Major Battles of the Civil War

Battle of Fort Sumter

Apr 12, 1861

Soldiers: Union- 80 / Confederate- 500
Result: Confederate Victory
Casualties: Union & Confederate- 0
Summary: Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter

First Bull Run

Jul 21, 1861

Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Over two hours, 10,000 Federals gradually pushed back 4,500 rebels across the Warrington turnpike and up Henry House Hill. After fighting on the defensive for most of the day, the rebels rallied and were able to break the Union right flank, sending the Federals into a chaotic retreat towards Washington. South victory. 3K dead Union, 1,750 South dead

Battle of Shiloh

Apr 7, 1862

The battle began when the Confederates launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85) in southwestern Tennessee. After initial successes, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced back,resulting in a Union victory. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with more than 23,000 total casualties, and the level of violence shocked North and South alike. Union victory.

Battle of Antietam

Sep 22, 1862

It pitted Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against Union General George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac and was the culmination of Lee’s attempt to invade the north. The battle’s outcome would be vital to shaping America’s future, and it remains the deadliest one-day battle in all American military history. Union victory. Union casualties = 12,400 / Confed. casualties = 10,320

Battle of Perryville

Oct 8, 1862

Union Gen = Don Carlos / Confed. Gen = Braxton Bragg. Location = Kentucky. 23,000 Yankees engaged in the battle, 4,200 were killed, wounded, or missing;15,000 Confederates involved, 3,400 were lost. Bragg retreated south to rejoin Smith, and the Confederates slipped back to Tennessee. Buell did not pursue, and as a result he was replaced by General William Rosecrans. The Confederates abandoned the invasion of Kentucky and it remained firmly in Federal hands for the rest of the war.

Battle of FredericksBurg

Dec 11, 1862

Southern Victory. Union casualties = 13,000 / Confed. casualties = 5,000. Crushing defeat of the Union. Soldiers were mislead and mismanaged by their generals and resulted in the death and wounded of many. Union General= Burnside (first time commanding) / Southern Gen: Rob. E. Lee (definitely not his first time). Results in massacre of Union forces.

Battle of Chancellorsville

Apr 30, 1863

Rob. E Lee vs Joseph Hooker. Confed. victory. Lee splits his troops in two and surprises Hooker with what is considered his greatest and most daring victory of the Civil War. In this battle Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire. Fought in the wilderness of Virginia. Union casualties = 17,278 / Confed. casualties = 12,826. April 30 to May 6, 1863

Battle of VicksBurg

May 16, 1863

Vicksburg was a Confederate stronghold since beginning of war. Ulysses S. Grant finessed these boys with his military genius. Beat General Pemberton at Champion Hill. Grant captured 6K southern men. Union casualties = 4,835 / Confed. casualties = 32,697. Huge win for the Union

Battle of Gettysburg

Jun 1, 1863

This battled happened at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This Union victory was costly with a combined total of about 8,000 soldiers dying in battle. This was the bloodist battle in the Civil War and is also where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address.

Battle Chickamauga

Sep 19, 1863

This battle resulted in a Confederate victory. The battle took place in Walker County, Georgia and was the second bloodiest battle of the CIvil War with about 3,900 soldiers killed.

Battle of Chattanooga

Nov 23, 1863

This battle took place in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Union victory gave the Union control of Confederate supply lines and all of Tennessee.

Battle of Nashville

Dec 15, 1864

This battle occured in Nashville, Tennessee and resulted in a Union victory. The Union's decisive victory gave them conrol of Nashville and Tennessee for the remainder of rhe Civil War.