Major Battles of the civil war

1. Major Battles of the civil war

2. Tension grew after Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. On Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina’s citizens voted to secede from the United States of America. By the end of January, six other states also decided to leave the Union. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi became the president of the Confederate States of America. The union is dissolved

3. Fort sumter April 12, 1861 Charleston, South Carolina Length of Battle- 34 hours Casualties- 0 Winner- Confederates

4. After his election, President Lincoln was determined to hold the country together. However, it was too late. The first states began to secede from the Union in December 1860. • Due to the secession of some states, Union troops led by Major Robert Anderson climbed into boats and took control of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Fort sumter

5. This angered the people of Charleston, and they wanted to remove the Union soldiers from Southern soil. • The South Carolina state militia surrounded Fort Sumter. • The Union held control of Fort Sumter for almost four months, but the soldiers needed supplies. • President Lincoln sent a ship with supplies to the fort showing that he would not give in to the Confederacy. Fort sumter

6. At 4:30 A.M. on April 12, 1861, the Confederates began firing upon Fort Sumter. The Civil War had officially begun. • The attack lasted 34 hours. The Union soldiers fired back, but they were forced to surrender. • Not one soldier on either side was killed in battle. Fort sumter

8. First battle of Bull Run July 21, 1861 Manassas, Virginia Length of Battle- One Day Casualties- over 4,000 Winner- Confederates

9. Most people felt that the North would only need one major win to crush the South and bring the Union back together again. A plan was made for the Union to capture the city of Richmond, Virginia. • In July, the inexperienced Union soldiers marched toward the city. The Confederates built up their defenses along Bull Run stream. The first battle at Bull run

10. At first, the Union soldiers seemed to be winning the battle easily. A crowd of supporters even gathered to watch the battle. • The Union plan fell apart and retreated in panic. Many soldiers dropped their rifles and ran away. • By the end of the day, over 4,000 soldiers were dead. • The Union knew that the Confederate soldiers were serious about fighting back. People began to realize that the war would not end soon. First Battle of bull runhttp://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/videos/first-battle-of-bull-run

11. Battle at Fort Henry Feb. 6, 1862 Stewart and Henry Counties, TN Length of Battle- One Day Casualties- 116 Winner- Union

12. By February 1862, Fort Henry, a Confederate earthen fort on the Tennessee River with outdated guns, was partially flooded and the river threatened to flood the rest. • On February 4-5, Union general U.S. Grant landed his divisions in two different locations, one on the east bank of the Tennessee River to prevent the garrison’s escape and the other to occupy the high ground on the Kentucky side which would insure the fort’s fall. The Union also had seven gunboats that began bombarding the fort. • The commander of the Fort Henry’s garrison, realized that it was only a matter of time before Fort Henry fell. While leaving artillery in the fort to hold off the Union fleet, he escorted the rest of his force out of the area and sent them safely off on the route to Fort Donelson, 10 miles away. • The commander then returned to the fort and, soon afterwards, surrendered to the fleet, which had engaged the fort and closed within 400 yards. Fort henry

13. Fort Henry’s fall opened the Tennessee River to Union gunboats and shipping as far as Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After the fall of Fort Donelson, ten days later, the two major water transportation routes in the Confederate west, bounded by the Appalachians and the Mississippi River, became Union highways for movement of troops and material. Fort Henry

14. Fort Donelson Feb. 11-16, 1862 Stewart County, TN Length of Battle- Six days Casualties- 16,537 Winner- Union

15. On February 13, one of Ulysses Grant’s officers initiated the Battle of Fort Donelson when he tried unsuccessfully to capture a rebel battery along the fort’s outer works. • Over the next three days, Grant tightened the noose around Fort Donelson by moving a flotilla up the Cumberland River to shell the fort from the east. Fort Donelson

16. The Confederates were surrounded, with their backs to the Cumberland River. Only several thousand troops managed to escape before Fort Donelson was surrendered on February 16. • Of the approximately 16,000 Confederates who had engaged in battle, more than 12,000 were captured or missing, while approximately 1,400 others were wounded or killed. Of the estimated 24,500 Union troops who fought at Fort Donelson, total casualties were around 2,700. Fort Donelson

17. The losses of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were disasters for the Confederates. Kentucky was lost and Tennessee lay wide open to the Yankees.

18. Shiloh April 6-7, 1862 Hardin County, Tennessee Casualties- 23,000 Winner- Union Bloodiest battle in American history at its time

19. Antietam September 17, 1862 Sharpsburg, Maryland Casualties – 22, 717 Winner – Inconclusive (There was no clear winner.) The Battle of Antietam is the first Civil War battle fought on Union soil.

20. Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 Length of Battle – 3 days Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Casualties – 51,112 Winner – Union The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the Civil War.

21. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

22. The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1-3, 1863 in and near the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This battle was one of the most important battles of the Civil War for the North. Robert E. Lee had invaded the North and was trying to defeat the Union Army once and for all. However, the Union Army held him off and sent him retreating. This was a major turning point in the war. Battle of Gettysburg

23. The Leaders • The Confederate Army was led by General Robert E. Lee along with General's Longstreet and Pickett. The Union Army was led by General George Meade. Battle of Gettysburg

24. The Battle • The Battle took place over three days. On the first day the armies were still coming together. The Confederates outnumbered the Union the first day and caused them to retreat through the town of Gettysburg to the south side of town. General Lee wanted his men to continue the attack and finish off the Union troops. However, his men delayed and the Union had the opportunity to dig in and set up their defenses. • By the second day, the armies from both sides were now at full force. The Union had around 94,000 soldiers and the Confederates around 72,000. Lee attacked and there was fierce fighting throughout the day with both sides taking heavy losses. The Union lines held. Battle of Gettysburg

25. The Battle • The third day, General Lee decided to make an all or nothing attack. He felt if he could win this battle, the South would win the war. He sent General Pickett, with 12,500 men, on a direct charge at the heart of the Union Army. This famous attack is called Pickett's Charge. Pickett's men were defeated with over half of them injured or killed. General Lee and the Confederate Army retreated. • The Battle of Gettysburg was the deadliest battle of the Civil War. There were 51,112 casualties including nearly 8,000 deaths. Battle of Gettysburg

26. After the Battle • General Meade and the Union Army were exhausted and had many casualties and deaths of their own to deal with. They did not pursue Lee's Army. President Lincoln was disappointed that Meade did not pursue General Lee as he felt the entire Confederate army could have been defeated and the war ended that day. http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/videos/the-battle-of-gettysburg Battle of Gettysburg

27. Battle of Vicksburg May 18- July 4, 1863 Warren County, Mississippi Union Commander- Ulysses S. Grant Confederate Commander- John C. Pemberton Casualties- 37,402 Winner- Union *The Union had control of the Mississippi River after this battle.

28. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee had been trying to wrest away the strategic Confederate river fortress of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Previous, direct attempts to take this important town high above the Mississippi River were blocked by rebel forces.

29. In late April 1863, Grant undertook a new and bold campaign against Vicksburg and the Confederate defenders under John Pemberton. After conducting a surprise landing below Vicksburg at Bruinsburg, Mississippi, Grant’s forces moved rapidly inland, pushing back the threat posed by Joseph E. Johnston’s forces near Jackson. Once his rear was clear, Grant again turned his sights on Vicksburg. • Soldiers and civilians alike endured the privations of siege warfare for 47 days before the surrender of Pemberton’s forces on July 4, 1863. With the Mississippi River now firmly in Union hands, the Confederacy's fate was all but sealed.

30. Battle of Chickamauga Sept. 18-20, 1863 Catoosa County and Walker County, Georgia Union Commander - William S. Rosecrans Confederate Commanders- Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet Casualties- 34,624 Winner- Confederacy

31. Rosecrans consolidated Union forces had been scattered throughout Tennessee and Georgia, and forced Bragg to evacuate the city.  Bragg concentrated his forces in LaFayette, Georgia, and determined to reoccupy the valuable Chattanooga.    • The Battle of Chickamauga began in earnest shortly after dawn on September 19th.  Throughout the day Bragg’s men gained ground but could not break the extended Union line despite a series of aggressive attacks.

32. Throughout September 18 and 19, the terrain made clearly drawn battle lines impossible: commanding officers on both sides had little-to-no view of the field, and the armies constantly shifted positions as they unexpectedly ran into each other.  The fluid battle lines in dense woods led to vicious, close quarters combat.  • Confederate luck changed when, at 11 p.m., Gen. Longstreet’s divisions arrived at Chickamauga, giving the Confederate force superior numbers. 

33. While Chickamauga was a decided Confederate victory, the results of the battle were staggering because there were over 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties. • Although the Confederates had driven Rosecrans from the field, they had not succeeded in Bragg’s goals of destroying Rosecrans’s army or reoccupying Chattanooga.  http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chickamauga/chickamauga-maps/chickamauga-animated-map/

34. Battle of franklin November 30, 1864 Franklin, Tennessee Leaders: John M. Schofield (USA) John Bell Hood (CSA) Casualties: 8,587 Winner: Union More Confederate generals were killed at Franklin than in any other battle in the war. 

35. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/franklin/maps/franklin-animated-map/http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/franklin/maps/franklin-animated-map/ Battle of franklin

36. Battle of nashville December 15-16, 1864 Nashville, Tennessee Leaders: General George H. Thomas (US) General John Bell Hood (CS) Casualties: 6,602 Winner: Union

37. At the Battle of Nashville, which took place from December 15 to December 16, 1864, during the American Civil War (1861-65), the once powerful Confederate Army of Tennessee was nearly destroyed when a Union army commanded by General George Thomas (1816-70) swarmed over the Rebel trenches around Nashville. Battle of Nashville

38. Thomas saw his chance to deal a decisive blow to Hood. At Nashville, a large force of Yankees faced a rebel force estimated at around half its size, and historians have questioned why Hood even approached the strongly fortified city with the odds so stacked against him. Early in the morning of December 15, Thomas sent a force under General James Steedman (1817-83) against the Confederates’ right flank. Battle of nashville

39. The Union troops overran the Confederate trenches and drove the rebels back more than a mile. The short December day halted the fighting, but Thomas struck again on December 16. This time, the entire Confederate line gave way and sent Hood’s men from the field in a total rout. Only the valiant rear-guard action of General Stephen Lee (1833-1908) prevented complete destruction of the Confederate army. • Hood and his damaged army retreated to Mississippi, the army of Tennessee no longer a viable offensive fighting force. Battle of nashville