Key Battles 1861-1865
Open Notebooks to page 48!
Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861
Leaders:
North & South
North = Major Anderson
South = General Beauregard
Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Island fort
Bombardment of the fort
Geography
No casualties
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
Northern troops surrendered
South Won the Fort
Fort Sumter Video
• http://video.pbs.org/video/1832507650/
First Battle of Bull Run
July 21, 1861
Leaders:
North & South
North = General McDowell
South = Stonewall Jackson, General
Beauregard
Manassas, Virginia
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Union troops were poorly trained
Citizens watched from the sidelines
Geography
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
North = 2,700
South = 2,000
South won – showed war would be long and
bloody.
Battle of Bull Run
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/first-battle-of-bull-run
Hampton Roads-Monitor v. Merrimack
March/April, 1862
None mentioned.
Leaders:
North & South
Off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Ships plated with iron attacked each other
Geography
Neither ship was seriously damaged.
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
No clear winner
Changed Naval warfare forever
The War at Sea
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=u2oubPkUDY
Battle of Shiloh
• April 6-7, 1862
• One of the bloodiest battles of the war
• Grant & Union forces were surprised by a
Confederate attack
• Reinforcements arrived to help Grant –
Pushed back Confederates
• Won greater control of Mississippi Valley
Battle of Shiloh
April 6-7, 1862
Leaders:
North & South
North = General Grant, General Sherman
South = General Johnston & General
Beauregard
Shiloh Church, Tennessee
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Confederates launched surprise attack
Near Mississippi R.
Geography
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
North = over 13,000 dead
South = over 10,000 dead
Union won
One of the bloodiest battles
Battle of Shiloh Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/the-battle-of-shiloh
Battle of Antietam
Sept. 17, 1862
Leaders:
North & South
North = General McClellan
South = General Lee
Sharpsburg, Maryland
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Lee was hoping for a Confederate victory in
the North.
Geography
Over 23,000
Casualties:
North & South
North stopped the Confederates from
advancing (North considered it a victory)
Final Outcome
Lincoln passed Emancipation Proclamation
(Freed Slaves in Southern states)
Battle of Antietam
• http://www.history.com/topics/aztecs/video
s/the-battle-of-antietam
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 1862
Leaders:
North & South
North = General Burnside
South = General Lee
Richmond, VA
Set-Up:
Union hoped to capture Richmond
Location, Strategy, or Confederates withdrew to a nearby hill – Union
forces charged up the hill and were shot down
Geography
6 times.
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
Union: 13,000
Confederate: 5,300
Union had to retreat, suffered another
defeat. (Confederates won.)
Battle of Fredericksburg
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/battle-of-frederickson
Battle of Chancellorsville
May 18, 1863
Leaders:
North & South
North = General Hooker
South = General Lee & General Jackson
Confederates attack Union forces in
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Virginia.
Geography
Casualties:
North & South
Union: 18,400
Confederate: 13,000
Stonewall Jackson was shot by friendly fire.
Final Outcome
Union lost and had to retreat. (Confederate
victory)
Battle of Chancellorsville
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/battle-at-chancellorsville
Battle of Vicksburg
Ended July 4, 1863
Leaders:
North & South
North = General Grant
South = General Pemberton
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Union surrounded city for 6 weeks
Siege = surrounding enemy
Geography
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
Union – over 10,000
Confederates – over 9,000
Union won – Gained control of Mississippi
River – Split South in 2
Grant put as General-in-chief of Union
Battle of Vicksburg
• Ended July 4, 1863
• 6 week siege of Vicksburg
• Confederate forces were surrounded – supplies
ran out – forced to eat horses, dogs, and cats. 
• Confederates surrendered to General Grant
• Union gained full control of the Mississippi
River
Battle of Vicksburg
• July 4, 1863 - another Union victory - VICKSBURG
• Won by U.S. Grant, cut South in 1/2 and gave the Union
control of Mississippi River
• Grant was then given control of all Union armies 
began a "scorched earth" policy to defeat the South
• What ships were used during Vicksburg?
• What do you think a scorched earth policy
is or would consist of?
Battle of Vicksburg Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/vicksburg-campaign
Battle of Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863
Leaders:
North & South
South = General Lee & General Pickett
Gettysburg, PA
Lee hoped to invade the North, mistakenly
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or came upon Union troops.
Geography
Pickett’s Charge – Confederate last effort
charge to gain victory
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
Union – 23,000
Confederates – 28,000
Union won. Turning point of the war.
Gettysburg Address – speech given by
Lincoln honoring the dead
Battle of Gettysburg
• July 1-3, 1863
• Lee realized that it was crucial to attack the North.
• July 1-3, 1863 - BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG - in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania
• The two sides met on accident and started to wage war.
• On July 3, General Pickett led 15,000 Confed. Troops
across open fields - Union mowed them down (= "Pickett’s
Charge")
• Lee was defeated and retreated to Virginia.
• Over 100,000 people died in 3 days It was the last time
the South invaded the North.
Battle of Gettysburg Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/the-battle-of-gettysburg
Battle of Atlanta
July 22, 1864
Leaders:
North & South
North = General Sherman
South = General Hood
Atlanta, Georgia
Set-Up:
Location, Strategy, or Union surrounded city & wore down
Confederates.
Geography
Casualties:
North & South
Final Outcome
Union – over 3,600
Confederates – over 8,400
Union won – showed that the end of the war
was in sight.
Battle of Atlanta Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/pivotal-moments-of-thecivil-war-capture-of-atlanta
Turn to page 54 in your SS
Notebook
• Label the top of the page Sherman’s
March to the Sea and Surrender
• You’ll be taking notes on Sherman’s
March to the Sea, Richmond Falls and
Surrender at Appomattox on this page!
Sherman’s March to the Sea
• Union General Sherman was given the task
of taking Atlanta; his “March to the Sea"
saw total destruction (total war) from
Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia
• He used a scorched earth approach to
cause mass devastation of Southern crops,
towns, goods, and railways.
*Why would you want to burn your enemy’s
crops and railroads?
Sherman’s March to the Sea
Picture Analysis
• What devastation was brought on by Union
General William Sherman?
• Do you agree with his tactics? Why or why
not?
Richmond Falls
• Lee realizes the South can’t hold on for
long and sends Jefferson Davis a letter to
leave Richmond, Virginia.
• Union burns the city of Richmond,
Virginia and flees.
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/atlanta-campaign/videos
Surrender at Appomattox
• Lee sends General Grant a message that he
wants to surrender.
• On April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant meet at
the Appomattox Court House in Virginia to
arrange the South’s surrender.
• Terms of surrender: soldiers were
required to turn over their rifles, but
officers were allowed to keep their pistols.
Soldiers were allowed to keep horses.
The End is Here
• Lee told his armies and the people of the
South that they were beaten and that they
should stop fighting.
• All fighting ended by the summer.
Appomattox Courthouse
Surrender at Appomattox Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/americancivil-war/american-civil-warhistory/videos/surrender-at-appomattoxcourthouse