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CIVIL WAR
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Battle of Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter was the beginning of the civil war, between the Union and the South. George S. James from Virginia, fired a mortar shell over the harbor, and exploded over Fort Sumter, signifying the beginning of the war. The only casualty of this battle was a member of the union, when a cannon exploded prematurely while firing a salute during the evacuation -
Battle of Bull Run
This was the first full scale battle of the civil war. General McDowell for the Union, tried flanking confederate forces by crossing Bull Run. There were 2,950 casualties for the Union, and only 1,750 casualties for the Confederates, which led to McDowell to retreat back to Washington D.C. Lincoln was not impressed with McDowell, so he fired him and appointed General George McClellan head of the Army of Potomac -
Battle of Shiloh
The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield is located between a church named Shiloh and Pittsburg Landing, which is on the Tennessee River. The Union had 13,047 casualties, and the Confederates had 10,694 casualties, leading to a Confederate victory -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Second Bull Run marked the culmination of a summer of successes for the main Confederate field army in the east. The Army of Northern Virginia had defeated the Union Army of the Potomac outside of Richmond then proceeded to almost destroy the Army of Virginia on the fields near Bull Run. The Union had 13,830 casualties, while the Confederates only had 8,350 casualties, resulting in yet another victory for the Confederacy -
The Battle of Antietam
The battle began when McClellan had his guys reign heavy assaults on Lee and his army. The Union outnumbered the Confederate army almost 2 to 1, which finally ended up to Lee to retreat across the Potomac. There were a combined 23,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in American History. The Union victory also led Lincoln to announce the Emancipation of Proclamation -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Confederates, led by Robert E Lee, picked up another huge victory against the Union in this bloody battle. This battle is also significant because Stonewall Jackson, who was a General for the Confederates and had major victories, was mortally wounded by his own troop -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederates won the first day of the war. On the second day, Lee kept applying the offensive pressure, which later on he got greatly criticized for. On the last day, Lee attempted an offensive attack known as the Picketts Charge, which was not his original plan to lead this attack. It was a complete failure, and nearly half his men became casualties. Nearly one third of the entire Confederate army fell, and one third of his generals also fell. This was a major victory for the Union Army -
The Battle of Chickamauga
This battle was the largest Confederate victory in the west. The Confederates heavily outnumbered the Union, and easily broke through the Union defense lines. Even though the Confederates won, they lost around 20% of its force in battle, and couldn’t gain any real momentum after this win -
The Battle of Wilderness
At this time of the war, Ulysses S Grant was in charge for the Union. Grant was trying to invade and take over the capital city of Richmond. The war lasted 3 days, and no side could advance or gain any advantages. It ended in a stalemate, even though the Un ion had 7,000 more casualties than the Confederates -
The Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse
This was the second major battle that’s was led by Ulysses S Grant. There was no clear winner, and both sides claimed they had won the battle. The Confederacy thought they won because they were able to hold their defenses, and the Union because they inflicted severe damage to Lee’s army. Grant ordered his men to continue their march to the south