Fort Sumter (1861) The first battle of the Civil War. Ft. Sumter was a federal fort located in the harbor of Charleston, SC. Late in the night of April 12, 1861 Confederate forces fired on the fort for several hours until Major Anderson surrendered.
Bull Run (1861) Union Forces led by General McDowell advanced on Confederate forces blocking the road to Richmond. For a while it appeared Union troops would break through Confederate lines. However, Confederate reinforcements arrived and Union forces were crushed.
Antietam (1862) After the Second Battle of Bull Run General Robert E. Lee led Confederate forces into Maryland in an attempt to win the war. However, the Confederacy was betrayed and the Union army assembled by Antietam Creek, the result was the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War. 23,582 Union and Confederate forces were killed in this battle. While both sides lost similar amounts of men the Confederacy had a smaller force causing them to surrender.
Fredericksburg (1862) General Burnside of the Union army ordered his men to seize the heights of Fredericksburg and the surrounding area. 7 different assaults were led to scale the heights and each was a miserable failure. By the end of the day Union casualties were 12,653 while Confederate casualties were 5377. A monumental victory for the South.
Gettysburg (1863) The Battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, PA a small town in Pennsylvania. It was a 3 day battle and the most significant battle of the Civil War. The fighting began when Confederate soldiers looking for clothing articles came across a brigade of Union Cavalrymen. Both sides soon had large masses of men fighting and before long the largest battle of the Civil War was taking place. On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg Confederate forces assaulted heavily fortified Union entrenchments and were staved off in every attempt. On the third and final day of fighting Robert E. Lee tried to attack the Union center. Less than half of the men involved in the attack returned to tell the tale. The fighting ended with Confederate retreat and over 50,000 men dead.
Chattanooga (1863) During the siege of Chattanooga Abraham Lincoln ordered the relocation of 20,000 men to Chattanooga in an attempt to take the city and end the war quickly. Forces led by General Thomas Hooker quickly took Lookout Mountain. The next day General George Thomas and his men broke through Confederate lines sending the Rebels into a full scale retreat. The Union won the battle without severe casualties.
Atlanta (1864) Several foolish attacks by Confederate generals led to the defeat of the Confederacy at Atlanta and ultimately, the last hope for the South. General Joseph Johnson of the Confederacy was hoping for a head on assault by General Sherman. Sherman knew this and intentionally attacked the sides of the Confederate army in a flanking maneuver. General Johnson was forced back towards Atlanta and was soon replaced by General Hood. Hood ordered for several last ditch assaults on Union lines, all of which failed. hood soon retreated from Atlanta turning it over to the Union.
Petersburg (1864) The Union laid siege to Petersburg Virginia for 9 months starving the city from within. While Union forces had plenty of supplies Confederates trapped in the city starved to death. Robert E. Lee attempted a breakout on the morning of April 2nd but his forces were crushed.
