Major Wars and Battles Study Guide
Description
Ancient Greek military conflict, fought by Athens and its empire against the
Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta
Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held up the Persians for seven days in total in the
namesake pass; Leonidas vs. Xerxes I
War
Date
Peloponnesian Wars 434-401 BCE
Battle of Thermopylae 480 BCE
a surprise military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States'
Battle of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
naval base in Hawaii; led to the U.S's involvement in World War II
Led by General Sam Houston, the Texas Army engaged and defeated General
Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen
minutes. "Remember the Alamo!" was the rallying cry of the Texans
Battle of San Jacinto April 21, 1836
also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest
victories, effectively destroying the Third Coalition against the French Empire;
decisively defeated a Russo-Austrian army, commanded by Tsar Alexander I
Battle of Austerlitz
series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses
of Lancaster and York.
War of the Roses
1453-1487
marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England.
This was Joan of Arc's first major[1] military victory and the first major French
success to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415
Seige of Orleans
1428-1429
between the United States of America and the British Empire; over trade
restrictions, impressments, and British support of Native Americans
Five hour naval battle between Holy League and the Ottoman Empire; Victory
gave the Holy League temporary control over the Mediterranean, protected Rome
from invasion, and prevented the Ottomans from advancing into Europe
the first major land battle of the American Civil War; Unseasoned Union Army
troops under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell advanced across Bull Run against the
equally unseasoned Confederate Army under Brig. Gens. Joseph E. Johnston
European forces under Charles MArtel successfully defend against an Umayyad
Arab army; the decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam, a struggle
which preserved Christianity as the religion of Europe
Octavian vs. Mark Antony and Cleopatra; fought on the Ionian Sea; led to
Octavian's crowing and title of First Citizen
War of 1812
Battle of Lepanto
1812-14
1571
Battle of 1st Bull Run;
July 21, 1861
1st Manassas
Battle of Tours
732 CE
Battle of Actium
31 BCE
invasion and establishment of Allied forces in France, during Operation Overlord
in World War II.
Battle of Normandy
The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. Signified the decline of the
namesake Empire
Sack of Rome
an aerial attack during the Spanish Civil war of the namesake town made famous
December 2, 1805
June 6, 1944
410 CE
Bombing of Guernica April 26, 1937
in Pablo Picasso's depiction of the casualties
climax of a trade dispute between China and the British Empire. British smuggling
of the namesake drug from India into China in defiance of China's drug laws
erupted into open warfare; Treaty of Nanjing and Treaty of Tianjin was a result
Opium Wars
1839-42; 1856-60
The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey engaged the
Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón and
destroyed the Spanish squadron. The first major engagement of the SpanishAmerican War
Battle of Manila Bay May 1, 1898
Russian army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in a protest against Nicholas I's
assumption of the throne after his elder brother Constantine removed himself from
the line of succession
Decembrist Uprising 1825
first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was
the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties
name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Air Force during the
summer and autumn of 1940 to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force;
name derives from a speech made in the House of Commons by Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Britain
several European powers combined to stop a possible unification of the Kingdoms
of Spain and France under a single Bourbon monarch; concluded by the treaties of
Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714).
War of the Spanish
Succession; Queen
Anne's War
Took place after General George Washinton's crossing of the Delaware; The
hazardous crossing in adverse weather allowed Washington to lead the main body
of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned in the namesake town
Battle of Trenton
the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is
cited as the war's turning point. Union Gen. Meade's Army defeated attacks by
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's
invasion of the North
sea battle between British Navy and the fleets of the French Navy and Spanish
Navy, during War of the Third Coalition; British led by Admiral Lord Nelson
defeated French and Spanish ships under French Admiral Pierre Villeneuve
prolonged conflict between two royal houses for the French throne; two primary
contenders were the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as
the House of Anjou; ended in the expulsion of the Plantagenets
September 17,
1862
Summer-Autumn,
1940
1702-12
December 26, 1776
Battle of Ghettysburg July 1-3, 1863
Battle of Trafalgar
100 Years' War
October 21, 1805
1337-1453
Also known as the Battle of Ardennes, became the bloodiest battle U.S. forces
experienced in World War II; The “bulge” was the initial incursion the Germans
put into the Allies’ line of advance
Battle of the Bulge
December 16,
1944-January 25,
1945
an English victory against a larger French army in the Hundred Years' War;
notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry used in very large
numbers; The battle was also immortalized by William Shakespeare as the
centerpiece of his play Henry V
Battle of Agincourt
1415
Watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, supposedly a messenger ran over twenty
miles to bring news of the victory to Athens; inspires this namesake race
Also known as the battle of Pittsburgh Landing
Battle of Marathon
Battle of Shiloh
Fought between British empire and Orange Free State and South African Rep.; the
namesake settlers successfully resist British annexation of the Transvaal Republic
Boer War
A proxy war of the Cold War Era, US intervened on one side, Communist China
protected the other; the armistice restored original boundaries at the end of conflict
Korean War
490 BCE
April 6-7, 1862
1899-1902
1950-53
most famous battle of the Texas Revolution; Santa Anna led a siege of this fort,
leading to the death of Davy Crockett
Battle of the Alamo
captured by a small force of American Patriots led by Ethan Allen and Colonel
Benedict Arnold. They surprised and captured, without significant injury or
incident, the small British garrison at the fort
Capture of Fort
Ticonderoga
July 1777
naval battle fought between an Alliance of Greek city-states and the Achaemenid
Empire of Persia; the naval counterpart of the Battle of Thermopylae,
Themistocles led the Athenian fleet to victory
Battle of Salamis
480 BCE
was Lancastrian Henry Tudor's defeat of Yorkist Richard III, ending the
Plantagenet dynasty to begin a new Tudor dynasty. Historically, the battle is
considered to have marked the end of the Wars of the Roses as well as the Middle
Ages in England
Battle of Bosworth
Field
the bloodiest and most famous battle of the Spanish-American War. It was also
one of the greatest victories for the Rough Riders, under Theodore Roosevelt
February 23-March
16, 1836
1485
Battle of San Juan Hill July 1, 1898
fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq forces led by Alp Arslan; the
most decisive defeat of the Byzantine Empire; capture of the Byzantine Emperor
Diogenes; prepared the way for Turkish settlement in Anatolia
Battle of Manzikert
1071
forces of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte and Michel Ney were
defeated by those of the Seventh Coalition and an Anglo-Allied army under the
command of the Duke of Wellington; subject of an ABBA song
Battle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815
a violent anti-foreign, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of
Harmony,” Yihe tuan or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China
conflict between Great Britain and Spain; name comes from an exhibited body part
in the British Parliament
Boxer Rebellion
War of Jenkin's Ear
1900
1739-1743
the final engagement of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern
Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
near the end of the American Civil War
Battle of Appomattox
April 9, 1865
Courthouse
also known as the battle of Breed's Hill, part of the Seige of Boston between
Generals Putnam and Howe; While the result was a victory for the British, they
suffered their greatest losses of the entire war: over 800 wounded and 226 killed
Battle of Bunker Hill June 17, 1775
Decisive American victories in the American Revolutionary War, resulting in
surrender of an entire British army of over 6,000 men invading New York from
Canada; caused France to enter the conflict on behalf of the Americans
arose from the heated colonial struggle between the British Empire and French
Empire, as well as control of Prussia; G.B. + Prussia vs. France, Austria, and
Russia; ended with G.B. / Prussian victory
resulted in the death of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and the destruction of the
Native American coalition that he led; also known as the Battle of Moraviantown
Battle of Saratoga
French and Indian War;
1755-63
Seven Year's War
Battle of the Thames October 5, 1813
a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson surprised and largely destroyed
a French fleet anchored near Alexandria, stranding Napoleon's army in Egypt
Battle of the Nile
began under the pretext that Maria Theresa of Austria was ineligible to succeed to
the Habsburg throne; war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
War of the Austrian
Succession; King
George's War
Israel defeated the armies of the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria; At
the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the
West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights
Six Day War
continuation of wars sparked by French Revolution, revolutionized European
armies, due to the application of modern mass conscription. French power rose
quickly, conquering most of Europe, collapsed after France's invasion of Russia
The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War; "the shot
heard round the world"; The namesake Minute Man, by Daniel Chester French,
represents this battle
The bombardment and surrender of the namesake fort near Charleston, South
Carolina, that started the American Civil War.
September-October
1777
Napoleonic Wars
August 1, 1798
1744-48
1967
1803-1815
Battle of Lexington and
April 19, 1775
Concord
Battle of Fort Sumter April 12-13, 1861
Contains Operation Frequent Wind and the evacuation of Saigon; The United
States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part
of their wider strategy of containment; Vietcong resistance
Vietnam War
proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, as the
surrender of Cornwallis’s army prompted British negotiations
Battle of Yorktown
1964-73
1781
Military conflict between US & Spain over Cuba; included battle of San Juan Hill. Spanish-American War 1898
subject of the Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson, fought between the
Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the
Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other
The United States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy attack,
inflicting irreparable damage on Japanese carrier force; 4 Japanese aircraft carriers
and a heavy cruiser were sunk in exchange for one American carrier and destroyer
Ended by the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by Teddy Roosevelt; Russia invades
Manchuria, loses to Japan
Crimean War
Battle of Midway
1853-56
June 4-7, 1942
Russo-Japanese War 1904-05
fought between Allied forces and the forces of Napoleon's French Empire. The
Allies were victorious, entering Paris, and as a result, Napoleon was soon forced to Battle of Montmartre March 30, 1814
abdicate
a major naval battle in the Pacific of World War II between the Japanese Navy and
the Allied forces of the United States and Australia. Was the first battle in which
Battle of the Coral Sea May 4-8, 1942
aircraft carriers engaged each other. Marked first Japanese repulsion in the Pacific
battle between Nazi Germany and its allies and the Soviet Union for control of the
namesake city in Southern Russia
Battle of Stalingrad
The namesake Middle East country invaded its neighbor on 22 September 1980
following a long history of border disputes and fears of Shia insurgency among
Iraq's long suppressed Shia majority influenced by Iranian Revolution in this War.
Iran-Iraq War
the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. It was fought
between the Norman army of William the Conqueror, and the English army led by
Harold Godwinson; The famous Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events before and
during the battle
Battle of Hastings
July,1942February,1943
1980-88
1066
landmark battle, signifying that the British governor, Agricola, had subdued the
last of the British tribes
Battle of Mons
Graupius
83-84 CE
fought primarily (though not exclusively) in Germany; religious conflict between
Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire; included the Bohemian
Revolt; ended by the Peace of Westphalia
30 Years' War
1618-1648
final major battle of the War of 1812.[1] American forces, with General Andrew
Jackson in command, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing the
namesake city and America's vast western lands
Battle of New Orleans January 8, 1815
pair of related Korean War infantry fights. These were fought while the U.S. and
the Communist Chinese and Koreans negotiated an armistice. First described in a
namesake book by S.L.A Marshal and also led to a film produced in 1959
Battle of Pork Chop Spring-Summer
Hill
1953
the first major offensive launched by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan; the
August 7, 1942Battle of Guadalcanal
first significant combined arms victory by Allied forces over the Japanese in the
February 9, 1943
Pacific theater. It is often referred to as a "turning point" in the war
'We have met the enemy and they are ours' was the most famous quote by Naval
Officer Perry at this battle on the namesake Great Lake
Battle of Lake Erie
September 10,
1813
was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands; The U.S. invasion,
known as Operation Detachment, was charged with the mission of capturing the
airfields on the namesake island
Battle of Iwo Jima
February 19–
March 26, 1945
conflict between US and Mexico over annexation of Texas; Santa Anna led the
Mexican-American War 1846-47
Mexicans against Zachary Taylor's forces; led to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Rome vs. Carthage; Includes Hannibal’s' crossing of the Alps with elephants;
Carthage destroyed in 3rd Punic War
Punic Wars
264-241 BCE; 218201 BCE; 149-146
BCE