Civil War
By : Kayleigh Burrell
The Battle of Antietam
This battle is the deadliest day of this war. On September 17, 1862 , the Confederate army, led by Robert E. Lee, had hoped to confuse and ambush the Union army, led by McClellan, by coming in from 4 different directions. The Union army discovered the plan and in the end, won the battle. 6,000 soldiers died and about 17,000 injured. This battle led to the Emancipation Proclamation, legally freeing all slaves in the "rebellious" (Confederate) states.
General Robert E. Lee
Leads Confederate army
McClellan
Leads Union army
Battle Map
The Battle of Gettysburg
In July of 1863, the Confederate troops, once again led by General Lee, entered a small town in Pennsylvania for supplies. Being unfamiliar with the landscape, Lee felt uneasy and unfortunately encountered the Union army. Four days later, what was left of the Confederate army crawled from the town, suffering from 25,000 casualties. The battle caused President Lincoln to give a speech, at a ceremony in Gettysburg, dedicating the land to be a Soliders' National Cemetery. In that 2 minute speech, he changed perspective of the Union and honored those who have fallen for the cause.
Battle of Vicksburg
In Vicksburg, on July 4,1863, the very same day as the defeat in Gettysburg, the Confederacy was hit with another major loss. General Grant led Union forces in the battle, first attacked in April, surrounding the 70,000 troops there. In May, he began preventing supplies and food from getting to the Confederates. Union gunships supported Union troops by firing shells into the town. The siege was a long 47 days before it fell. 19,000 casualties later, the Confederacy lost the Mississippi River, cutting them off from Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. The Civil War had majorly turned this day, the Union looking very promising.
92 - No pictures of battles.