1. Major Battles of the Civil War 1861-1865

2. The Tale of the Tape Names North, Federal, Union
South, Confederate, Rebel
Color
Blue
Gray
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Richmond, VA
States
23, plus the territories
11 States
13 stars in flag
(1 each for Missouri and Kentucky)
Population
22 million
9 million (3.5 million slaves)
Financial
Resources
75% of nation’s resources;
wealth invested in industry
25% of nation’s resources;
wealth in land and slaves
Leadership
Strong Political;
weak military
Strong Military;
Weak political
Industry
92% 8%
Motivation
Initially: Preserve the Union
Later: ending slavery added
Defend homes and land;
Preserve Southern way of life

3. Battle of Fort Sumter
Describe the two decisions weighed by Lincoln about sending a warship to resupply Fort Sumter.
If he sent a warship to resupply the fort, it might be seen as an act of aggression.
BUT, if he decided to NOT resupply the fort, it could likely demonstrate weakness to the rebellious South.

4. Ft. Sumter and the beginning of hostilities
Confederacy called for the Federal Government to turn over control of federally held forts
Lincoln refused and attempted to resupply Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., with food
Confederacy called for the Federal Government to turn over control of federally held forts
Lincoln refused and attempted to resupply Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., with food
On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on the fort effectively beginning the Civil War

5. Victor & importance of outcome
Fort Sumter
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
April 12, 1861
South Carolina
Anderson
(North)
Beauregard
(South)
Confederate victory
Led to Lincoln calling for 75,000 militiamen for 90 days
Began the war

9. Lincoln calls for volunteers
April 15, 1861, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers from the states to serve for 90 days to put down the rebellion
This lead to the secession of Virginia, N.C., Arkansas and Tennessee

10. Naming of Armies and Battles
Army of the Potomac
Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Ohio
Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Antietam
The Union named its armies and many battles after bodies of water
The Confederates named its armies by region and battles by city/town
The Union named its armies and many battles after bodies of water
The Confederates named its armies by region and battles by city/town
Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Tennessee
Army of the Northwest
Battle of Manassas
Battle of Shaprsburg

11. Lincoln offers Lee command
Winfield Scott suggested to President Lincoln that Robert E Lee should be chosen to lead the Federal forces
Lee was called to Washington and offered the command, which he turned down
“I shall never bear arms against the Union, but it may be necessary for me to carry a musket in the defense of my native state, Virginia.”
– Robert E Lee
“Lee, you have made the greatest mistake of your life...”
– Winfield Scott

12. Control the Mississippi River Blockade the Confederate coastline
Capture Richmond
Blockade the Confederate coastline

13. Army of the Potomac
Union army in the east, responsible for guarding Washington, D.C. and attacking Richmond, Virginia
Ulysses S Grant
George Meade
George McClellan
Ambrose Burnside
Joseph Hooker

14. Army of Northern Virginia
Confederate army in the east, responsible for defending Richmond
Robert E Lee
Joseph Johnston
P.G.T. Beauregard
James Longstreet
Stonewall Jackson

16. Bull Run / Manassas How did Stonewall Jackson get his nickname?
His men believed that he stood “like a stone wall” at the front of his troops in the face of the Union attack.

17. First Battle of Bull Run Battle of Manassas
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
July 21, 1861
Virginia
Irvin McDowell
(North)
P.G.T. Beauregard
(south)
Confederate victory that increased southern morale
Led to the Union army ask for 500,000 volunteers
Both sides realized it would not be short war

18. Ruins of a stone bridge over Bull Run Creek

19. First Battle of Bull Run

21. U.S.S. Monitor vs. C.S.S. Virginia (formerly U.S.S. Merrimack)
Describe the impact iron-clad ships made on the future of naval warfare. Be sure to explain how they were made, which side first used them, and the advantages they offered.
It included more than 4 inches of armor covering its propeller, the anchor, and all important machinery. It also had a revolving turret mounted on its deck that housed two 11 inch guns all covered in 8 inches of armor.
The Confederacy first used them.
Overall, this shifted the focus of naval warfare to ironclad ships instead of wooden ones.

22. Battle of Shiloh

23. Battle of Shiloh
Who said, “My God, we are attacked”? Be sure to explain the circumstances regarding this quote.
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman said this when his orderly, or servant soldier, was unexpectedly killed.

25. Victor & importance of outcome
Antietam Sharpsburg
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
Sept 17, 1862
Maryland
George McClellan
(north)
Robert E Lee
(South)
Military draw; seen as political victory for Union when Lee retreats south
Bloodiest day of the war– 25,000 casualties
Increased Union confidence
Led to Emancipation Proclamation

27. Antietam Creek Bridge 1862

28. Dunker Church (present day memorial and with dead Union & Confederates after 9/17/1862)

29. Battle of Antietam
How did Union leadership completely spoil an opportunity to win the war on September 17, 1862?
On Sept. 13, two Union troops found a copy of Lee’s orders to invade the North and divide his troops for the best attack. BUT, Union General McClellan waited almost 18 hours to begin to move his troops to attack Lee. Lee used this precious time to reorganize his army and method of attack.

30. The Death of Stonewall Jackson
After the first day of fighting at Chancellorsville, Jackson was shot by friendly fire while returning to camp.
Jackson lost his left arm from his wound and it was buried near Chancellorsville; he died a 8 days later on, May 10, from his wounds
With Stonewall Jackson’s death, Lee lost one of his best generals.
Lee: “I have lost my right arm, and I am bleeding at the heart”

31. Gettysburg Campaign Union Confederacy
Fighting lasted 3 days on the hills and fields around Gettysburg, PA
July 1-3, 1863
90,000 Union troops were commanded by Gen. George Meade
75,000 Confederate troops were commanded by Gen. Robert E. Lee
As much as 51,000 total casualties were estimated in the battle
Bloodiest battle in American History
Union
Confederacy

33. Gettysburg Day 1
Skirmishes begin North of town as advanced scouting parties of the two armies converge
Lee knows he needs to control the high ground. He orders General Ewell to take Culp’s Hill “If Practicable…”
Ewell decides it is not practicable, and the Union controls the high ground

35. Gettysburg Day 2 The Union army forms a fishhook defensive position
Confederates under James Longstreet attack the Southern end of the fishhook along the hills Round Top and Little Round Top
Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine defends Little Round Top preventing the Confederates from destroying the Union line

36. Charge of the 20th Maine – Little Round Top

37. Gettysburg Day 3
Lee’s last ditch effort to win the battle and perhaps the war
George Pickett’s Division is ordered to attack the Union line in what is known as “Pickett’s Charge”
The attack fails and Pickett’s Division is wiped out
Lee retreats, never to invade the North again. The bloodiest battle of the war is over

38. Pickett’s Charge

40. Victor & importance of outcome
Gettysburg
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
July
1 - 3, 1863
Pennsylvania
George Meade
(North)
Robert E Lee
(south)
Union victory
High Water Mark of the Confederacy
As many as 51,000 combined casualties
Bloodiest battle of the war
the South would never invade North again

41. Battle of Gettysburg
Describe the event known as “Pickett’s Charge”. Be sure to explain the circumstances surrounding the event, what the term means, how it receives its name, and the outcome of it.
General Lee ordered General George Pickett to lead his men on a uphill charge to storm the Union defenses. The Union had the high ground and almost half of the southern force was killed. Many decided to retreat. The South never fully recovered from this huge mistake.

43. Victor & importance of outcome
Siege of Vicksburg
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
May 18 to
July 4, 1863
Mississippi
Ulysses S Grant
(north)
John Pemberton
(south)
Union victory
Union control of Mississippi River
(fulfilled a major part of the Anaconda Plan)

47. Battle of Vicksburg
Describe how this battle resulted in Union General U.S. Grant becoming a “feared military leader”.
He ordered a siege of the city which prevented anyone from going in or going out and continually launched artillery into the city itself.

48. The Atlanta Campaign
Summer of 1864 William Sherman pushes confederate forces form the Georgia-Tennessee border to Atlanta
Confederates burn Atlanta as they abandon it
Atlanta is captured and the success helps propel Lincoln to victory in the election of 1864.
It was a crushing defeat for the morale of the South.

49. Victor & importance of outcome
The Atlanta Campaign
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
July 16 – Sept 2, 1864
Georgia
William T. Sherman
John Bell Hood
Union victory
Captured the “heart of the South”
Launched Sherman’s “March to the Sea”
Use of “total war”

50. Sherman’s March to the Sea
"I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." - William T. Sherman to Abraham Lincoln

51. Sherman’s March to the Sea

53. Sherman’s March to the Sea
What goals did Sherman have in his “march to the sea”?
To destroy any last hope the Confederate army and Southern people had of winning the war. His tactics of “total war” were designed to break the spirit of the Confederacy.

54. Victor & importance of outcome
Siege of Petersburg
Date
State
Leaders N/S
Victor & importance of outcome
June 15,1864 – April 2, 1865
Virginia
Ulysses S Grant
Robert E Lee
Union victory
Opened the door to Richmond
Led to Lee’s surrender

56. Union trenches at the siege of Petersburg

57. Union created “crater”

58. Richmond falls to the Union
Confederate lines broke at Richmond on April 2, 1865
Lee and his army retreated west of Richmond
Union blocked his escape route
On April 3, 1865 they took Richmond
Confederates attempted to burn it

59. Picture of Richmond, the army actually tried to burn the city to keep it from being taken. The capital building is noticeable at the center of the picture.

60. Top picture is a panoramic view of the city of Richmond from across the James River. The other pictures are from Richmond as well.

61. Surrender @ Appomattox Courthouse
“There is nothing left for me to do but go & see General Grant, & I would rather die a thousand deaths.” – Gen. Robert E. Lee
Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9
Grant gave favorable terms to the Lee’s soldiers
Jefferson Davis was captured on May 10
“I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly…though [the cause]…[was] one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one which there was the least excuse. I do not question the sincerity of the great mass of those who were opposed to us.” – Gen Ulysses S. Grant 61

62. Lee surrenders to Grant Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia April 9, 1865

63. Appomattox Courthouse
Explain the conditions given to the Confederates as part of their surrender.
Grant agreed to let Lee and his men go home in exchange for the their surrender and to put down their guns
Grant agreed to the Confederate soldiers would not be tried for treason. They were allowed to go home, return to pre-war lives, and keep their horses.