Civil War Battles:
#1 Battle of Fort Sumter Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
The bombardment/siege and ultimate surrender of Fort Sumter by Brig. General P.G.T. Beauregard was the official start of the Civil War.
#2 July 21, 1861
*First Battle of Bull Run Manassas, Virginia
Also known as First Manassas, the first major engagement of the American Civil War was a shocking rout of Union soldiers by confederates at Manassas Junction, VA.
War preparations took some time, so it was not until three months after Fort Sumter that Union and Confederate troops met again at the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia, between Washington, D.C., and Richmond. Still believing that the war was a trifling matter that would be over quickly, a number of government officials and spectators from both sides came to “observe” the battle, some even packing picnic lunches. By the end of the day, Union forces had lost and were forced to retreat. The loss shocked Northerners out of their complacency and prompted them to prepare more seriously for the struggle ahead. Meanwhile, many Southerners interpreted the victory as an indicator of an early end to the war and as decisive proof that most Northerners didn’t have the will to fight.
#3 Battle of Fort Henry February 6, 1862
Fort Henry, Tennessee
The Battle of Fort Henry was the first major victory for the Union in the Western Theater, led by Brig. General Ulysses S. Grant.
#4 Battle of Fort Donelson February 11–16, 1862 (Siege of…) Fort Donelson, Tennessee
The Battle of Fort Donelson saw Union General Ulysses S. Grant capture the fort, gaining him recognition as well as the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."
#5 Battle of Shiloh April 6–7, 1862 Shiloh, Tennessee
The casualty totals of the Battle of Shiloh shocked Americans both North and South, with the two-day total exceeding that of all previous American wars combined. The battle turned back a Confederate attempt to re-capture Middle Tennessee and contributed to Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation as a leader who would keep fighting even in adverse circumstances.
Just as Northerners were shocked into reality by the First Battle of Bull Run, so too were Southerners by the Battle of Shiloh. In April 1862, Union General Ulysses S. Grant engaged Confederate forces at Shiloh, Tennessee, in an incredibly bloody battle. Tens of thousands of men died. By the end of the bloodbath, Grant had won and demonstrated to the Confederates that Lincoln was serious about maintaining the Union. Southerners got the message and dug in for a longer war.
#6 The Seven Days Battle June 25-July 1, 1862
(Collectively known as) Henrico County, Virginia
The Seven Days Battle was a series of battles in the Peninsula Campaign consisting of a Confederate counter-offensive which drove the Union Army away from the Confederate capitol of Richmond down the Virginia Peninsula. The list of individual battles appears above, beginning with Beaver Dam Creek and ending with Malvern Hill.
Second Battle of Bull Run August 28–30, 1862
Manassas, Virginia
#7 The Second Battle of Bull Run, also called Second Manassas
Resulted in a second defeat for Union troops in the area of First Bull Run (First Manassas), though it was not a complete rout like the first battle was. The Confederate victory set the stage for Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North, which would result in the Battle of Antietam.
# 8 Battle of Antietam September 17, 1862
Sharpsburg, Maryland
The bloodiest single day in American history, the Battle of Antietam turned back Robert E. Lee’s first Northern invasion. Though tactically a draw, it was enough of a win to permit President Abraham Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation in its wake. When Lee’s adversary, Major General George B. McClellan failed to pursue following the battle, Lincoln removed him from command.
Rather than wait around for the enemy to attack him, Lee made an aggressive push into the border states to try to defeat the Union on its own turf. He also hoped that a Confederate victory in Maryland would convince the state legislature to secede. In September 1862, Lee’s army met General George McClellan’s troops at the Battle of Antietam, which resulted in more than 23,000 casualties—the bloodiest single day of battle of the entire war. Lee was forced to retreat back to Confederate territory.
#9 Battle of Fredericksburg December 11–15, 1862
Fredericksburg, Virginia
More troops were present at the Battle of Fredericksburg than at any other battle of the American Civil War, including Gettysburg. Poor coordination of attacks by Union commanders, combined with strong Confederate defensive positions, resulted in a lopsided slaughter of Federal troops.
#10 July 1–3, 1863
*Battle of Gettysburg Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The largest battle ever fought on the North American continent; Gettysburg marked the end of Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the North and was a turning point in the Civil War. This battle was the “turning point of the U.S. Civil War because the North began to overwhelm the South militarily.
Undaunted by his failure at Antietam, Lee marched into Northern territory again in the summer of 1863, this time into Pennsylvania. There, he met Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg in early July. At the end of a bloody three-day struggle in which more than 50,000 died, Lee was once again forced to retreat. The battle was a resounding victory for the North and a catastrophe for the South.
#1 Battle of Fort Sumter Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
The bombardment/siege and ultimate surrender of Fort Sumter by Brig. General P.G.T. Beauregard was the official start of the Civil War.
#2 July 21, 1861
*First Battle of Bull Run Manassas, Virginia
Also known as First Manassas, the first major engagement of the American Civil War was a shocking rout of Union soldiers by confederates at Manassas Junction, VA.
War preparations took some time, so it was not until three months after Fort Sumter that Union and Confederate troops met again at the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia, between Washington, D.C., and Richmond. Still believing that the war was a trifling matter that would be over quickly, a number of government officials and spectators from both sides came to “observe” the battle, some even packing picnic lunches. By the end of the day, Union forces had lost and were forced to retreat. The loss shocked Northerners out of their complacency and prompted them to prepare more seriously for the struggle ahead. Meanwhile, many Southerners interpreted the victory as an indicator of an early end to the war and as decisive proof that most Northerners didn’t have the will to fight.
#3 Battle of Fort Henry February 6, 1862
Fort Henry, Tennessee
The Battle of Fort Henry was the first major victory for the Union in the Western Theater, led by Brig. General Ulysses S. Grant.
#4 Battle of Fort Donelson February 11–16, 1862 (Siege of…) Fort Donelson, Tennessee
The Battle of Fort Donelson saw Union General Ulysses S. Grant capture the fort, gaining him recognition as well as the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."
#5 Battle of Shiloh April 6–7, 1862 Shiloh, Tennessee
The casualty totals of the Battle of Shiloh shocked Americans both North and South, with the two-day total exceeding that of all previous American wars combined. The battle turned back a Confederate attempt to re-capture Middle Tennessee and contributed to Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation as a leader who would keep fighting even in adverse circumstances.
Just as Northerners were shocked into reality by the First Battle of Bull Run, so too were Southerners by the Battle of Shiloh. In April 1862, Union General Ulysses S. Grant engaged Confederate forces at Shiloh, Tennessee, in an incredibly bloody battle. Tens of thousands of men died. By the end of the bloodbath, Grant had won and demonstrated to the Confederates that Lincoln was serious about maintaining the Union. Southerners got the message and dug in for a longer war.
#6 The Seven Days Battle June 25-July 1, 1862
(Collectively known as) Henrico County, Virginia
The Seven Days Battle was a series of battles in the Peninsula Campaign consisting of a Confederate counter-offensive which drove the Union Army away from the Confederate capitol of Richmond down the Virginia Peninsula. The list of individual battles appears above, beginning with Beaver Dam Creek and ending with Malvern Hill.
Second Battle of Bull Run August 28–30, 1862
Manassas, Virginia
#7 The Second Battle of Bull Run, also called Second Manassas
Resulted in a second defeat for Union troops in the area of First Bull Run (First Manassas), though it was not a complete rout like the first battle was. The Confederate victory set the stage for Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North, which would result in the Battle of Antietam.
# 8 Battle of Antietam September 17, 1862
Sharpsburg, Maryland
The bloodiest single day in American history, the Battle of Antietam turned back Robert E. Lee’s first Northern invasion. Though tactically a draw, it was enough of a win to permit President Abraham Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation in its wake. When Lee’s adversary, Major General George B. McClellan failed to pursue following the battle, Lincoln removed him from command.
Rather than wait around for the enemy to attack him, Lee made an aggressive push into the border states to try to defeat the Union on its own turf. He also hoped that a Confederate victory in Maryland would convince the state legislature to secede. In September 1862, Lee’s army met General George McClellan’s troops at the Battle of Antietam, which resulted in more than 23,000 casualties—the bloodiest single day of battle of the entire war. Lee was forced to retreat back to Confederate territory.
#9 Battle of Fredericksburg December 11–15, 1862
Fredericksburg, Virginia
More troops were present at the Battle of Fredericksburg than at any other battle of the American Civil War, including Gettysburg. Poor coordination of attacks by Union commanders, combined with strong Confederate defensive positions, resulted in a lopsided slaughter of Federal troops.
#10 July 1–3, 1863
*Battle of Gettysburg Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The largest battle ever fought on the North American continent; Gettysburg marked the end of Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the North and was a turning point in the Civil War. This battle was the “turning point of the U.S. Civil War because the North began to overwhelm the South militarily.
Undaunted by his failure at Antietam, Lee marched into Northern territory again in the summer of 1863, this time into Pennsylvania. There, he met Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg in early July. At the end of a bloody three-day struggle in which more than 50,000 died, Lee was once again forced to retreat. The battle was a resounding victory for the North and a catastrophe for the South.