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Fort Sumter. Charleston, SC (Confederate Victory)
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the American Civil War. The intense Confederate artillery bombardment of Major Robert Anderson’s small Union garrison in the unfinished fort in the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina, had been preceded by months of siege-like conditions. During the secession crisis that followed President Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860, many threats were made to Federal troops occupying forts in the South. 0 deaths. Confederate General Beauregard -
First Bull Run Manassas, VA (Confederate Victoru)
The First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) was the first major land-based confrontation of the American Civil War. The Union army commander in Washington, Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, gave in to great pressure to begin campaigning before his men’s 90-day enlistments expired, although he did not feel the army was adequately trained yet, leading to a stunning Confederate victory and ending northern hopes of a quick end to the war. Casualits: Union: 2,700, Confederate: 2,000. -
Fort Henry & Fort Donelson-Tenn. (Union Victory)
The Battle of Fort Henry was the first significant Union victory of the American Civil War. Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant’s success here, along with his victory at Fort Donelson, paved the way for the Union to capture Nashville, Tennessee near the end of February. The fighting at Fort Henry also marked the first combat involving ironclad gunboats during the Civil War. Casualties: Union: 40, Confederate: 80. The Confederate leadership in the Western Theater was under General Albert. S. -
Battle of Hampton Roads (Monitor v. Merrimca) (Inconclusive Victory)
The Battle of Hampton Roads, aka the Battle of the Ironclads (Monitor and Merrimack), was fought March 8-9, 1862 near Hampton Roads, Virginia. It is the most famous naval battle of the American Civil War, pitting the nation’s first ironclad ships against each other. On March 8, 1862 the CSS Virginia was commandeered by Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan to take on the USS Cumberland off the coast of Newport News, Virginia. Casualties Union:500, Confederate:100. Union Genral Louis M. Goldsborough. -
Shiloh, Tenn. (Union Victory)
The Battle of Shiloh (Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7,1862, in southwestern Tennessee not far from Corinth, Mississippi. General Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of Confederate forces in the Western Theater, hoped to defeat Union major general Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee before it could be reinforced by Maj.Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio, which was marching from Nashville.Casualties Union: 13,000, Confederate: 10,700. Nicknamed the "Hornets nest" -
Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign (Confederate Victory)
In 1862, Confederate General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson recognized the significance of the Shenandoah Valley when he remarked, 'If this valley is lost, Virginia is lost!' Stonewall Jackson at his best. Using speed and superior tactics Jackson is able to defeat several larger Union armies by never allowing them to combine and constantly moving faster than his opponents expect, This campaign cements his reputation as one of the South’s best generals. Union -7,000 Confed -3,000. -
The Seven Days Near Richmond,VA (Confederate Victory)
Fought outside Richmond, this series of battles was Robert E. Lee’s first big victory over the North. During the course of the week Lee, even though outnumbered, attacked the Union general, George McLellan, so furiously that the Union army was forced to retreat back to Washington. Union - 15,849 Confed- 20,141. -
Second Bull Run Manassas, VA (Confederate Victory)
The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Battle of Manassas) was fought August 28–30, 1862, during the American Civil War. It was much larger in scale and in the number of casualties than the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) fought in July 1861. Fought on almost the same field as the first battle of Bull Run, this was a complete victory for the South. Robert E. Lee further cemented his reputation as a great general. The Union commander, John Pope, was completely defeated. U-16,0854 C-9,197. -
Antietam Sharpsburg, MD (Union Victory) (Union-12,401 Confed-10,138)
One of only two major battles fought in the North and the bloodiest day of the war. Robert E. Lee had invaded Maryland and hope the state would defect to the South. This failed to happen and Lee was pinned down at Antietam Creek by Gen. McLellan. The Union victory forced Lee back to the South. It also gave Lincoln the good news he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves in areas not controlled by the Union. The engagement remains the bloodiest day in American history -
Battle of Perryville (Union Victory)
Confederate General Braxton Bragg lead his army into Kentucky in an attempt to regain control of eastern Tennessee and possibly bring Kentucky into the Confederacy. Fought to a draw by the Union army Bragg was forced to withdraw and Confederate hopes for Kentucky were dashed.The troops suffered from a severe drought that plagued central Kentucky.The Union army doggedly continued the march to Perryville in the heat and dust of that drought-stricken October. Casualities, Union-3,700 Confed-3,000. -
Fredericksburg, VA (Confederate Victory)
Union general Ambrose Burnside learned the folly of attacking an entrenched enemy with a frontal assault. Robert E. Lee was dug in at the top of a hill called Marye’s Heights and he was able to repel 14 Union assaults. The screams of wounded Union soldiers could be heard from the base of the heights but the soldiers were unable to help their fallen comrades. Casualties: Union-12,600; Confederate - 5,300. -
Chancellorsville, VA (Confederate Victory) (Union-17,000; Confed-12,800)
The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30–May 6, 1863, resulted in a Confederate victory that stopped an attempted flanking movement by Maj. Gen. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker’s Army of the Potomac against the left of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The Southern victory was diminished by the loss of Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, mortally wounded by his own men who mistook him and his staff for Union cavalry, a loss that would have far-reaching effects on the Civil War. -
Vicksburg, Miss (Campaign) (Union Victory) (Union-9000. Confed 9000)
This siege, which had Ulysses Grant bogged down for 3 months was one of the most important victories in the west. The fortress of Vicksburg was the key to the last Confederate held stretch of the Mississippi. With its defeat the Confederacy was split in two by that mighty river. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the significance of the town situated on a 200-foot bluff above the Mississippi River. "Vicksburg is the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket. -
Gettysburg, PA (Union Victory)
The turning point of the war. After his successes at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Lee invaded the North again. After trying to break the Union lines for two days he tries a frontal assault on the entrenched Union forces. “Pickett’s Charge” as this is known fails and Lee retreats back to Virginia. Never again would the South have a chance to win the war or threaten the North. Casualties U- 23000 C-28000. -
Chickamauga, GA (Confederate Victory) (Union- 16000, Confed- 18500)
The Battle of Chickamauga in North Georgia was the largest battle fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It is second only to the Battle of Gettysburg in the number of casualties. A huge victory for the Confederate forces. One of the few times they were on the attack. A large Union army was routed by Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet. The only person that avoided total disaster for the Union was Gen. George Thomas, who earned a nickname for the way in which he held his troops. -
Chattanooga, Tenn (Union Victory) (Union- 5800, Confed- 6600)
The Battle Of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an important Union victory in the The Civil War. The city was a vital rail hub that, once taken, became the gateway for later campaigns in the Deep South, including the capture of Atlanta and Sherman’s March to the Sea. A Confederate soldier called the Battle of Chattanooga "the death knell of the Confederacy." Ulysses Grant defeated the confederates of Braxton Bragg and opened the way for a full scale attack on Atlanta by General Sherman. -
The Wilderness, VA (Draw) (Union- 17500, Confed- 10500)
Ulysses Grant’s first confrontation with Robert E. Lee. Although Lee outmaneuvered Grant and won Draw the battle he was unable to halt Grant’s army from advancing towards Richmond. This battle, in thick woods and brush, saw some of the most horrific fighting of the war. The Battle of the Wilderness began Lt. Gen Ulysses S. Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign against the Confederate army of Northern Virginia that ultimately, after many weeks and casualties, forced Gen. Robert E. Lee’s to retreat. -
Spotsylvania, VA (Draw)
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was fought May 8 – May 21, 1864 as part of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Grant continued his drive towards Richmond. Although Grant’s casualties were higher, he could afford to lose the troops while Lee could not. Grant knew this and used it to his advantage. Casualties, Union- 18400, Confed- 13400 -
Cold Harbor, VA (Confederate Victory) (Union- 12000, Confed 4000)
The Battle of Cold Harbor occurred June 12, 1864, just outside of the Confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia. Cold Harbor was the final battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign, which began in early May 1864 with the Battle of the Wilderness. The main part of the Battle of Cold Harbor was a frontal assault on Confederate lines that ended in nearly 7,000 Union casualties which were lost in as 10 minutes. It was one of the most brutal confrontations of the war. -
Atlanta, GA (Union Victory)
The Battle of Atlanta was fought on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman, wanting to neutralize the important rail and supply hub, defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John B. Hood. After ordering the evacuation of the city, Sherman burned most of the buildings in the city, military or not. After taking the city, Sherman headed south toward Savannah, beginning his Sherman’s March To The Sea. Union- 31700 Confed- 34900. -
Sherman’s March to the Sea (Confederate Victory)
Union general Ambrose Burnside learned the folly of attacking an entrenched enemy with a frontal assault. Robert E. Lee was dug in at the top of a hill called Marye’s Heights and he was able to repel 14 Union assaults. The screams of wounded Union soldiers could be heard from the base of the heights but the soldiers were unable to help their fallen comrades. Casualties: Union: 2100, Confed- 1000. From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers -
Petersburg, VA (Union Victory) (Union- 42000, Confed- 28000)
The Battle of Petersburg (aka Siege of Petersburg) was a series of battles around the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865. The fourth and final battle between Lee and Grant in 2 months. The siege of Petersburg spelled the end of the Confederacy. Lee finally halted Grant’s drive toward Richmond but could not defeat him. The eventual waiting game would be won by the North. Both sides dug elaborate trenches in a preview of WW I 50 years later. -
Appomattox, VA (Union Victory)
The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the Army of Northern Virginia’s final battle and was the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. Though the actual battle took place on April 9, 1865, it followed the 10-month Battle of Petersburg and concluded General Robert E. Lee’s thwarted retreat during the Appomattox Campaign. Lee’s surrender to Grant. The final chapter of the Civil War. By the time he surrendered he had less than 10,000 soldiers left. Casualties, Union- 1300, Confed- 28000.
