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First Battle of Bull Run
In the first months of the Civil War, President Lincoln faced pressure to strike quickly against the South. Confederate troops were gathering 25 miles south of Washington, D.C. (where the Union government was located), along the Bull Run River. Lincoln approved an assault on these forces, hoping that a Union victory would lead to a quick end to the conflict. Instead, Confederate forces routed the Union troops, forcing them to retreat in a panic. -
Blockading the South
By the spring of 1862, the Union navy had sealed off every major Southern harbor along the Atlantic coast, except for Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The Union navy then turned its focus to blocking all of the ports along the Gulf of Mexico. Lincoln intended to hurt the South’s economy as much as possible by cutting its trade with the world. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Union wanted to take the Mississippi River. If they did, they would stop Confederate goods from being shipped on the River and they would divide the Confederacy in two - the South would be cut off from the West. David G. Farragut led an attack on New Orleans, at the entrance to the Mississippi. Farragut's troops won and the South’s largest city, and a center of the cotton trade, was now in Union hands. The South would lose $$ since they couldn't trade that cotton with the North or Europe. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
After defeating the Union Army in Virginia, Confederate General Lee decided to attack the Union forces defending Washington. This led to a second battle at Bull Run. Again, the South forced the North to retreat, leaving Confederate forces only 20 miles from Washington. Soon after, word came that Lee’s forces had crossed into Maryland and begun an invasion of the North. -
Battle of Antietam
General Lee believed that a successful invasion of the North and victory on Northern soil would help the South get aid (money, supplies, soldiers) from the British and the rest of Europe. Lee could also feed his troops from Northern farms. The Battle of Antietam took place in Maryland. It was the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, ended with nearly 6,000 men killed and some 17,000 wounded. The Union won and Lee retreated back south. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The Union controlled most of the Mississippi River, but they still had to take Vicksburg, Mississippi. “Vicksburg is the key,” Lincoln said. “The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.” Union General Grant lay siege to the city - no one could get in or out. The siege took six weeks & Confederate troops almost starved. Vicksburg surrendered and the Confederacy was cut in two - the South was separated from the West. The Union controlled all trade on the Mississippi. -
Battle of Gettysburg
General Lee moved North and attacked Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lee lost. 28,000 Confederate forces were killed or wounded. This amounted to over one-third of Lee’s entire force. The Union army suffered about 23,000 casualties, but could better afford the losses. Gettysburg proved to be the turning point of the war. The Union’s victory ensured that Britain would not give aid to theConfederacy. For the rest of the war, Lee’s forces fought on the defensive, slowly giving ground to the Union army. -
Battle of Atlanta
Sherman (Union) sent his troops south around Atlanta, Georgia to cut the roads and railways leading into the city. After taking over Atlanta, Sherman then ordered his troops to destroy everything that could help the Confederacy, including mills, factories, railroads, and warehouses. They set fire to most of the city. -
Battle of Mobile Bay
Farragut (Union) took 18 ships into Mobile Bay in Alabama. As the fleet headed into the bay, a mine—which in the 1860s was called a torpedo—blew up a Union ship. The explosion brought the fleet to a halt, right in front of a Confederate fort’s guns. “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead !” cried Farragut, whose ship led the way through the minefield. Farragut destroyed a Confederate fleet defending Mobile Bay. Now, if the Confederates wanted to trade by sea, they could only use ports in Texas. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
On November 15, 1864, Sherman began his March to the Sea. His troops cut a path of destruction through Georgia that was, in places, 60 miles wide. They ransacked houses, burned crops, and killed cattle. They left nothing behind that could feed or help the
Confederate troops. By December 21, 1864, they had reached the coast and seized the city of Savannah. After reaching the sea, Sherman turned his troops north burned his way into South Carolina. Sherman’s march demoralized Southerners. -
Appomattox Courthouse
Lee’s desperate attempt to escape Union forces in Virginia failed when the Union cavalry got ahead of Lee’s troops and blocked the roads. When his troops failed to break through, Lee sadly observed, “[T]here is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant (Union), and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” With his battered troops surrounded and outnumbered, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.
