The Battles
Each war is, of course, composed of various battles. Some are more influential to the outcome of the war than others. These key battles show how the tides turn or how the war is fought. They show which side had better battle plans and which side has more casualties. By looking at these battles, one can predict the outcome of the war. They give a step-by-step outline of how and why a war was won or lost.
First Battle of Bull Run
Also known as the First Manassas, the First Battle of Bull Run began on July 21, 1861, and, even though the Battle at Fort Sumter began the war, it was the first major battle of the war. General Irvin McDowell led the Union troops, and Generals Joseph E. Johnston and Beauregard led the Confederate troops. Union troops planned to capture Manassas, Virginia, which had a major railroad, but Confederate troops were already awaiting their arrival and were prepared. At first, the Confederate troops seemed to be losing drastically, but reinforcements came and helped them gain a victory over the Union. Because of the Confederate army’s success, the South became a bit too overconfident. The Union’s loss caused Lincoln to call for more troops the next day and made him realize that it would not be a short war as was expected. The Union had underestimated the Confederacy, but they realized it before it was too late.
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh began on a Sunday morning on the day of April 6, 1862. With the closest Confederate troops almost twenty miles away, the General Ulysses S. Grant did not expect to be attacked; however, his camp was attacked by a full force of Confederates under General Johnston. Grant’s troops were struggling to resist, and, when nightfall came, they had been forced back to the river. The tides turned, however, when Union General D.C. Buell came with a reinforcement troop of twenty-five thousand soldiers. Also, General Johnston died of a wound he had received earlier in the battle. When General Beauregard took control of the Confederate troops, they were driven back to Corinth. The Battle of Shiloh became the bloodiest one-day battle and the bloodiest two-day battle in United States history when it occurred. Although the Union won this “War in the West,” they suffered heavier losses than the Confederacy. The Union had thirteen thousand casualties, whereas the Confederacy had ten thousand casualties. Because of the huge losses, Grant was less popular, but Lincoln did not fire him. The Confederates had heavy losses, as well, and they had lost their chance to stop the Union invasion in the West.
Battle of Antietam
On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam began when Lee crossed into the North. Many people in Maryland and Pennsylvania worried that war would be brought and would stay in the North. Battle raged in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Battle of Antietam became the bloodiest day in American history. With Lee’s retreat back into the South, the Union’s losing streak came to an end. Even though it was technically a tie, McClellan seemed to be the victor because Lee fled back to the South. Abraham Lincoln was then able to issue his famous Emancipation Proclamation. The North also became more supportive of the war.
Campaign for Vicksburg
One of the Union’s goals was achieved in the Campaign for Vicksburg. If Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River, the Confederate troops would be split in two. To do this, the Union would have to take Vicksburg, Mississippi, which served as a key transportation point for the Confederacy and prevented Union use of the river. When General Grant was put in command of the Army of the West on January 29, 1863, he was given orders to take Vicksburg. All other attempts to capture the city had failed because it was in a strategic location (on a high bluff over a bend in the river) and could only be attacked coming from the south or the east. Grant developed a plan for the troops to march along the east coast to get to the city. His plan had been executed by April, and Grant was left with the task of pushing the Confederate troops to surrender at Vicksburg. After seven successful battles, Grant’s troops had broken through to the city, but it still held strong. Grant, therefore, chose to wait for Vicksburg to starve until it surrendered. After seven long weeks, conditions became too rough, and General John Pemberton was forced to surrender Vicksburg to Union forces on July 4, 1863. With this siege, Union forces now had control of the Mississippi River. It also split the Confederacy in half and cut off their transportation. Due to Grant’s success, Lincoln favored him even more than before.
The Seven Days Battle
The Seven Days Battle, occurring from June 25 to July 1, 1862, was important because it ended the Peninsular Campaign. It was a continuance of the Union’s stream of losses. General McClellan’s attempt to take the Confederacy’s capital, Richmond, Virginia, failed within six different battles of the campaign. The failure of the Peninsular Campaign prevented President Lincoln from issuing the Emancipation Proclamation because he could not present it with the string of losses when success seemed dim.
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the biggest battle of the American Civil War and the largest battle in North America. From July 1 to July 3, 1863, Union General George Meade led the Army of the Potomac to victory. When Confederate troops stumbled upon Union troops in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, they attacked. The Union force had eighty-five thousand soldiers, while the Confederate force had seventy-five thousand soldiers. The Union’s success here is often viewed as the turning point of the war. It dashed Lee’s hopes of taking the war to the North and made him realize that the Army of the Potomac would be more difficult to defeat than he expected. Because of his failures, Lee asked President Davis if he would like for him to resign. He saw that he was only leading the Confederacy to demise and victory may not be achieved, at least by him; however, Davis declined Lee’s proposal, and Lee continued to lead the Confederate army until the end of the war.
Battle of Chattanooga
On September 19, 1863, Union General Rosecrans was pushed back to Chattanooga from Chickamauga by Confederate troops led by General Bragg. Generals Sherman and Hooker were sent with reinforcements to help out, and Rosecrans was replaced by General Thomas. The Union troops attacked Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge; however, the Union was stopped in their tracks and came to a complete halt by November 25. In order to help Sherman’s offensive attack, Thomas took a line of rifle pits at the bottom of the ridge and continued up the ridge. Surprised Confederates fled down to the South. The victory gave the Union control of Chattanooga railroads and left the Confederacy only one gateway to the West: Atlanta. Chattanooga was the “Gateway to the Lower South,” and it became the supply grounds for Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg is considered one of the worst losses for the Union. From December 11 to December 15, 1862, General Ambrose Burnside led the Army of the Potomac in an attack of Confederate troops along the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Burnside led six attacks on the strong-holding Confederate force before the Union troops retreated. Union troops suffered 12,653 casualties, while Confederate troops only had 5,309 casualties. Because of such a crushing defeat, General Burnside was replaced by General Hooker. Even though the Union was discouraged, a victory a Murfreesboro a few weeks later would lead to a win at Chattanooga and Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run began in the spring of 1862. Mostly, though, it was fought intensely on August 29 and August 30, 1862 when Union General John Pope’s army was pushed back and forced to defend Washington. Lee’s army had to two different corps under General Jackson and General Longstreet. When Union forces attacked Jackson’s troops, they pretended to retreat but actually just waited for reinforcements. The whole Confederate army was gathered, and they attacked General Pope’s army. Union troops were pushed all the way back to Washington. This Confederate victory opened up the North for Lee to invade.
First Battles of the Ironclads
The First Battles of the Ironclads began on March 8, 1862. Five Union Navy ships were at harbor in Hampton Roads when a strange, iron-plated ship headed for the Cumberland. As it turned out, the iron-plated ship was called the Merrimack; it was an armored vessel reconstructed from a sunken ship that the Confederacy had raised out of the water. The Merrimack was shocking because it was the first attempt at an armored war ship. It easily cut through the Cumberland and set fire to the Congress before retreating. The next day, it went to destroy the Minnesota; however, this time a small vessel stood in its path. Known as the Monitor, this Union ironclad had been designed by John Ericsson. The fight between the two ironclads lasted for hours, leaving the Monitor’s commander injured and the Merrimack damaged. This battle changed how warships would be built. Now, armored ships would be needed to fight. Even though the Union was able to build more ironclads than the Confederacy during the war, the First Battles of the Ironclads paved the way for a new type of navy.
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville, although a costly one, was considered one of General Lee’s greatest victories. General Hooker sent General John Sedgwick with a corps to attack Lee’s troops at Fredericksburg, where Hooker would follow behind and serve as reinforcement. Lee found out the Union’s plan and decided to attack before Hooker could. He sent General Jubal Early to await Sedgwick’s forces at Fredericksburg, and Lee took the rest of the army to surprise Hooker’s troops, who were on their way to Fredericksburg. Fighting continued throughout the day but stopped at night. Lee sent Jackson to try an encircling movement during the night. Confederate troops attacked from the back of the army, first travelling through The Wilderness, and pushed them back to Chancellorsville. When Jackson rode ahead to scout out the situation, he was mistaken for a Union officer and shot by a Confederate soldier upon his return. General Jackson died eight days later. Fighting ensued at Chancellorsville, however, and on May 3, 1863, General Hooker was knocked unconscious by a falling pillar that had been hit by a cannonball. He refused to give up his leadership, though, which could have led to the Union’s defeat. On May 6, Hooker and his army retreated. Both sides were left with heavy losses. Even though it was considered one of Lee’s greatest battles, he lost the great General Stonewall Jackson.
Surrender at Appomattox
On April 9, 1865, an end to the war was finally in sight. Lee’s troops were kept from retreating south, so they moved westward to Appomattox County in Virginia. Food supplies were at South Side Railroad, but, before the Confederates could reach them, the Union army surrounded Lee’s army. Despite one futile attempt to escape where they were surrounded at Appomattox Court House, Lee was forced to surrender. Although this was not the official end of the Civil War, Lee’s surrender to Grant showed that the end was near. This was the last time the Army of Northern Virginia fought in the war. With news that the Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered, other Confederate troops began to surrender, as well.