Civil War Battles
Information on some of the Civil War battles by Kaila Ward
Fort Sumter
The battle was caused because South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20th, 1860. The first battle of the Civil War was on April 12, 1861. Surprisingly, no casualties were killed during this battle. Fort Sumter was still a dangerous place to be. 85 soldiers were originally in Fort Moultrie but they are moved to Fort Sumter for safety reasons. The Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter and the battle lasted for 34 hours.
Antietam
This battle was on September 17th, 1862. The Antietam battle was one of the bloodiest battle in American history. At this time, George McClellan was under command of the Army of the Potomac. The Army of the Potomac attacked Robert E. Lee’s forces in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This battle’s campaign was the Maryland Campaign. Abraham Lincoln’s victory led him to create the Emancipation Proclamation.
Vicksburg
Ulysses S. Grant goal was to start a campaign against Vicksburg. He was trying to wrest away the river fortress from the confederate in Vicksburg, Mississippi. There was 77,000 Union soldiers and 33,000 Confederate soldiers in this battle. Ulysses S. Grant’s army came to Vicksburg and entrapped the Confederate army that was under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton at the time. Pemberton’s forces eventually surrendered. The Union won this war and it made Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation better. This battle lasted from May 18th-July 4th in 1863.
Gettysburg
This battle was 3 days long from the days July 1st-3rd in 1863. Robert E. Lee wanted to do his second invasion of the North. His army felt confident and they wanted victory because they won their last battle (Chancellorsville). They collected their supplies in Pennsylvania farmland and they had the battle in Gettysburg. In the end, the Union won this battle. A lot of confederate soldiers died in this battle and they retreated back to Virginia. Four months later, Abraham Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for Gettysburg’s Soldiers National Cemetery to honor the Union’s fallen soldiers.
Sherman’s March to the Sea
William T. Sherman and his army took a 15-mile night march and attacked the Confederate on July 22nd, 1864. He went from Atlanta to Savannah and this march lasted about a month. The march really damaged the Confederate because while on the march, they stole food and livestock. McPherson was killed during this battle and he died at 2:02 P.M.. There was 3,722 killed, wounded or missing in the Army of Tennessee.
Fort Fisher
This battle took place from January 13-15 in 1865. Maj. Gen. Alfred Terry was placed in common of a “Provisional Corps”. There was a preliminary bombardment and is gave the Union forces a change to attack on Robert Hokes infantry line. Later, the Confederate garrison surrendered. Which then opened a Federal thrust against Wilmington and that was the last seaport on the Atlantic coast. The union won this battle.
Appomattox Court House
In this battle, there were 700 casualties. On April 9th, 1865, Robert E. Lee wanted to try to get away from the closing Union pincers and get supplies at Lynchburg. Robert E. Lee surrendered when the Confederates advance was stopped by the Union soldiers. The Union won this battle. Ulysses S. Grant’s goal was to annihilate Robert E. Lee’s army. This attack was led by Gen. Bryan Grimes.
Works Cited
Andrew and Saif,. 'The Battle Of Antietam'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Civilwar.org,. 'Civil War Trust: Saving America's Civil War Battlefields'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Ducksters.com,. 'Civil War For Kids: Sherman's March To The Sea'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 'Appomattox Court House | Building, Appomattox, Virginia, United States'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Sonofthesouth.net,. 'Battle Of Vicksburg'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
'The Battle Of Gettysburg'. Boundless (2014): n. pag. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Wikipedia,. 'Second Battle Of Fort Fisher'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.