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Major Battles
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Battle of Cheat Mountain
This was the first battle General Robert E Lee was apart of in the civil war. He was tasked with fighting Union General Joseph Reynolds defenses in western Virginia . Lee could not break through and was called back home. Union casualties were 88 and the Confederates were 120. -
Second Battle of Bull Run (Battle of Second Manassas)
Robert E Lee split his army in two. One led by Stonewall Jackson and one led by James Longstreet. Lee sent Jackson around the Union army to cut off their supply in which he succeeded. Then the two armies attacked at Manassas. The South had an army of 55,097 and the North had 61,430. The South won and suffered 9,474 casualties while the North suffered 14,462 -
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Seven Days Battles
The seven days battles were a series of battles that happened over 7 days. Robert E Lee drove the invading army of the Potomac away from Richmond and into a retreat down the Virginia peninsula. The North suffered 15,000 casualties and the South suffered 19,000 but it was still a victory for the South. -
Beaver Dam Creek
Apart of the seven days battles Lee advanced on general McClellans right flank when fighting broke out. The Union was able to hold them back but then Confederate reinforcements showed up. Then Stonewall Jackson pushed back the Union. This was considered a Union victory though. The Union lost 361 people and the Confederates lost 1,484 -
Maryland Campaign and Battle of Antietam
After Lee beat back the Union from Richmond in 1862 he invaded Maryland. Lee captured a Union garrison ay Harpers Ferry then he was driven from the battlefield at South Mountain and ended up at Antietam Creek. Lee managed to foil Union General McClellans cautious pursuit causing McClellan to lose his job. The North counted this as a victory sense they drove Lee back which is when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The South lost 13,922 people and the Union lost 27,979. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
On December 13th the Union sent six divisions across an open field into Lee’s well fortified line causing a slaughter of Union forces. The army size for the South was 72,500 and the North had 114,000. The casualties for the South were 5,377 and the Union lost 12,353 -
Chancellorsville Campaign (The Battle of Chancellorsville)
The Army of the Potomac had reorganized from their defeat at Fredericksburg. Joseph Hooker the general of the Potomac said he had “the finest Army on the Planet,”. He had a plan to turn into the left flank of Lee’s army. Lee divided his army sending Stonewall Jackson to go around Hookers right side and forced him to retreat. Jackso was killed by his own men during the fighting. The casualties of the South were 1,724 and the Union had 1,694. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Lee had hoped of relieving pressure on Virginia and defeating the Army of the Potomac on northern soil to hurt Northern morale. The Union collided with the Confederates at Gettysburg. The climax of the battle happened on July 3 with a doomed confederate charge called Pickett’s Charge. After this battle the Army of Northern Virgina was never again an offensive force. And Lee’s image of invincibility was lost. The North lost 3,155 and 5,365 went missing. The South lost 4,427 and 5,592 missing. -
Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse
While General Grant was marching to Richmond they were stopped at Spotsylvania Courthouse and over the course of two weeks multiple battles happened. Grant tried repeatedly to break through the Confederates line but failed. Grant decided to disengage and continue to march South. The Union lost 18,000 people and the Confederates lost 12,000 -
Petersburg Campaign
This campaign was about the Union taking Petersburg a supply center for Richmond(Virginia’s capital) This was a collection of battles like the battle of the crater and a lot of smaller skirmishes and pushes on General Lee’s fortifications. Lee was gradually losing to Grant. Then the last of Lee’s defenses fell on April 2, 1865. Within a week Lee would surrender. The Union lost 42,000 people and the Confederates lost 28,000 -
Battle of the Crater
This battle was because the Union wanted to break Confederate defenses south of Petersburg. For weeks Pennsylvania miners dug a long tunnel and then packed it with explosives and then blew it up. The Union then sent in a division into the crater which made them perfect targets for the Confederates. The Union lost 3,800 and the Confederates lost 1,500. The battle was a Confederate victory