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Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the American Civil War. The Confederates started it by bombarding the fort with cannons for a whole day. The Union soldiers in the fort had much less ammunition and had to surrender. This was a significant event because it was what started the fighting after the southern states seceded. -
Antietam
The battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle in the civil war. More Americans died on that day than on D-day in WWII. Nearly 20% of all forces engaged in that battle were killed or wounded. The Union won because they prevented the South from advancing farther into the north. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a Proclamation given by President Lincoln that freed more than 3.5 million African-American Slaves in the country. A lot of these slaves were in the south and were not freed until the end of the war because they were owned by Southerners. It also did not free all of the slaves, because if President Lincoln Freed the slaves in the border states, they might have seceded as well. -
Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the war for the Union. After many losses, the Union managed to defeat the confederates and kept them out of Washington. After the battle, momentum shifted and the Union was able to eventually capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. It had more casualties than any other battle in the civil war. -
Sherman's March
Sherman's March to the sea was when General Sherman took 60,000 soldiers from Atlanta and marched 285 miles to Savannah. Along they way they destroyed things such as railroads and houses and took a lot of food from civilians. The march ended on December 21 of 1864 when they captured the city of Savannah in Georgia. -
General Lee's Surrender
On April 9, 1865, General Lee Surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant after being surrounded near Appomattox. This partially concluded 4 years of bitter fighting between the North and the South. Most Generals followed General Lee's example and surrendered, but, a few kept fighting for a few months.
