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The First Battle of Fort Sumter
When the Fort Sumter was resupplied on April 12th, Confederate troops began shelling it from the mainland. The bombardment lasted for 34 hours striaght, until the Union soldiers surrendered. Surprisingly, no soldiers on either side were killed by enemy fire. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major land battle of the war. It occurred near Manassas, Virginia. Union forces from Washington, DC totaling 28,450, under the command of General Irvin McDowell, attempted to surprise 32,230 Confederate troops. The Union suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. This is the battle that earned "stonewall" Jackson his name. -
Battle of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
Both of these battles happened in the same month 10 miles apart from eachother. The Confederate’s Fort Henry fell on Feb 5th, General Ulysses S. Grant‘s troops and 7 gunboats from the Union began shelling the fort. The Confederate troops evacuated Fort Henry and moved to Fort Donelson 10 miles away, and Grant’s troops followed them. Union casualties were 2,331 while the Confederacy suffered more than 15,000. The Union could now head south through Tennessee. This was the Unions first victory -
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack
The Battle of Hampton Roads was the most famous and well-known naval battle of the Civil War. It was also the first battle between two ironclad ships, the Monitor and the Merrimack. In the end neither side was declaired the winner. But this battle got nationwide attenion and also revolutionized how warships were build. -
Battle and Capture of New Orleans
The Capture of New Orleans by Union forces was a major turning point in the war. New Orleans was the Confederacy’s largest city, and, given its location at the mouth of the Mississippi River, a trading location with a powerful and economical port. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the first battle of the war to take place on Northern soil. It was the the bloodiest day in the American Civil War, with a total of over 23,000 casualties including more than 4,800 killed. Americans were killed on this day than on any other day in American military history. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. It proclaimed the freedom of the 3.1 million slaves in the Confederate States of America. This enraged the south and turned this into a total war to destroy the Old South. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the war, with a total of over 46,000 casualties – nearly 8,000 of which were killed.
It lasted 3 days and it was know as the turning point in the war. -
Abraham Lincoln was re-elected
Sherman’s victory in Atlanta boosted Lincoln’s popularity and helped him win re-election. This was a very important moment in the war. -
Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse
After evacuating Richmond, General Lee’s troops were soon surrounded, and on April 7, Grant called Lee to surrender. On April 9, the two commanders met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender.
