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Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
Apr 12-14, 1864
President Lincoln sends a ship to resupply the federal fort. Believing 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 Bull Run
July 21-22, 1861
This battle was an attempt to bring the war to a quick end. Which only seemed to back-fire on both sides. For the Confedrates blamed Johnston, Beauregard, and President Davis for the loss. On the other side President Lincoln placed General McDowel with McClellan. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
March 9, 1862
This was the first battle between warships in a Confederate effort to break up the Union's blockade of southern ports, including Richmond. The Confederacy's Virginia proved to be a success, running the Union's Minnesota aground and driving the Union's Monitor into shallow water. Even though it is not clear whether one side or the other won, this battle gave Southerners hope that the North's blockade could be broken and marked the end of wooden warships. -
Shiloh
April 6-7, 1862
The rebels made a surprise attack on General Grant's troups. The Union was able to hold off the attack and forced the Condefrates back. -
Antietam
September 17-18, 1862
Considered America's bloodiest day, both sides lossed more then 10,000 men! General McClellan and General Lee both had their troups on the defensive side. But McClellan could have easily over powered them with a two-to-one advantage. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 13, 1862
The Union had to wait to cross the Rappahannock River which gave to Confederacy plenty of time to get more soldiers. Because Union officer, Franklin, failed to send troops to attack, the Confederacy launched a counterattack which resulted in 13,000 casualties for the Union and only 5,000 for the Confederacy. Many people blamed Lincoln for the Union's defeat. Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker as the Commander of the Army of the Potomac. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
April 30- May 6 1863
Considered Lee's greatest success, this battle was startling won by the Confederacy who had about half the amount of soldiers as the Union did. Lee split his army in two and then in two again forcing the Union to fight a defensive battle. The Union lost 17,000 troops and the Confederacy lost almost 13,000 including Stonewall Jackson. This would later lead Lee north to Gettysburg. -
Siege of Vicksburg
May-June 1863
This was a very heated Naval battle fought around the Mississippi for the gain of the higher ground. General Pemberton of the Confedrates surrendered to the Union. -
Gettysburg
July 1-3 1863
Both the North and the South arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in search of supplies for their troops, but the Confederates pushed the Union back to Cemetery Ridge. They fought for three days straight and lost a combined total of 35,000 soldiers before the Union won. Ashamed by the defeat at Gettysburg, Lee tried to resign from the Confederacy, but his resignation was not accepted. This win turned the war towards the Union’s favor. -
Chickamauga
September 19-20, 1863
In a turn of events the Confedrates went on the offensive side; striking at the Union as they were shifting their troups around. General Lee withdrew, but the Union lost more men as they refused to retreat. -
Wilderness
May 5-7, 1864
This battle had been planned out of the winter after General Grant became the leader of all the Union armys that Feburary. During the battle General Longstreet was shot by his own men in his shoulder. The Confedrates fell back while surrender never entered the Union's mind. -
Spotsylvania
May 8 1864- May 21 1864
The Confederates tried to keep the Union from getting to Richmond, but they ended up fighting at Spotsylvania. This battle lasted 12 days with the Confederacy sustaining 11,000 casualties and the Union sustaining 18,000 casualties. After days of bloody fighting, Grant decided to stop fighting and the Union continued its march towards Richmond. This defeat dashed the war-weary North’s high hopes. -
Sherman's March
November 22 - December 21 1864
Believing the the South got its support from material and morale support from its citizens, Sherman set up two Union wings, about 30 miles apart. The Cofederate cavalry started a little skirmish, but that ended so badly that they fled. The Union soldiers marched from Atlanta to Savannah taking all the provisions that they could and burning anything that they couldn't use. This display of "total war" weakened the South's moral and hastened the end of the war. -
Siege of Petersburg
June 9,1864 - March 25, 1865
This was a series of attacks to try and take control of the cityPetersburg. The city held a critical railroad station leading to the Confedrate's capital in Virgina. The Union held strong as the rebels had to retreat for lack of supplies. In this they surrendered Petersburg and Richmond. -
Lincoln's Assassination
April 14, 1865
John Wilkes Booth makes a plan to kill the president, vice president, and secretary of state. One night when Abraham Lincoln is at Ford's Theatre with his wife, a young officer, and the officer's wife, Booth shoots Lincoln. Booth escapes and Lincoln dies the next morning at 7:22 a.m. Because of his assassination, businesses closed, and people who rejoyced at the end of the civil war mourned their leaders death.
