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Fort Sumter
Impacts/Effects: This battle was important because it was the first battle of the Civil War. The shots were fired by Confederate soldiers. Union soldiers had approached the Fort Sumter, and refused to leave when the Confederates told them to. The battle also built up the Confederates confidence. -
Battle of Bull Run
Impacts/Effects: The major impact of the Battle of Bull Run was that it opened up the North’s eyes a little bit. The North had assumed that they would just go down and destroy the South in battle. After Bull Run though, their mindset changed. They realized that this was not going to be won easily, but that it would be a fight to the finish. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh really opened up some of the Northerners eyes to how prepared they were for this war. The Confederate’s attack was completely by surprise. People were angry that General Grant had not been prepared for battle. People would write letters to the White House demanding that Grant should be fired. Lincoln kept with Grant though, despite his problems with being completely prepared. The victory help with the Unions confidence though, since this was their first victory. -
Battle of Antietam
One impact the Battle of Antietam came in the form of Abraham Lincoln. Even though the battle was ruled inconclusive, he told the North that the Union had won. This was so people would continue to support the war effort. The Battle of Antietam was heavy in casualty numbers. If Lincoln had told people that their family had died in a battle the union didn’t even win, people would be upset. It shows that Lincoln was willing to do anything to win. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
Not only was the Battle of Fredericksburg the largest battle of the Civil War, but it also was the first one fought in an urban community. Most of the battles before this was fought in open land. This caused strategies to have to be changed. This battle also was the first time the casualty count was heavier on one side. The Union’s casualty numbers were more than triple the Confederates. This caused anger in the North, and confidence in the South. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It only applied to the states who left the Union, so slavery was unaffected in the Northern states. Slavery wasn’t effected much in the Confederate states anyways, since Lincoln did not have control over them. Before the Emancipation Proclamation, the war had been mainly been the South trying to defend their lifestyle. Thanks to one document though, it was now a fight for freedom. -
Battle of Vicksburg
One of the major effects of the Battle of Vicksburg was that the Union gained control of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River transported supplies to soldiers all over the place. With the Union now in control, they were able to cut off supply lines to the Confederate troops. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the few battles fought on Northern land. It was also a major turning point for the war. It was this battle that caused the South to start to lost hope. Robert Lee was their best general. If he’s beginning to lose hope, they will too. The Union slowly started to take over the war. -
Sherman's March
Sherman’s March basically confirmed Union victory. When the South was attacked, there was no Confederate armies to protect them. All their soldiers were fighting. The Union was able to give the South a clear message; the war was not worth fighting. The Union was the superior army. Sherman’s March also caused a huge change in war strategy. This was the first time in the United States something like this has happened. -
Surrender at Appomattox
The Battle of Appomattox is known as the final battle of the Civil War. It was here that General Lee surrendered. He did this because he knew he was outnumbered. He'd rather save thousands of mens lives then continuing fighting. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln’s assassination did cause some chaos within the African American community. They knew that Lincoln was going to give them some rights that they didn’t have before. Now that he was gone, they began to worry about their fate. There was a lot of uncertainty throughout the country. They had just finished fighting a huge war, and now their most influential leader was gone. They now had to figure out what was next on their own.
