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Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is an island in Charleston Harbor, SC. The soldiers there were running out of supplies, so Abraham Lincoln announced that he was resupplying the fort and sent ships there. On April 11, before the ships arrived, Confederate General Beauregard demanded surrender, but U.S. Major Robert Anderson refused. At 4:30 AM on April 12, Confederates bombed Fort Sumter. It lasted 34 hours, and Anderson surrendered to Beauregard on April 13. Confederate troops stayed there for almost 4 years. -
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The Civil War
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First Battle of Bull Run
On July 21, 1861, the north and south fought near Manassas Junction in Virginia. 35,000 Union soldiers marched from Washington, D.C. to attack the Confederate soldiers along Bull Run River. The Confederates broke the Union right flank and the Union retreated back towards Washington D.C. The south won. There were 3,000 Union and 1,750 Confederate casualties. This was the first major battle of the Civil War on land. The Confederate victory ended the north's hopes of a quick end to the Civil War. -
Peninsula Campaign
In November of 1861, President Lincoln named George McClellan to replace the current general in chief of the Union armies. He soon was downgraded to command the Army of the Potomac only.By April, McClellan's soldiers were coming close to the Confederate lines. Johnson, who led the Confederates led an attack and was injured. Robert E. Lee now gained control of his postition. In June, the Seven Days' Battles happened which lead fears to an attack on Washington DC. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads was started by the Confederates to break the blockade of their ports. On March 8, the Rebels' ironclad Virginia, commanded by Franklin Buchanan, destroyed a fleet of Union wooden ships. Later that night, the Union Monitor arrived, commanded by John Worden. The next day, the two ironclad ships engaged in a dramatic battle. It ended at 12:30 PM on March 9, 1862. The Virginia retired to its navy yard. Neither side won, but the battle inspired iron naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
On April 6, 1862, Confederate generals surprise attacked Ulysses S. Grant's forces in southwestern Tennessee.The confederates were unable to handle the union's fighting. It was a deadly attack with more than 23,000 causualties. In the end, the Union was victorious. The north and south were both confronted with the fact that the Battle of Shiloh didn't end with a great victory, just a great number of deaths. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
To draw Pope's army into battle, Jackson ordered an attack on the troups passing through on August 28th, 1862. Fighting there lasted a while. On August 29, :Pope launched many attacks with many casualites on each side. The Union did poorly in this battle and headed for Washington. -
Battle of Anteitum
On September 17, 1862, George McCellan planned an attack on the Confederate army near Anteitum Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This was the first Civil War battle that was fought in the north. The attack started in the morning, and the Confederates fought back. The battle went through Miller's Cornfield and the West Woods. Because there were over 20,000 casualties, the Battle of Anteitum is considered the bloodiest day in American history.
The Union was victorious. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Newly appointed Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside marched 115,000 troops across the Rappaphannock River. On December 13, they attacked the Rebel forces that were in and around Fredericksburg. The Confederate soldiers would not give up. After two days of fighting, Burnside and his troops retreated on December 15. After the defeat, Burnside was replaced by Joseph Hooker. This battle gave the South confidence to win at Chancellorsville. The Union casualties measured 13,000 compared to the south's 4,500. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30, 1863 to May 6, 1863
General Lee split his army in half to surprise the larger Union army. Union General Joseph Hooker didn't take advantage of having more soldiers. When Lee attacked, Hooker retreated across the Rappaphannock River. Stonewall Jackson split his forces again and attacked Hooker's weak right flank. The south was victorious, but Jackson was shot by his own men. He died the next day. This battle led to the second invasion of the north and the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Battle of Vicksburg
During May and June 1863, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's troops came together to trap a Confederate army at Vicksburg, led by Lt. General John Pemberton. After 47 days of seige warfare, the civillians and soldiers were on the brink of starvation. Pemberton's forces surrendered on July 4, 1863. The Union had taken control of the Mississippi River. The north suffered 77,000 casualties and the south 33,000. This victory and the victory at Gettysburg encouraged the North and was a turning point. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Gen. Robert E. Lee positioned his army around Gettysburg, PA to invade a 2nd time. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker was replaced by George Gordon Meade. Meade ordered troops to follow Lee's forces into PA. When both armies arrived at Gettysburg, Confederates drove the Union Army to Cemetery Hill. More Union corps came overnight. The next day, Lee attacked the Union resulting in severe fighting. On July 3, the fighting raged on and the Union was victorious. Lee wouldn't get foreign recognition he wanted. -
Battle of Chickamauga
September 19-20, 1863 The north and south fought for control over the railroad in Chattanooga, TN. William Rosecrans pushed the Confederates out of the city and brought his army to Chickamauga. Longstreet led Confederate reinforcements. Braxton Bragg met Rosecrans in the woods on Sept. 19. The south attacked the Union's left. On Sept 20 Braggs split his army in two and attacked the north while they shifted postions. The Union retreated & the south won. Thomas helped at the Battle at Chattanooga. -
The Gettysburg Address
After the Battle of Gettysburg, attorney David Wills bought 17 acres of land to turn into a military cemetery. He invited Abraham Lincoln two weeks before the ceremony to consecrate the cemetery. Edward Everett, a famous orater, gave a two hour long speech before lincoln. Abraham Lincoln delivered a 272 word, two minute long speech about why the Union needed to win the Civil War: to win freedom and equality. This speech is now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. -
Battle of the Wilderness
In the early morning of May 5, 1864, the Union attacked the south near Orange Turnpike. On May 6th, Hancock attacked Plank Road leaving Hill's Corps in confusion. On May 7th, they were basically in the same place where they started, except there were many casulaties. The battle ended inconclusively, but the Union army suffered over 17,500 casualties, almost 7,000 more than the Confederate's. Federal troops began marching towards Spotsylvania courthouse and realized they weren't retrating. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
On May 4th, Lee moved his army into position to find the enemy in the Wilderness. They fought from May 5th to May 7th. Grant ordered them to march to Spotsylvania Court House. They fought there for 12 days and it was a very bloody period of time. 18,000 Union soldiers died and 11,000 Confederate. This war was inconclusive and very costly for both sides. -
Petersburg Campaign
The Petersburg Campaign was from 1864-1865. It was basically many military operations in Virgina which concluded the civil war which left the North with a victory.June 9th began a overtake of the Confederate capital. The Union losses were heavy but they captured Fort Harrison on September 29th. The south's ratilroads were destroyed whcih lead to hunger. On March 25, 1865 was the Battle of Fort Stedman. The union had many much stronger armies. General Lee ended up surrendering to the Union. -
Battle of Mobile Bay
August 2-23, 1864
Farragut's ships sailed into Mobile Bay on early Aug. 5, 1864. The Union ship hit a mine and sunk. The fleet sailed into Mobile Bay and fought with Tennessee for 2 hours. Tennessee surrended and the Union took over Mobile Bay. On August 23, Fort Morgan fell and the port was shut down.The Union suffered 322 casualties, the Confederates 1,500. This battle was a victory for the Union. -
Sherman's March
September 2, 1864- Sherman's troups capture Atlanta and the Confederate Army heads west into Tennessee and Alambama. As they went, they attacked Union supply lines. General Thomas took about 60,000 men to the Confederates to battle and Sherman took the rest (62,000) through Georgia to Savannah doing damage. The Union soldiers got back and raided farms and plantations killing many animals. Sherman and his men damaged their way to Charleston. By April, the Confederacy surrendered. -
Battle of Appomattox
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union on April 9th, 1865 in Appomattox, Virginia. Before the surrender, the north pushed the Confederates out of Richmond. The Confederates hoped to reunite with more troops in North Carolina, so they retreated. Durning the Confederate Army's retreat, they were stopped at Appomattox by the Union Army. Lee surrendered. Lee and Grant met at the McLean house to talk about the surrender. The Confederate soldiers went home. This started the end of the Civil War. -
Lincoln's Assassination
On April 14, 1865 Lincoln was attending "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14. John Booth was the mastermind behind the murder of Lincoln. Lincoln, his wife, and Henry Rathbone/his fiancé were in a private box above the stage,At 10:15, Booth came into the box and fired his .44-caliber into the back of Lincoln's head and stabbed Rathbone. Booth jumped from the box and broke his leg in the fall, he left the theater and escaped from Washington on horseback.
