincoln dead. -
Petersburg
June 9, 1864-March 25, 1865 During the nine months of this battle, the troops used a new tactic called trench warfare. The union suffered 50,000 causalities and the Confederate suffered 32,000. This battle led to another Union win.
