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Period: to
Civil War Era
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The Petersburg Campaign
April 12, 1861-April 14, 1861
The Petersburg Campaign took place at Fort Sumter, when Union troops refused to evacuate the fort. Confederate troops therefore opened fire, and Anderson was forced to surrender after only 34 hours of shelling. The fort was evacuated by federal troops on April 14 to a gun salute; the only death occurred on the 50th round of a 100 gun salute when an accidental explosion happened. The outcome of this was that the Union was stirred up and its morale raised. -
First Battle of Bull Run
July 21, 1861-July 21, 1861(afternoon)
The First Battle of Bull Run seemed to be an easy Union victory at the beginning. Civilians watching nearby cheered for the Union when they pushed back the Confederates in a morning charge. However, when reinforcements arrived, the Confederates managed to break through the Union’s line and win. The outcome of this battle was that President Lincoln removed McDowell from command and in his place put George B. McClellan. -
Hampton Roads
On March 8, 1862, the Confederate ironclad Virginia which was under the command of Franklin Buchanan, steamed into Hampton Roads where it sank the Cumberland. On March 9, the Union ironclad Monitor, which was under the command of John Worden, by luck arrived to battle. The two ships fought each other to a standstill, but Virginia retired. The battle of Hampton Roads would forever change the way people fought on water and made wooden boats completely uses for fighting. -
Battle of Shiloh
April 6, 1862-April 7, 1862
The Battle of Shiloh was initiated by the Confederates; it was a surprise attack on the Union who were currently occupying Fort Henry, which they had recently take from the Confederates. To the Union’s surprise, the Confederates launched an attack before reinforcements could reach the Union. Although the Confederates had initial successes, in the end they were defeated; however, both sides suffered heavy casualties. The outcome was the Union reoccupied the fort. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Vicksburg was the last of the South's major cities. Early Spring of 1862, Grant and his troops marched across the river and headed north to try and capture it. On May 18, Grant arrived in Vicksburg and cornered Pemberton's troops. They then surrendered the city on July 4. This was the turning point of the war for the North! -
Battle of Antietam
On September 17, the North and South collided in Sharpsburg, Maryland starting the bloodiest battle of the Civil War with 22,000 plus casualties. The South came planned to use many advanced attack strategies to weaken the North. However, they were not prepared for the power that Union troops fought with. Confederates retreated on September 18. This major win was enough for Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and later win more battles. -
Fredericksburg
Before the defeat in 1862, President Lincoln offered Ambrose Burnside the chance twice to be in charge of the Union’s Army of the Potomac because of the frustration with the current commander. Burnside planned to attack the confederates, although due to a miscommunication between him and Henry Halleck, the Confederates won. The Battle of Fredericksburg caused William Seward and Salmon Chase to try to resign, but Lincoln didn’t let them, though he did replace Ambrose Burnside with Joseph Hooker -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Abraham Lincoln was forced to make a difficult decision. Fort Sumter needed to be resupplied and was located in South Carolina, the state that had just recently seceded from the Union. For Lincoln, this was a win-win situation. If he had the fort resupplied and the south attacked, they would start the war. If they didn’t attack, the fort would be refilled. The South shot the first shot on April 12. On April 14, the fort was evacuated and the North and South continued fighting. -
Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought from April 30, 1864 to May 6 1864. Confederate General Robert E. Lee strongly led the troops to fight the Union army twice the size of them. People were shocked when General Lee decided to split his army in half and fight. General Lee fought his best defensive battle and was able to come up with some elaborate battlefield tactics to defeat the north. After losing 17,278 men, on May 6 the Confederates won. They then left to fight in Gettysburg. -
Gettysburg
May 1863 Lee had a victory over the Union that gave him courage to go on the attack, which was a mistake. Confederate forces came from the West & North, pushing Union soldiers to Cemetery Hill. After an artillery attack, Lee had a last charge (Pickett’s Charge), that only caused Lee severe casualties. Lee waited for the Union to retaliate, they never did, so Lee retreated. This turned the war in favor of the North & crushed hopes in the South. Lee offered his resignation, but was rejected. -
Battle of Chickamauga
September 19, 1863-September 20, 1863
The first day of fighting proved inconclusive, with heavy losses on both sides. The Confederates continued to be offensive the entire battle;but when they managed to catch a lucky break after the initial charge they failed to follow through. The Union took a stand until a reserve division came and they could retreat. In the end, the Confederates didn't win, since they failed to finish the job. The outcome was Thomas was promoted to brigadier general. -
Battle of Wilderness
May 4, 1846-May 7, 1846
The Battle of the Wilderness was just that: fought among the trees, which made it hard for soldiers to maintain an orderly line. After the first day, the battle proved to be inconclusive; little had been gained for either side. At the end of the second day, the Union had suffered heavy losses due to a morning charge by the rebels. The outcome of this battle is described as a strategic win for the Union, as the Confederates lost more men percentage wise than the Union. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
Before the attack on bloody angle, Ulysses S. Grant sent a cable to Washington that said he would “fight it out on this line if it takes all summer”. Grant wanted to keep Lee’s army busy while General William T. Sherman’s army would charge into Georgia. The Union would attack the “Mule Shoe” for the next 12 days. This battle would have about 18,000 Union and 11,000 Confederate casualties. This battle weakened the Confederate’s army so much that they had to spread their soldiers out thinner. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
On September 2 of 1864, General Sherman and his Union troops captured the Confederate’s industrial capitol, Atlanta. General Sherman sent half of his troops to go and fight in the west and sent the other half on a march to Georgia. In the end, the Union was able to use the Confederate’s supplies from the city that they captured, giving them a huge advantage and was why they won the war. On December 21, 1864 Union troops went to take control of Savannah when the Confederates surrendered. -
Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes-Booth wanted to kid-nap and take Lincoln to Richmond. But the plans failed & the Union was getting closer to winning the war, now desperate to help the Confederates, he wanted to kill Lincoln, his V.P, & Sec. of state. Murdering successors would put the government into a state of disarray. Booth did this on April 14, 1865, he shot his gun into the back of Lincoln’s head, he died at 7 AM. This deepened the North’s hatred for the South & let extreme Republicans punish the south more.
