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Fort Sumter
When the South Succeeded, they took possession of all forts on their land except for Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens. The fort wasn’t very good strategically but was a symbol of national unity. The Confederates ordered evacuation of the fort but Lincoln refused. In response the South bombed the fort on April 12th for 34 hours until Maj. Anderson surrendered. While the troops marched out to a gun salute an explosion occurred killing the only person in the conflict. The shelling of the fort caused -
First Bull Run
On July 16th Union Gen McDowell marched 35,000 men out of the capital to attack Gen Beaurgard’s 20,000-man unit. Beauregard’s spies found out about the attack and he got 11,000 reinforcements from Gen. Johnston. The two forces fought at Bull Run on July 21st while more rebels arrived. Eventually there was equal forces on each side (18K) and the Rebels advanced and the North retreated. The resulting deaths were 3,000 North, and 1,750 South. This showed the Union it wouldn't be an easy war. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
The South took the Northern steam frigate Merrimack and remade it into an ironclad warship (CSS Virginia). The Virginia and several Confederate ships destroyed a Union fleet of wooden ships. On March 9th the North's iron ship The Monitor battled the Virginia. The battle is generally considered a Northern victory. The battle ended the era of wooden naval ships and gave the South false belief that it could break the Union blockade. -
Battle of Shiloh
On April 6, 1862 the Confederate troops surprised General Grant by attacking Union troops in southwestern Tennessee. However, the Confederates were not able to hold their position resulting in a Union victory. Soon afterwards, General Johnston attacked the Union army again (Battle of Shiloh). This battle ended on April 7th without very big results. However, it was a Confederate failure, because the Union regained a post that they had lost the previous day. -
Chancellorsville
The leaders were Gen. Hooker and Gen. Lee. Hooker had greater numbers but Lee negated this advantage by splitting his forces up and taking advantage of Hooker's lack of intiative. However this victory was bittersweet because Lee lost Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who was a trusted subordinate, because of accidental friendly fire. The North lost 17,278 men and the South lost 12,826 men. This battle gave Lee momentum to lead him to Gettysburg because of the North's retreat on May 6th. -
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign began when Lincoln appointed George B. McClellan as Chief of all Union armies. McClellan persuaded Lincoln to approve his plan to attack the Confederacy via the Chesapeake Bay. Many complications caused the union soldiers to move to Fort Monroe. In May 1862, McClellan finally ordered his troops to attack. In June 1862, the confederates won a series of skirmishes and gained an advantage which allowed them to take the offensive in Virginia. -
Second Bull Run
John Pope’s army was about to have his army united with the reinforcements. Lee decided that his army should attack Pope’s before this occurred. While Pope’s army was waiting for this, the confederates attacked a union supply base. Pope was infuriated and ordered his troops to attack. He sent small groups to attack in different places. The confederates moved position during the night causing Pope to become comfortable and attacked his army. This loss caused despair to roll across the north. -
Battle of Antietam
The leaders were Gen. Lee for the South and Gen McCellan for the North. The North greatly outnumbered the South 75,000 to 38,000. The North also found a copy of the South's battle plans but McCellan hesitated. They did punch a hole in the defense of the South but were stopped by Southern reinforcements. Because Gen. Lee retreated on the 18th the North considered this a victory and used it to justify the Emancipation Proclamation. The death count was 10,318 Southerners and 12,401 Northerners. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
After being appointed to general, Burnside moved 120,000 troops to the bank of the Rappahannock River but it was too deep to cross. The delay gave Gen. Lee time to dig in his forces on the other side of the river. When Union forces attacked, Lee's forces easily held their uphill postion. The North lost 13,000 men while the South only lost 5,000 men. As a result Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joesph Hooker. -
Gettysburg
After a huge victory at Chancellorsville, Lee decided to go on the attack and gain recognition of the Confederacy. In response, Gen. Meade marched to Lee's 75,000 troops. They took over Gettysburg and pushed the North to Cemetary Hill where they set up strong defenses. After 3 days of fighting Lee had lost many troops and had to retreat. The death toll was 23,000 Northeners and 28,000 Southerners. This battle turned the war in the Union's favor. -
Vicksburg
Union forces began planning to attack and capture Vicksburg Mississippi in the spring of 1862. Grant’s forces reached Grand Gulf on May 3, 1863 and prevented Confederate troops from linking up with Vicksburg forces. The Confederate troops attempted to escape but were forced into Vicksburg. On May 18, 1863 Union forces arrived at the rear of Vicksburg. In late June, the Union controlled all approaches to the city causing a Confederacy surrender and turning the war in the North's favor. -
Chickamauga
The North and South were fighting over a key railroad line in Chattanooga and Northern Gen. Rosecrans had pushed them out of there and gathered his troops at Chickamauga. Southern leader Braxton Bragg was sent reinforcements and decided to go offensive. He attacked and forced the North's retreat to Chattanooga but he had lost many troops and officers so the North was able to get back safely. Casualties were 16,000 Northeners and 20,000 Southerners. This gave the Union command of the area. -
Gettysburg Address
To honor the men who fought at Gettysburg, Lincoln gave a speech to remind everyone why we had to win the Civil War. It demonstrated his belief that the war wasn't just to save the Union but to gain freedom and equality for all. Even though it was originally given a mixed reception and was only 272 words long, today it is one of the most famous speeches ever. -
Battle of Wilderness
Over the winter of 1863 - 1864 Union and Confederate troops had engaged in battle near the Rapidan River. On May 4, 1864, General Grant commanded Union troops to attack General Robert E. Lee’s troops via the Wilderness, a dense forest like area. The battle lasted for three days and was a very violent, chaotic, and fiery battle due to its location in dense woodlands. On May 7th, 1864, the third and final day of battle, their was still no victor. This battle led to the Battle of Spotsylvania. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
General Grant wants to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond in order to keep the Confederacy out of northern Virginia while Union troops advance into Georgia. After the battle of Wilderness, union troops and confederate troops went to Spotsylvania Courthouse where 12 days of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil war occurred. On May 21st, the Confederates retreated. With an extremely large amount of casualties on each side, there was no clear winner. -
Mobile Bay Battle
The naval battle in Mobile Bay that occurred in August 1864 ended in a victory for the Union. The Union’s motive in attacking was that Mobile Bay was the most important Confederate port left on the Gulf of Mexico and seizing it would result in an extremely large lack of supplies for Confederate troops. The confrontations at the port began on August 5, 1864 and ended on August 23, 1864 and may have been the deciding factor in the Union victory of the civil war. -
Sherman's March
On September 2, 1864 the Union captured Atlanta in hopes of accessing the Gulf of Mexico and Charleston. After the capture of Atlanta, Confederate troops began attacking Union supply lines. The Union then split into two groups to attack the Confederacy in Nashville and Savannah. In the midst of all of this, Confederate and Union soldiers were wreaking havoc across Georgia. The union ended up being victorious. They destroyed southern morale and cut off provisions to Confederate troops. -
Appomattox
At the Appotomax Court House, Virginia, Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant. Lee had retreated from Richmond, Virginia and was hoping to rendezvous with other Southern forces to continue fighting. However, Union troops cut him off forcing him to give up. This basically ended the civil war after the four years of fighting. -
Petersburg Campaign
The Petersburg Campaign was a group of battles that occurred in Virginia that ended with the union winning the civil war. It began in September 1864 when General Grant captured Fort Harrison but by the end of the year, the Confederacy was still holding its ground. It wasn’t until March 1865 that the Union pushed the Confederacy back at the Battle of Fort Stedman. Soon after the Battle of Fort Stedman, General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9th, 1865. -
Lincoln's Assassination / Associated Events
On April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in the head at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. Lincoln died from the wound the next day, April 15th. Booth was killed by Union soldiers shortly afterward on April 26th thus concluding the main events associated with President Lincoln’s assassination. The assassination led to Andrew Johnson becoming one of the worst presidents in history and being impeached less than a year later.
