Key Battles Of The Civil War

Early Battles of the Civil War

First Bull RunJuly 21st 1861

• "There stands Jackson like a stone wall!"• General Bernard Bee, Fourth Alabama Brigade, of Thomas

Jackson At the Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run), it is estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 bullets were fired for every man killed.

First Bull Run

• Well dressed Washingtonians flock to the battlefield to see a Union victory.

• Irvin McDowell - 40,000 Union troops.• P.G.T. Beauregard - 20,000 Confederate

troops.• Union Loses 2,896 casualties. Forced to flee

back to Washington. (Skedaddle)• Confederate loses 1,982

Ironclads

Merrimac

• Originally called the Virginia later taken by the Confederacy and turned into their first Ironclad.

• Easily smashed through the Union blockade at Hampton Roads Virginia. (Wooden Ships)

• Later engaged in combat against the Union’s Monitor.

Monitor

• Turreted warship carrying heavy guns.

• Ship was protected by being mostly underwater and had iron siding.

• A revolving turret with two smooth bore guns allowed greater accuracy and distance.

• Powered by steam power and a screw Propeller.

• Engaged in a naval battle with Merrimac. (Stalemate)

Peninsula CampaignSpring, 1862

• “If the general is not going to use the army, I would like to borrow it.” Lincoln

• George B. McClellan vs... Robert E. Lee

Peninsula CampaignSpring, 1862

• Union objective 121,000 troops sent to the Peninsula to capture Richmond.

• Confederate strategy: Richmond must not fall. (Lee Attacks)

• Seven Days Battles:Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Savages Station, Frayser’s Farm, and Malvern Hill.

• Most of the battles were Union victories, but the Union Army is forced to retreat.

• Lincoln replaces McClellan with John Pope.

Western CampaignSpring, 1862

• Shiloh “place of peace”• U.S. Grant vs... Albert Sydney Johnston.• Anaconda Plan - Control the Mississippi River and all the

tributaries.• The rebels are out there thicker than fleas on a dog's back!!

Western CampaignSpring, 1862

• Grant and General Don Carlos Buell join forces at Pittsburgh Landing. (97,000 men)

• Johnston’s forces include 30,000 men.• Confederate forces attack a much larger

Union Army with 14 charges. (Hornets Nest)• The Confederates are forced to withdraw.• Total Causalities: 2,477 killed and over

23,000 injured or lost. (More then all previous American wars combined.

AntietamSeptember 17th, 1862

• Lee Invades the North to strike fear and capture fall harvests.

• McClellan Knows Lee’s Plan, but fails to attack.

• Burnsides bridge and Sunken road covered with bodies. >>>>>>

• Bloodiest single day in American History (24,000 dead)

• Declared a Union Victory!• Emancipation Proclamation

FredericksburgDecember, 1862

• "A chicken could not live on that field when we open on it.”(Porter Alexander.)

• Ambrose Burnside 116,683 troops vs..... Robert E. Lee 72,564 troops.

• Capture Fredericksburg and on to Richmond

FredericksburgDecember, 1862

• Rappahannock River (17 day delay pontoon bridges.

• Union forces cross river and loot the town.

• Marye’s Heights - 14 Union forces are repelled. (12,535 losses)

• Burnside is replaced by Joseph Hooker.

ChancellorsvilleSpring, 1863

• "My plans are perfect, and when I start to carry them out, may God have mercy on Bobby Lee, for I shall have none." Joe Hooker

• Joseph Hooker 70,000 men Vs. Robert E. Lee’s 40,000 men.

• “Let us Cross over the River and Rest under the shade of the trees.”(Stonewall Jackson’s last words. )

ChancellorsvilleSpring, 1863

• Objective: Robert E. Lee is forced to divide his army in two.

• Lee fakes an attack on Fredericksburg and sends Jackson to attack the Union right flank.

• Stonewall Jackson attack is a success but he is wounded by his own men by mistake.

• Union forces are destroyed with losses of over 17,000 men. Hooker is relieved of command.