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The Civil War
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Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was a Union stronghold in SC. Confederate troops demanded that the fort be evacuated. When this was refused, the Confederates opened fire on the fort on April 12th. Within 34 hours, the Union surrendered the fort. There was only one casualty – an explosion after surrender that was coincidental. For the rest of the war, the Confederates constantly defended the fort, which was more or less destroyed. -
The Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle at Bull Run was fought at near Washington, D.C., with a Confederate win. This made the Northerners, who thought that the war would be a quick win for them, worry that that might not be the case. It also filled the Southerners that they could win quickly, also. There were 3,000 Union casualties and 1,750 Confederate casualties. -
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads was a naval battle fought between the Monitor (Union) and the Merrimack CSS Virginia (Confederate). It was the first naval battle fought between two iron ships. It was won by the Merrimack when it hit the Monitor’s pilothouse. The battle showed that there would be no more wooden navies and the Confederates got their hopes up that they could take down the Union Blockade. -
Shiloh
In the Battle of Shiloh – or the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing – the Confederates sprung a surprise attack on Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s forces in TN. However, they were forced back, and the Union one. There was a total of 23,000 casualties, without about 10.000 on each side, making in one of the bloodiest Civil War battles. -
Antietam
Antietam was fought by the Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, making it the first battle fought on Northern soil. The battle didn’t have a winner, but 22,000 died that day, making it the bloodiest day in American history. This gave Lincoln the chance to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Fredricksburg
The main reason why the Union lost this battle was because of miscommunications between the Union generals and commanders. Due to delayed messages, the Union wasted time while the Confederate had plenty of time to get into posistions for the upcoming battle. Union Gen. Burnside took responsibility for the loss. The Union suffered 13,000 casualties, while the South merely 5,000. -
Chancellorsville
Chancellorsville was fought from April 30th to May 6th, in the Wilderness region of Virginia. Lee demonstrates his battlefield genius in this, splitting his troops and going on the offensive. It was a fantastic win on the Confederate side, with 12,826 casualties for the Confederates and 17,278 Union casualties. A great loss for the Confederates however, was Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Lee’s subordinate, who was mortally wounded during battle. -
Vicksburg
After Chancellorsville, the Union cracked down, capturing several Confederate forts, Memphis, and New Orleans. The capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi would allow them control of the Mississippi River. Gen. Grant marched his troops down and across the river. From there, they went northeast, stopping a small Confederate army from going to Vicksburg. When the Vicksburg troops went to meet the captured army, the Union chased them back to Vicksburg, where they deployed the siege method until July 4th, -
Gettysburg
The Union and the Confederate collided in a midst of gunfire and smoke in the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In the total of the 3 days the battle took place during, 23,000 Union men were killed or wounded, while the South had 28,000 casualties – more than 1/3 of Lee’s Army. The victory provided joy to Northerners, while the South wept for its loss. This victory, along with the victory at Vicksburg the next day, gave Northerners hope for the war. -
Chickamauga
The battle of Chickamauga was located in Chickamauga, Georgia, twelve miles outside of Chattanooga. There were around 20,000 Confederate casualties and 16,000 Union casualties. The Union won this battle, allowing them access to Chattanooga. After the battle, the Confederates attempted to put the city siege, but General Grant got reinforcements and took it for the Union. -
Battle of the Wilderness
The next move on Grant’s part – who had been appointed commander-in-chief of all Union armies – was to capture Richmond, the Confederate capitol. They planned to slip through the wooded area called the Wilderness to get behind the Confederate army guarding the city. However they met the Union in the woods and for two days they fought. The confusion of the area overpowered the soldiers, and the fighting was chaotic until the morning of May 7th. The Union had 17,500 casualties. -
Spotsylvania
The battle of Spotsylvania was fought in General Grant’s attempt to get to Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capitol. Spotsylvania Court House was on the road to Richmond, and it was there that the Union fought to keep the Confederates from getting to Richmond. Both sides lost significant amounts of soldiers, but there was no winner of this battle, only many losses. -
Sherman's March
Union Gen. Sherman captured the Confederate city of Atlanta on September 2nd, 1864. The city provided the army with food, weapons, and other goods. From there, he marched his troops across Georgia to Savannah, destroying Southern farms, food, animals, and skirmishing with small Confederate cavalries. When they reached Savannah, the city was unguarded, and they took it with ease. In early 1865, the Sherman’s troops burned their way to Charleston, SC. They had achieved their goal – terminating Con -
The Petersburg Campaign
The Petersburg Campaign were several Union operations revolving around Richmond and Petersburg, two Confederate cites. The Southern railroad was a disaster and soldiers were starving, ill, and immobilized. Gen. Grant then drove the Confederate back with his 120,000 troops, crushing them. Lee informed Confederate President Jefferson Davis that the cities could no longer be held. Both were evacuated and the Confederate surrendered on April 9th to Gen. Grant at Appomattox Court House. -
The Assasination of Lincoln
Only 5 days after the end of the war, tragedy struck when President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play. Lincoln died later in the night. Booth was caught by Union soldiers in Virginia on April 26th, and was shot. His accomplices were executed later in the year. Lincoln's body was put on a train, going from New York to Illinois. Thousands gathered at the railroads to watch the procession.
