The First Battle of Bull Run was fought on July 21, 1861 near Manassas, Virginia. This was the first major battle of the civil war. This was a significant battle. It shattered the North’s hopes of winning the war quickly. An important general was General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Jackson earned his nickname “Stonewall” because he refused to move his Confederate unit while the north was advancing on both sides. He stood like a “Stonewall.” This tactic was key to winning the battle. The Confederates won this battle.

First Battle of Bull Run: Second Battle of Bull Run:This was obviously the second battle fought at Manassas. It was fought on August 28-30, 1862. This battle destroyed the North badly. However, this battle was important because it caused General Robert E. Lee to take his armies to the North. This battle was a 3 day battle, with many, many casualties. Robert E. Lee was an important general in this battle. Robert E. Lee was a new general, and he took risks to throw the Union off balance.

Battle of AntietamThe Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862 at Antietam Creek in Maryland. It was the bloodiest single-day battle ever of the Civil War and U.S. history. There were about 25,000 casualties on both sides. This battle was extremely important for the Union. This was the first battle they ever won. Plus, it stopped Robert E. Lee’s Northward advance. An interesting fact about this is that Union soldiers found a copy of lee’s battle plan, which had been left at an abandoned Confederate camp. The Union won this battle.

Battle of ShilohThe Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6th – 7th , 1862. This was a fairly important battle, in which the Union gained greater control of the Mississippi River Valley. Both the 2 sides though lost some ground. And, they both claimed the victory. But really, the victor was the Union. Ulysses S. Grant was in important General. During the Battle of Shiloh, the rebels attacked Grant’s camp in the morning. Grant directed his army, and they were able to push back the rebels.

Siege of VicksburgThe city of Vicksburg, Mississippi was located on a 200-foot high cliff above the Mississippi. The geography of this city made it impossible to invade. Admiral Farragut tried to order the city to surrender, so General Grant began the Siege of Vicksburg in mid-May, 1863, in which Grant’s troops cut off the city and shelled it completely. They starved the city into surrender. On July 4th, Vicksburg surrendered. General Grant was important in this Siege because he used logic to force the city into surrender. Plus, immediately after Vicksburg surrendered, Grant sent food in to the city. The Union won this battle. This battle was significant because the fate of the Confederacy was sealed when Vicksburg fell.

Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863, and lasted until July 3rd, 1863. This battle was extremely important because it was a major turning point in the war. It finally turned the tide against the Confederates. Everything from then on was in favor of the Union. General Pickett was important because he led the Union across the Emmetsburg Road to fight the Confederates to win the battle. The Union won this battle.

The Union armies fought from May to June in northern and central Virginia in what was called the Wilderness campaign. It was a series of battles designed to capture the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia. However, the Confederates won this battle. Robert E. Lee was an important General in this battle. He and his army caused the Union to have suffered 7,000 casualties in just a few hours. Also, Lee’s army formed a solid defense, and the Union could not execute their attack. This battle was important, because although Lincoln was discouraged by this failure, it made him launch the campaign of General Sherman.

Wilderness Campaign