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U.S. History Honors
Unit 8: The Crisis of the Union
Major Battles of the Civil War
1861
FortSumter
Dates: April 12-13
Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Commanders: Maj. Robert Anderson (US); Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard (CS)
Forces Engaged: US: 80; CS: est. 500
Casualties: none
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: Lincoln responded to the Confederate attack by calling up troops and establishing blockades of
southern ports; four more southern states seceded as a result; generally considered the spark that started
the Civil War
Bull Run/Manassas
Date: July 21
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Commanders: Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell (US); Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Brig. Gen. P.G.T.
Beauregard (CS)
Forces Engaged: US: 28,450; CS: 32, 230
Casualties: 4,700 total (US: 2,950; CS: 1,750)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: neither side was ready for battle – both armies were basically novice and untrained; Union troops
were completely routed and fairly fled from the battlefield in chaos (weapons dropped, wagons
overturned); prevented Union troops from advancing on Richmond (public pressure in the North
encouraged “Forward to Richmond”); the loss taught Lincoln that victory would not be quick or easy –
he signed a bill within four days of the battle that authorized the enlistment of 1 million men over three
years; Gen. Thomas Jackson gained his nickname when Gen. Bee rallied the Confederate soldiers by
saying, “look, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall – rally behind the Virginians”
1862
FortDonelson
Date: February 16
Location: western Tennessee
Commanders: Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Flag-Officer A.H. Foote (US); Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd, Brig.
Gen. Gideon Pillow, and Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army in the Field (US: 50,000); Fort Donelson Garrison (CS: 15,000)
Casualties: 17,500total (US: 2,500; CS: 15,000 [1,420 killed or wounded, the rest captured in surrender])
Victor: Union
Significance: first Union success of the war; Tennessee was strategically important to the Union because
of the two major water transportation routes in the Confederate west (the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers), the railroad that ran from Richmond to Memphis, and the pockets of Unionism that existed in eastern Tennessee (Lincoln thought that East Tennessee could become a new Union state if the North could capture it);the Tennessee and Cumberland Riversbecame Union highways for themovement of troops and material; opened up northern Tennessee for a Union advance up the rivers; ensured that Kentucky would stay Union; the first Confederate capital fell when Union troops arrived in Nashville on February 24
Pea Ridge
Dates: March 7-8
Location: northwest Arkansas
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis (US); Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Southwest (US); Army of the West (CS)
Casualties: 5,949 total (US: 1,349; CS: 4,600)
Victor: Union
Significance: gave the Union control of Missouri for the next two years
Monitor vs. Merrimack (Virginia)
Date: March 9
Location: off the coast of Virginia near the James River
Forces Engaged: USS Monitor; CSS Virginia (the confiscated USS Merrimack)
Casualties: two large Union ships sank, killing at least 240 soldiers
Victor: not decisive (Union strategic victory)
Significance: first battle of the ironclads – the era of the wooden naval ship was effectively over; the Monitor
protected the Union navy and preserved the Union blockade of the James River
Shiloh
Dates: April 6-7
Location: near Pittsburg, Tennessee
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell (US); Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston
and Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee and Army of the Ohio (US: 65,085); Army of the Mississippi (CS:
44,968)
Casualties: 23,746 total (US: 13,047; CS: 10,699)
Victor: Union
Significance: bloodiest battle of the war and in American history up to that time; the nation was shocked by the
number of dead and by the battle itself (the battle was larger than Waterloo had been); Grant himself
alsoshocked – he “gave up all idea of saving the Union, except by complete conquest”; Confederate troops were forced to retreat into Mississippi; Johnston was killed in battle; ultimately proved to inflict a mortal wound on the Confederacy’s attempt to control the western theater: the North quickly captured the strategic town of Corinth, Mississippi, the river city of Memphis, and New Orleans
New Orleans
Dates: April 25-May 1
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Commanders: Flag-Officer David G. Farragut and Maj. Gen. Benjamin Franklin Butler (US); Maj. Gen.
Mansfield Lovell (CS)
Forces Engaged: Department of the Gulf (US); Department No. 1 (CS)
Casualties: none
Victor: Union
Significance: largest port and the second largest city in the Confederacy had fallen to the Union; New Orleans
was considered an international city, the Union occupation of it was a major international event; almost
all of the Mississippi valley was in Union hands
Seven Days’ Battle
Dates: June 25-July 1
Location: Virginia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 140,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 90,000)
Casualties: 30,000 total (US: 10,000; CS: 20,000)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: final battle of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign; ended the Union threat on Richmond (Union
forces bottled up in Harrison Landing) despite the Confederacy taking twice the casualties; the first time
the war took on the modern element of warfare (daily battles, devastating losses); McClellan extremely
disheartened by the outcome – did not want to see anymore of his men die (as he telegraphed Lincoln),
thus he stayed put for the next month; Lee took confidence in this victory, in subsequent successes
(Second Bull Run), and in McClellan’s generally cautious behavior to begin planning an invasion of the
North (which would culminate in Antietam)
Murfreesboro
Date: July 13
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Commanders: Brig. Gen. Thomas T. Crittenden (US); Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest (CS)
Forces Engaged: US: 900; CS: 1,400
Casualties: 1,040 total (US: 890; CS: 150)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: Confederate troops destroyed Union supplies and the major Union supply center on the Nashville
& Chattanooga Railroad after all Union units had surrendered to Forrest; diverted Union forces from a
drive on Chattanooga; concentrated Confederate forces and made an invasion into Kentucky possible
Second Bull Run/Second Manassas
Dates: August 29-30
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. John Pope (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 75,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 55,000)
Casualties: 25,251total (US: 16,054; CS: 9,197)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: Union troops sent back to Washington in retreat; Lincoln forced to put McClellan back into
command (“If he can’t fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight”); the Confederacy was
able to protect supply lines through the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond; final encouragement for Lee
to begin his push into northern soil
Antietam/Sharpsburg
Date: September 17
Location: Antietam Creek, Maryland
Commanders: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 90,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 50,000)
Casualties: 23,500total (US: 12,500; CS: 11,000)
Victor: not decisive (Union strategic victory)
Significance: bloodiest single day of the war and in American military history; the war could have ended that
day had McClellan recognized that he faced a much smaller army and had attacked with his unused
forces(40,000 men); Confederates held off a much larger force, yet ultimately withdrew, ending Lee’s
attempted invasion of the North; spurred Lincoln to issue a preliminary emancipation of the slaves
Perryville
Date: October 8
Location: Perryville, Kentucky
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell (US); Gen. Braxton Bragg (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio (US: 58,000); Army of the Mississippi (CS: 30,000)
Casualties: 7,407 total (US: 4,211; CS: 3,196)
Victor: non decisive (Union strategic victory)
Significance: marked the end of Bragg’s Kentucky Campaign; was the last time the Confederacy engaged in an
offensive campaign in the west; the battle once again exhibited the indecisive and tactically poor nature
of Union commanders – Buell did not take advantage of his superior numbers (he kept half of his force
in reserves while the rest of the men were fighting for their lives) – and the poor training of Union
soldiers (many of the troops were so green, they did not know how to aim the artillery properly); Bragg
also suffered from indecision and mismanagement of his forces
Fredericksburg
Date: December 11-15
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 122,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 78,500)
Casualties: 17,929 total (US: 13,353; CS: 4,576)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: one of the worst Union defeats of the war; Union forces were able to secure the town, but not the
heights above; seven separate Union assaults of Marye’s Heights above the RappahannockRiver were
halted with staggering Union casualties; Union forces were forced to withdraw from yet another attempt
on Richmond; military struggle in the east had reached stalemate
1863
Chancellorsville
Dates: May 1-4
Location: Chancellorsville, Virginia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 133,868); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 60,892)
Casualties: 30,099total (US: 17,278; CS:12,821)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: Union forces exhibited poor leadership and general incompetence (stopped in Chancellorsville
against Hooker’s orders, Hooker himself lost his nerve and withdrew rather than advance, no
preparations were made when it was clear that Jackson was going to attack the flank); Confederacy was
once again able to best a force twice its size, largely due to Lee’s superior leadership; Stonewall Jackson
was killed by friendly fire
Vicksburg
Dates: May 22-July 4
Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (US); Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee (US); Army of Vicksburg (CS)
Casualties: 19,233 total (US: 10,142; CS: 9,091)
Victor: Union
Significance: the culmination of one of the most successful Union campaigns of the entire war; Confederate
surrenderof its “Gibraltar of the West” and, a few days later, of FortHudson, the only other point the
South controlled on the Mississippi (which surrendered upon hearing of the loss at Vicksburg), put the
river entirely within Union control
Gettysburg
Dates: July 1-4
Location: near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Commanders: Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 83,289); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 75,054)
Casualties: 51,112total (US: 23,049; CS: 28,063)
Victor: Union
Significance: Lee was concerned that time was not working in the favor of the South (the Confederacy’s
resources and men were diminishing in a greater proportion to the Union), thus he decided it was the
time for a daring troop movement that would bring about a decisive battle; Confederate efforts hindered
by a lack of intelligence (Lee was cut off from his cavalry led by J.E.B. Stuart); the tide of the battle
shifted over the course of the three days (on the 1st day, Confederate troops forced the Union forces to
retreat; on the 2nd day, the Union army succeeded in repulsing Confederate attacks on Cemetery Ridge
and surrounding hills; on the 3rd day, the Confederate charge was overwhelmed by superior Union
firepower); the 3rd day of the battle saw the largest Confederate artillery attack of the war;the last time
that the Confederacy attempted to fight a major battle on Union soil; Lee lost 33% of his army; often
seen as the turning point of the war
Chickamauga
Dates: September 16-20
Location: Chickamauga, Georgia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. William S. Rosencrans and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas (US); Gen. Braxton Bragg
and Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Cumberland (US: 58,222); Army of Tennessee(CS: 66,326)
Casualties: 34,624 total (US: 16,170; CS: 18,454)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: bloodiest battle of the western theater; Longstreet and his reinforcements broke through the Union
lines, forcing the Union army to retreat to Chattanooga; Thomas’ last ditch defense, which allowed an
orderly Union withdrawal, earned him the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga”
Chattanooga
Dates: November 23-25
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (US); Gen. Braxton Bragg (CS)
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the Mississippi (US); Army of Tennessee(CS)
Casualties: 12,485 total (US: 5,815; CS: 6,670)
Victor: Union
Significance: in order to break the Confederate siege on Chattanooga, Lincoln ordered 20,000 reinforcements
from the Army of the Potomac to Chattanooga(they arrived in 11 days – the longest and fastest troop
movement of the 19th century) and appointed Grant as commander of all Union troops west of the
Alleghenies (Sherman became the commander of the western armies); Grant reestablished supply lines
to Chattanooga; Gen. Thomas’ assault on the center of the Confederate line succeeded against
expectations (it had only been intended to relieve the pressure on Union forces at the end of the line) and
against orders (the Union troops, shouting “Chickamauga! Chickamauga!” rushed up Missionary Ridge
without orders, surprising their commanders and the Confederates);the attack caused the Confederate
forces to fall back in disarray; the Confederate troops fell back to Atlanta; Bragg was replaced by Gen.
Johnston
1864
Wilderness
Dates: May 5-7
Location: northern Virginia
Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 101,895); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 61,025)
Casualties: 29,800total (US: 18,400; CS: 11,400)
Victor: not decisive
Significance: opening battle of Grant’s sustained offensive against the Army of Northern Virginia (known as the
Overland Campaign);the battle was a tactical draw: thoughthe Confederacy caused more casualties,
Grant continued his offensive; Grant changed the usual Union practice in the face of defeat: rather than
falling back to reorganize, he “moved to his left” toward Spotsylvania Courthouse and continued to
attack (the Union troops cheered when they realized that Grant would not retreat)
Spotsylvania Court House
Dates: May 7-19
Location: Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia
Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 100,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 52,000)
Casualties: 30,000total (US: 18,000; CS: 12,000)
Victor: not decisive
Significance: the Confederacy once again caused significant casualties for the Union, yet Grant kept moving;
Grant and Lee next met up at NorthAnnaRiver and then Cold Harbor; in delaying Grant for two weeks,
Lee permitted other Confederate forces to resist Union forces near Richmond and in the Shenandoah
Valley without having to deal with the Army of the Potomac
Cold Harbor
Date: June 3
Location: Virginia
Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: 108,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: 62,000)
Casualties: 15,500 total (US: 13,000; CS: 2,500)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: Grant ordered an assault that became the worst charge of the war – 7,000 Union men were killed
in an hour; Grant commented in his memoirs that it was the only attack he wished he had never ordered;
rather than continue to confront Confederate lines in open battle, Grant advanced on his left flank,
crossed the James River, and, avoiding the well-defended approaches to Richmond, headed to
Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
Dates: June 20, 1864-April 2, 1865
Location: Petersburg, Virginia
Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (US); Gen. Robert E. Lee (CS)
Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac (US: average 83,000); Army of Northern Virginia (CS: average 52,000)
Casualties: 85,386 total (US: 53,386; CS: 32,000)
Victor: Union
Significance: the prolonged nature of the siege made it clear that the war was not going to be won in Virginia in
the summer of 1864; this fact had the potential to have significant political implications – the
presidential election was coming up; Confederate forces dwindled throughout the siege due to
significant desertions(almost half deserted and went home during the siege) and casualties from daily
shelling (the Union casualties were replaceable – Union railroad lines ran right behind their trenches);
the Confederate army was forced to withdraw from Petersburg as Sherman approached and ultimately
Richmond (Lee, who never believed that he could win the siege, had known from the start that if
Petersburg fell, Richmond was doomed)
KennesawMountain
Date: June 27
Location: Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman (US); Gen. Joseph E. Johnston (CS)
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the Mississippi (US); Army of Tennessee (CS)
Casualties: 4,000 total (US: 3,000; CS: 1,000)
Victor: Confederacy
Significance: the first time that Sherman’s forces suffered higher casualties than those of the Confederacy – a
frustrated Sherman had ordered a series of fruitless attacks on entrenched Confederate positions;
Sherman returned to his flanking maneuvers and learned not to engage in a frontal assault for the rest of
his journey to Atlanta; Johnston was replaced by Hood after his failure to stop Sherman’s advance
Atlanta
Date: September 2
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Commanders: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman (US); Gen. John Bell Hood (CS)
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the Mississippi (US); Army of Tennessee (CS)
Casualties: 12,140 total (US: 3,641; CS: 8,499)
Victor: Union
Significance: the culmination of a month-long siege by Sherman; another Confederate capital, this one
considered to be the heart of the South, taken by the Union; seen by the North as the some of the greatest
news of the war: boosted the morale of the Northand the Union army (which ultimately helped
Lincoln’s reelection campaign) – the end was in sight for the first time; Hood retreated to Tennessee;
Shermanbegan his march to the sea, destroying a 300 mile long, 60 mile wide swath across Georgia as
he moved to Savannah (arrived there on December 20)