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Fort Sumter
The Confederates defeated the Union at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. This battle was significant because it was the spark that started the Civil War. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
This battle took place in Manassas, Virginia. The leader of the Union side was Geeral McDowell and the leaders of the Confederate side were General PT Beauregard and Stonewall Jackson. The rebels were victorious in this battle. The significance of this battle was that it was the 1st battle of the Civil War and it cahnged the view of the war. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle took place in Mississippi. The leaders of the Union were Ulysses Grant and Tecumseh Shermen. The leader of the South was General PT Beauregard. The North came out victorious in this battle. This battle was important for the North because it was a strategic win to gaining control of the Mississippi River. This battle lasted 2 days. -
Fall of New Orleans
This battle took place in Louisiana, near the Mississippi River. The leader of the North in this battle was Captain David Farragut. The Union won this battle. The Union took control of New Orleans after this battle. This battle was important for the reason that the Union took complete control of the Mississippi River and the South couldn't use the river to trade anymore. -
Antietam
This battle took place in Maryland. The leader of the North was General McClellan and the leader of the South was General Robert Lee. Neither side won this battle. The significance of this battle is that the Union was able to prevent Lee from moving the war into the North and this battle was the cause of the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredericksurg
This battle took place in Virginia. The leader of the North was General Burnside and the leader of the South was Robert E. Lee. The South was victorious in this battle. This battle was important because the South won again. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This battle took place in Virginia. General Hooker was the leader of the North and Generals Lee and Stonewall Jackson were the leaders of the South. The Confederate side was victorious in this battle. The importance of this battle is that it ruined the chances of the Union attacking Richmond, the South's capitol, for now. Also, General Stonewall Jackson died of friendly fire in this battle. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle lasted from July 1 to July 4. The fighting took place in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Northern leader was General Meade and the Southern leaders were General Lee and General Pickett. The Union won this battle. Lee's forces ended up retreating from this battle. The significance of this Union victory is that it was a major turning point in the Civil War and it ended the South's hopes of getting help from Britain and France. -
Siege of Vicksburg
This siege wasn't a battle. It was the North forces surrounding the Southern city of Vicksburg and not allowing them to access any supplies. This siege lasted for 47 days, from July 4 to August 20. General Ulysses S. Grant had the idea of putting Vicksburg under siege. This siege was important because it boosted the North's morale and it split the South in two. Vicksburg was an important river city for the South and it was the Mississippi River's last defense. -
The Wilderness Campaign
This series of battles lasted for six weeks and were believed to be the six bloodiest weeks in the Civil War. These battles took place in the area of forest in between the Northern capital, Washington D.C., and the Southern capital, Richmond. The leader of the North was General Grant and the leader of the South was General Lee. -
Farragut at Mobile Bay
Union captain David Farragut led 18 ships into Mobile Bay, Alabama. This was almost a suicide mission because Farragut was leading wooden ships into a bay filled with mines and surrounded by torpedo bombers. Farragut kept perservering and made it through the bay. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
This march lasted to December 21, 1864. During the march, General Sherman led the Union forces from Atlanta, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. Along this march, the Union troops destroyed, set fire to, and shot at anything that belonged to the South. The troops also freed thousands of slaves on the march. These slaves simply helped the Union destroy property of the South. -
Fall of Richmond/Surrender at Appomattox
After hearing of Lee's defeat and the Union advancing to Richmond, Jefferson Davis quickly started to destroy every bridge, weapon, and document in Richmond to prevent the North from using the wapons and documents. The Union completely demolished Richmond and set it on fire. The Confederates finally formally surrendered on April 9, 1865.
