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First Battle of Bull Run - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run
Manassas Junction, Bull Run River, Virginia
Union General Irvin McDowell charging confederate General P.G.T Beauregard.
Lincoln ordered McDowell to lead an army of 35,000 volunteer soldiers against the 20,000 Confederate soldiers camped in Manassas. Despite the initial advantage, Confederate reinforcements evened out the numbers and even allowed the Confederates to push the Union back and force them into retreat. This battle gave the south a false hope of a swift conflict they could easily win. -
Battle of Fort Donelson - https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-donelson
Fort Donelson, Tennessee
Union Ulysses Grant vs. Confederate Simon Buckner
Grant led an offensive on Fort Donelson, which despite having enough support and arms to hold back the union quite well, Grant's continued attacks eventually lead to Buckner giving in to Unconditional Surrender. This victory ensured that Kentucky would stay with the Union and allowed the Union the opportunity to move into Tennessee through the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. -
Battle of New Orleans - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/union-captures-new-orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
Union David Farragut vs. Confederate Mansfield Lovell
In an attempt to hold off a Union invasion from the Mississippi, the Confederacy moved a huge force up from Louisiana, leaving it protected only by two forts and a small militia. In a surprise turn, the North attacked from the Gulf, plowed through the few defenses left, and forced Lovell to surrender. Losing Louisiana was a huge loss to the south, and gave the North access to 400 miles of Mississippi highway. -
Battle of Cold Harbor - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battles-of-cold-harbor
Boatswain's Swamp, Virginia
Union General George McClellan vs. Confederate Robert E. Lee
Lee went on the offensive against Union troops who had a defensive line set up behind the swamp. A series of coordinated attacks by Lee eventually succeeded in breaking the line and forcing the Union troops to retreat to the Chickahominy River. This was Lee's first major victory, and forced McClellan to abandon his attempts to seize Richmond. -
Battle of Donaldsville - https://americancivilwar.com/statepic/la/la013.html
Ascension Perish, Louisiana
Union Joseph Bullen vs Confederate Tom Green
An attempt by the Confederates to take Fort Butler, a step in retaking the Mississippi, though they failed miserably. Multiple obstructions blocked the Confederate assaults, as well as a Union gunship that shelled their armies. The Confederates continued to attack, resulting in more than 10 times as many casualties as the Union, which kept control over the fort, Donaldsville, and the Mussissippi. -
Second Battle of Bull Run - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/second-battle-of-bull-run
Manassas, Virginia
Union John Pope and George McClellan's army of the Potomac vs. Confederate General Robert E. Lee
The deciding battle in the Civil War in northern Virginia. Lee sent half his army to destroy a Union supply depot, hindering Pope's army before they attacked. Lee outnumbered Pope's army and, through heavy casualties on both sides, forced him to retreat to Washington and out of Virginia. -
Battle of Antietam - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-antietam
Antietam Creek, Maryland
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army of Northern Virginia against Union General George McClellan's army of the Potomac
Culmination of Lee's attempts to invade the North, a deadly battle crucial to the shaping of America's future. With 15,000 casualties in the first 8 hours, the Union army, twice as large as the Confederates, went on the offensive to defend Maryland from invasion. The Union fought off the Confederates, preventing a defeat on Union soil. -
Battle of Fredericksburg - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-fredericksburg
Rappahannock River, Virginia
Union Ambrose Burnside vs Confederate Robert E. Lee
Ambrose lead the now 120,000 man army of the Potomac in a two pronged attack at each flank of Lee's 80,000 man army of North Virginia. Despite Ambrose's greater numbers, his men were turned around on either side, although with a great number of casualties to the confederates. The defeat took a huge impact on the Union soldiers' morale, and brought a great morale boost to the Confederates after losing at Antietam. -
Battle of Chancellorsville - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-chancellorsville
Wilderness regions of Virginia
Confederate General Robert E. Lee vs. Union General Joseph Hooker
Lee, despite being outnumbered 2 to 1, split his army and went on the offensive forcing Hooker to go on the defensive, unable to press his advantage. Lee eventually managed to push Hooker into retreat. Although one of the Confederacy's greatest, Stonewall Jackson, was killed, Lee came out with a newfound initiative that would lead him to Gettysburg. -
Battle of Gettysburg - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Union George E. Meade vs. Confederate Robert E. Lee
After his victory at Chancellorsville, Lee marched the Army of Northern Virginia to Pennsylvania where he crossed the Army of the Potomac in Gettysburg. After three days of heavy fighting, and some poor strategy by Lee, the Union army forced Lee to retreat to Virginia after heavy casualties on his side. A crushing defeat that erased any chance of the south winning, Gettysburg turned the war in favor of the North. -
Battle of Fort Wagner - https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-wagner
Morris Island, South Carolina
Union Quincy Gillmore vs. Confederate P.G.T Beauregard
In an attempt to weaken the defenses of Charleston, Quincy attempted to take fort Wagner and use Morris Island's batteries against fort Sumter. After many failed attacks and many casualties on the Union side, they gave up frontal assaults as Wagner still stood strong. The Union took to land and sea sieges and after 60 days of shelling they finally pushed the Confedrates out, giving the Union a shot at Charleston -
Battle of Chattanooga - https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-chattanooga
Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, Tennessee
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman vs. Confederate General Braxton Bragg
A series of simple but major victories for the Union, the battles of Chattanooga follow the union line as they pushed back the confederates back into Georgia, a result of their poorly positioned defenses and misunderstanding orders. These victories created the opportunity for Sherman to lead his charges on Atlanta and Savannah Georgia. -
Battle of Petersburg - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-petersburg-begins
Petersburg, Virginia
Union Ulysses S. Grant vs. Robert E. Lee
Grant marched the Army of the Potomac around Lee's army, and moved unopposed to Petersburg. Although the city's defenses were enough to hold off Grant until Lee arrived. After a nearly year long and very careful siege by Grant, Lee's soldiers were overrun and forced to retreat. This defeat lead to Lee advising to flee Richmond, followed by Grant finishing off Lee's army, forcing him to surrender, and effectively ending the Civil War.
