Key Battles of the Civil War

From Ft. Sumter to Appomattox

April, 1861-April, 1865

Ft. SumterApril, 1861-Charleston, South Carolina

• First shots of war fired by CSA at US fort in harbor.

• Union surrenders and war begins.

Bull RunJuly, 1861-Manassas, Virginia

• South wins first real ground battle of war in Virginia, near D.C.

• Bloody future of war could now be seen.

• “Stonewall” Jackson made famous here.

Monitor v. MerrimacMarch, 1862-Hampton Roads, Virginia• Naval battle with

no clear winner.

• Monitor (North) and Merrimac (South) are first iron-clad ships ever used in warfare.

AntietamSept., 1862-Sharpsburg, Maryland

• McClellan (N) beats Lee (S) for first real Union win.

• Bloodiest single day of war gives Lincoln power to free slaves in South with “Emancipation Proclamation”.

VicksburgJuly 4th, 1863-Mississippi

• Grant (N) completes series of western battles by attacking river town for six weeks.

• Town finally surrenders, giving Union control of Mississippi River and splitting CSA in two.

GettysburgJuly 1st through 3rd, 1863-Pennsylvania• Meade (N) beats Lee (S)

in deadliest battle of war.• News breaks the same

day as Vicksburg, on the 4th of July.

• Seals fate of South…War near an end.

• Lincoln’s famous “Gettysburg Address” follows.

Sherman’s MarchSept., 1864-Early 1865 in Georgia

• Gen. Sherman (N) captures Atlanta and burns his way to Savannah.

• “Total War” destroys wide area of CSA and splits South again.

Appomattox CourthouseApril 9th, 1865-Virginia

• Lee (S) surrenders to Grant (N) a week after CSA capital of Richmond falls.

• The war is officially over.

• Lincoln killed five days later on April 14th.