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Fort Sumpter
General Beauregard demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumpter in Charleston Harbor. On April12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort. At 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumpter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. One Union artillerist was killed and three wounded when a cannon exploded prematurely while firing a salute during the evacuation on April 14. -
First Bull Run/ First Manassas
The untried Union army under Irvin McDowell marched from Washington against the Confederate army, which was drawn up behind Bull Run beyond Centreville. McDowell crossed at Sudley Ford and attacked the Confederate left flank on Matthews Hill. By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington. This battle convinced the Lincoln administration that the war would be a long and costly affair. -
Ball's Bluff
General Nathan "Shanks" Evans stopped a badly coordinated attampt by Union forces under General Charles P. Stone to cross the Potomac at Harrison's Island and captured Leesburg. A counterattack drove the Federals over the bluff and into the river.More than 700 Federals were captured.Edward D. Baker was killed. -
Fort Henry
Fort Henry, a Confederate earthen fort on the Tennessee River with outdated guns, was partially inundated and the river threatened to flood the rest. Grant landed his divisions in two different locations. Andrew H. Fooe's seven gunboats bombarded the fort. After the fall of Fort Donelson, ten days later, the two major water transportation routes in the Confederate west, bounded by the Appalachians and Mississippi River, Became Union highways for movement of troops and material. -
Fort Donelson
After the capture of Fort Henry, Grant advanced cross- country to invest Fort Donelson. On February 16, 1862, after the failure of their all-out attack aimed at breaking through Grant's investment lines. Grant recieved a promotion a major general for his victory and attained stature in the Western Theater, earning the nom de guerre "Unconditional Surrender". -
Shiloh
As a result of Forts Henry and Donelson, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, the commander in the area, was forced to fall back, giving up Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee. Attacking the Union troops on the morning of the 6th, the Confederates surprised them, routing many. Some Federals made determined stands and by afternoon, they had established a battle line at the sunken road, known as the "Hornets Nest". -
Anteitam
George McClellan confronted Lee's Army of Northern Virigina at Sharpsburg, Maryland. The next day, Hooker's corps mounted a powerful assult on Lee's left flaup nk that began the single bloodiest day in American military history. Union assults against the Sunken Road eventually pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the river. -
Chancellorsville
On April 27, Joseph Hooker led the V, XI, and XII Corps on a campaign to turn the Confederate left flank by crossing the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers above Fredericsburg. At 5:20 pm, Jackson's line surged forward in an overwhelming attack that crushed the Union XI Corps. On the night of May 5-6, after Union reverses at Salem Church, Hooker recrossed to the north bank of the Rappahannock. This battle was considered by many historians to be Lee's greatest victory. -
Vicksburg
Grant's armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton's army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effictively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, making him the General-in-Chief of the Union armies. -
Fredericksburg
Burnside sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg. On December 11, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges accross the Rappahannock under fire. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over, and on December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assults on Prospect Hill and Marye's Heights that resulted in staggering casulties. Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. -
The Wilderness
The Union V Corps attacked Ewell's Corps on the Orange Turnpike, while A.P. Hill's corps during the afternoon encountered Getty's Divison (VI Corps) and Hancock's II Corps on the Plank Road. Longstreet's Corps arrived in time to revent the collapse of the Confederate right flank. On May 7, the Federals advanced by the left flank toward the crossroads of Spotsylvaina Courthouse. -
Cold Harbor
Sheridan's cavalry seized the vital crossroads of Old Cold Harbor. Late on June 1, the Union VI andXVIII Corps reached Cold Harbor and assaulted the Confederate works with some success. By June 2, both armies were on the field, forming on a seven-mile front that extended from Bethesda Church to the Chickahominy River. On June 15, the rest of the army began crossing on a 2,200-foot long pontoon bridge at Weyanoke. -
Appomattox Courthouse
The remnants of John Broun Gordon's corps and Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry formed line of battle at Appomattox Court House. Lee determined to make one last attempt to escape the closing Union pincers and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. At dawn the Confederates advanced, initially gaining ground against Sheridan's cavalry. Lee's army was now surrounded on three sides. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9. This was the final engagement of the war in Virgina.