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The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor forced the small Union garrison to surrender after about 34 hours. The battle destroyed hope for a peaceful political solution and pushed both North and South to mobilize many troops. It showed how serious the split in the country had become and convinced many people that the war would be long. After Fort Sumter, volunteers rushed to join both armies and the nation moved fully into armed conflict. -
The first major land battle that showed the war would be long and brutal. Union and Confederate armies fought near Manassas, Virginia, in the first big clash of the war. The Confederate forces launched counterattacks that broke the inexperienced Union troops, causing a chaotic retreat back toward Washington. The Confederate victory made both sides realize they needed larger, trained armies and better leadership. -
The first fight between iron-armored warships, which changed naval warfare forever. The USS Monitor and the Confederate ironclad Virginia clashed off Hampton Roads Virginia, in a battle that ended without a clear winner. Even though neither ship sank the other, the fight proved that iron hulled ships made wooden warships worthless. The duel also protected Union blockades and helped limit Confederate use of the seas. -
One of the early deadly battles that demonstrated how bloody the war would be. Fought in southwestern Tennessee, Shiloh began with a surprise Confederate attack on Union camps near the Tennessee River. After intense fighting over two days, Union reinforcements arrived and forced the Confederates to withdraw. The battle caused very high casualties on both sides. The Union victory helped secure important rivers and opened the way for deeper operations in the South. -
A major Confederate victory that strengthened Lee’s position and morale. Also called the Second Battle of Manassas, it was fought as General Lee attacked Union forces in northern Virginia. Confederate victories and strong tactics forced the Union army to retreat toward Washington, D.C. The win boosted Southern confidence and allowed Lee to plan an invasion of the North. The loss pressured Union leadership to rethink strategy and command in the Eastern theater. -
The bloodiest single day in American history and a strategic Union halt of Lee’s invasion. Union and Confederate forces fought in Maryland along Antietam Creek in a battle of heavy losses. Although the fighting produced no true tactical loss of Lee’s army, the Union stopped Lee’s advance and forced him to withdraw. The Union victory gave President Lincoln the opening he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation. -
A Union defeat that showed the strength of Confederate defensive positions. Union troops attacked well fortified Confederate positions on Marye’s Heights and had large casualties. Confederate forces, dug in behind stone walls and hills, easily repelling many Union charges. The battle damaged Northern morale and exposed problems in Union leadership and planning. After Fredericksburg the Union army had to regroup and reconsider how to break strong defensive lines. -
General Lee split his already smaller force and used bold, risky maneuvers to defeat a larger Union army in Virginia. The Confederates forced the Union to retreat, winning a major victory that boosted Southern spirits. However Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men and later died which was a severe loss for Southern leadership. The victory encouraged Lee to invade the North again leading toward Gettysburg. -
Union General Ulysses S. Grant began operations to capture the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and after several attacks he settled into a siege that lasted weeks. Confederate forces inside the city held out through bombardment and shortages until they finally surrendered on July 4, 1863. The capture gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River. Vicksburg’s fall combined with Gettysburg made July 1863 a major turning point for the Union. -
The union and Confederate cavalry clashed in Virginia in the biggest mounted battle of the Civil War. The fighting showed that Union cavalry forces were now capable of matching Confederate horsemen in large battles. The battle ended the idea that Confederate cavalry always dominated the field. Brandy Station also helped set the stage for the Gettysburg campaign by weakening Confederate reconnaissance and mobility. -
Over three days in Pennsylvania huge armies fought in attacks and counter attacks resulting in Pickett’s Charge on the third day. The Union army held the high ground and repelled Confederate attacks, forcing Lee to retreat back to Virginia. Gettysburg caused enormous casualties and shifted momentum to the Union side. The battle together with Union victories elsewhere marked the beginning of the Confederacy’s long military decline. -
General William T. Sherman led a large Union force from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia destroying railroads, crops, and supply centers as they marched. Sherman’s troops aimed to break the South’s ability and will to continue fighting by targeting not just armies but the economic and civilian infrastructure that supported them. It also showed a harsher side to war that affected civilian life and sped up the end of the war. -
After months of chasing Lee’s shrinking army, Union forces trapped him near Appomattox Court House in Virginia and insisted on surrender. Grant offered terms that allowed Confederate officers and men to return home with their horses and with personal dignity. The surrender prevented further fighting and helped begin the process reconstruction. -
“Battle of Antietam: Overview.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Antietam.
“Battle of Fredericksburg.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Fredericksburg-1862.
“Battle of Chancellorsville.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Chancellorsville-1863.
“Battle of Brandy Station.” National Park Service, nps.gov/places/brandy-station-battle.htm. -
“Battle of Fort Sumter Facts and Summary.” American Battlefield Trust, battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter.
“First Battle of Bull Run.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/First-Battle-of-Bull-Run-1861.
“Battle of Shiloh Facts and Summary.” American Battlefield Trust, battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/shiloh.
“Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (Ironclads).” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Monitor-and-Merrimack. -
“Battle of Gettysburg.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Gettysburg-American-Civil-War.
“Siege of Vicksburg.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Vicksburg-1863.
“Sherman’s March to the Sea.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Sherman’s-March-to-the-Sea.
“Appomattox Court House.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com/event/Lee-surrender-at-Appomattox-Court-House.