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The first battle of the Civil War. The Confederates besiege the Union at Fort Sumter. The Confederates take the fort and President Lincoln asks Congress to declare war on the Confederates. -
The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War. The Union under General McDowell attempted to march right to Richmond but were stopped by the Confederates. The Confederates won the battle and stopped the Union advance. -
General Ulysses S. Grant is surprised by the Confederates around Shiloh Church. There is heavy fighting, but Grant recovers from the surprise and pushes the Confederates back. -
Antietam was the deadliest single-day battle in American history. It was a Union victory but General McClellan could've done more damage to the Confederates. McClellan's victory allowed Lincoln the good graces to safely issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
The battle of Fredericksburg was the first and only major battle led by General Burnside. It is a clear victory for the Confederates who have half as many casualties. Burnside is quickly removed from his position by President Lincoln and replaced by General Hooker -
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document issued by Lincoln that freed all slaves in the Confederate States of America. While it couldn't be enforced because of a lack of Union control in the South, it showed that Lincoln prioritized the freedom of slaves over his reputation. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville is one of the greatest Confederate victories in the war. The Union suffered many more casualties despite having almost twice as many men. This was General Hooker's first major battle and his great loss made him resign. The Confederates lost one of their top generals, Stonewall Jackson. -
Gettysburg was the turning point in the east for the Union. It was General Meade's first major battle against General Lee. The battle had extremely high casualties on both sides, but the Union ultimately won the battle and pushed the Confederates away from the North. -
The Confederate city of Vicksburg is besieged by Union General Ulysses S. Grant. When the Union takes over the city on July 4 they have control of the Mississippi River and the Confederate states are split apart. -
After taking Atlanta, General Sherman took his men and destroyed many buildings on a march. His goal was to demoralize the Confederates and convince them to stop fighting. He marched all the way to Savanah, Georgia with his strategy of total war. -
General Robert E. Lee meets with General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House and surrenders therefore ending the war.