into a cessation of hostilities and ending the conflict, and d) obtaining
diplomatic recognition for the Confederate States of America by Great
Britain and France as a separate nation, with potential involvement of
both countries as military allies. General Stonewall Jackson was ordered
with his corps to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia to capture the federal
arsenal located there. This would supply weapons and ammunition for
the Army of Northern Virginia and create supply lines north from West
Virginia and into Pennsylvania across the Maryland border. On September
12th, the Union Army took control of Frederick, Maryland, which was
abandoned by General Robert E. Lee. Union soldiers found Lee’s Order
# 191, which outlined the military strategy of the confederates for their
invasion of the north. With his plans exposed, General Lee had to abandon
his original strategy. On September 14th, the Antietam Battle began at
Fox’s Gap in Maryland. The Confederates were heavily outnumbered by
McClellan’s force of 87,000 union soldiers, almost a 2:1 ratio in favor of
the Union Army. On September 17th, the Battle of Antietam became the
bloodiest engagement of the conflict, prior to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, with 40,000 men, engaged McClellan’s
Army of the Potomac, with 75,000 men for about twelve hours. The Union
Army attacked General Lee’s left flank and pushed them into a cornfield.
Fighting took place south at the Sunken Road, known as “Bloody Lane”
because of high losses. On September 22nd, President Lincoln issued his
Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation was designed to win over
some of the abolitionist political leaders of Congress, while at the same
time stop any attempt by Great Britain to give military aid and recognition
to the Confederacy to maintain the system of slavery.
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Fredericksburg Campaign began on November 19th and continued
to mid-December. General Ambrose Burnside re-organized the Army of
the Potomac and took an offensive position to attack the capital City of
Richmond, Va. Across the Rappahannock River was the Confederate 1st
Corps under General James Longstreet. To cross the Rappahannock River,
General Burnside ordered the construction of pontoon bridges. The delay
in the construction of the bridges allowed the confederates to fortify
Fredericksburg with a defensive line that stretched for about seven miles.
The union army had about 130,000 men compared to the 75,000 confede-
rates at the opening stages of the campaign. The confederates were able
to use their concealed position with heavy artillery fire as they engaged
from the shoreline. General Burnside ordered his army to withdraw on
December 15th. The failure of this campaign led to the removal of General
Burnside and the appointment of General Joseph Hooker as the Commander
of the Army of the Potomac.
1863: Death & Destruction for Both Sides
Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro
In Tennessee, the war continued from December 31st to January 2nd 1863.
The Army of the Cumberland, under the command of General William S.
Rosecrans, moved south of Nashville. With less than 50,000 men under his
command, he engaged the Army of the Tennessee under General Braxton
Bragg who had less than 40,000 men. The union army was split into three
groups and moved independently toward Murfreesboro where the confe-
derates were entrenched. Bragg was using the strategy of the “hammer &
anvil” to attack the union right flank and forcing the union soldiers back
to Stone’s River. The attack confused the union men under General
McCook who began to retreat from their position. This union division held
their position after three attacks by the confederates, when they began
a slow retreat while engaging the confederates during this withdrawal.
Both sides exchanged heavy cannon fire until nightfall. As the confedera-
tes attacked and forced the Union Regiment off the ridge, union artillery
opened heavy fire on General Breckenridge’s position. The artillery fire by
the union cannons forced the confederates to withdraw back to their line,
leaving the union army under General Rosecrans to hold the field of battle.
General Braxton Bragg ordered his force on the evening of January 3rd to
retreat to Shelbyville.
Battle of Chancellorsville
Chancellorsville Campaign was General Robert E. Lee’s “Greatest Victory”
of the conflict, but it would be the symbol of a huge personal loss with the
death of General “Stonewall” Jackson. With heavy casualties for the union
at the military defeat at Fredericksburg, President Lincoln appointed
General Joseph Hooker to command the Army of the Potomac.
After spending time reuniting the army and reorganizing it, General
Hooker had more than 130,000 union soldiers. General Robert E. Lee had
less than half that number at a little more than 60,000 confederates.
On May 1st –May 4th, the battle took place. Half of the union army was
encamped at Chancellorsville, while the confederate army was at Frede-
ricksburg, Va. General Hooker positioned about 75,000 soldiers behind
the confederate defenses at Fredericksburg. General Lee decided to move
against the Union Army with 50,000 men. As union soldiers marched
across open terrain they were attacked by General Stonewall Jackson’s
Corps. As General Jackson spent time gathering information on the
union position, he was mortally wounded. Cavalry commander General
J.E.B.Stuart assumed command of the infantry and the following day,
ordered a full artillery barrage against the union position. On the 5th and
6th, General Hooker’s Army of the Potomac had crossed the Rapidan River.
This battle is considered one of the great decisive victories for the confede-
rates during the Civil War. The need for food, clothing, and recruitment of
confederate supporters had General Robert E. Lee cross into Maryland and
across the border into Pennsylvania.
Day 1
Battle of Gettysburg
From July 1st to July 3rd, both the union and the confederate armies were
locked into a campaign that resulted in the highest casualties of the war.
It would become a major turning point in the Civil War. While looking for
shoes and clothing for the Army of Northern Virginia, under the command
of General Robert E. Lee, Confederate General Henry Heth’s division
attacked the union cavalry under General John Buford, several miles west
of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Army of Northern Virginia
had approximately 75,000 soldiers prior to the battle. The confederate’s
launched a major attack against the union line forcing the northern
soldiers to retreat to Seminary Ridge, while the confederate took the high
ridge. With more confederate soldiers under General Richard S. Ewell
joining Hill’s Corps, the confederate’s launched a major attack and forced
the Union Army to withdraw into the Town of Gettysburg. Both sides held
their position by the end of the day and began to regroup and plan their
strategy for the next day.
Day 2
The union army had taken a strong defensive position outside of Gettysburg
on the south and east. The army formed a “fish hook” defensive line
waiting for the confederate army to attack. On the second day of July,
General Lee ordered General James Longstreet, his “Old War Horse” to
begin the engagement. General Longstreet was ordered to attack the union
left flank near the “Round Tops.” The fighting in this area was the most
Battle of Vicksburg/Siege of Jackson
The Vicksburg Campaign began in the late fall of 1862 and continued on
and off until July 1863. General U.S. Grant was the commander of the
Union Army of the Tennessee. His battle plan was to continue south into
Mississippi and take control of the City of Vicksburg. General John C. Pem-
berton was the commander of confederate forces in and around Vicksburg,
MS. General Earl Van Dorn destroyed major portions of the union supply
base at Holly Springs. The loss of major supplies and the problem in main-
taining his rail lines for communication forced General Grant to retreat
back to LaGrange, TN, to regroup and plan his second campaign against
Vicksburg. He planned on crossing to the east bank and marching overland
to attack from the south and the east with the help of the Union Navy. The
confederates had split their force into two large groups: Vicksburg under
General Pemberton and Jackson under the command of General Joseph E.
Johnston. As General Grant began to re-organize his Army of the Tennes-
see, he stationed half of the army west of Jackson, MS to oppose General
Johnston. He kept the remainder of his force to siege Vicksburg.
The engagement in the 2nd Vicksburg Campaign began at the Battle of
Port Gibson. By mid-May, the Union Army isolated the confederates under
General Johnston at Jackson so they could not re-enforce Pemberton’s
men west in Vicksburg. The confederate defeat at Champion’s Hill led to
them maintaining their defensive position in Vicksburg, waiting for the
union siege. Artillery siege had begun in May and would continue until
July 4th. General Pemberton surrendered to General Grant, while General
Sherman began his siege of Jackson, east of Vicksburg. General Joseph
E. Johnston had raised a force of about 30,000 Confederates to defend
the City of Jackson, MS. This failure by the confederates would convince
General Johnston to abandon the defense of the City of Jackson and leave
it in union hands by July 17th .
Chickamauga Campaign
The Battle of Chickamauga occurred on the 19th and 20th of September.
Union General William S. Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland
planned on attacking the Confederate Army of the Tennessee under the
command of General Braxton Bragg. Chattanooga was a rail center in
Tennessee where the Confederate Army held a strong defensive position.
Both armies had been split in different areas with problems of poor com-
munication and coordination for attacks on both sides.
savage. Confederates and union soldiers were locked in key areas of military
engagement, such as the Little Round Top, Devils Den, the Wheatfield, and
the Peach Orchard. It was during the second day, that Union Brigadier
General Gouvernor K. Warren, surveying the Round Tops, realized they
were exposed to an attack by the confederates. He sent word to General
George Sykes’ Corps, to stop the attack by the confederate’s under General
John Bell Hood. Ordering a counter-attack with fixed-bayonets and low
on ammunition, the 20th Maine and elements of other units attacked
confederates in hand to hand combat, repulsing their attack and securing
the union line.
Day 3
By the 3rd of July General Robert E. Lee planned an all out assault against
the entire Union Army. The Union Army under General George Meade
prepared to fortify his positions against the confederate attack. While some
of the union officers believed the Army of the Potomac should retreat,
regroup, and move further into Pennsylvania, General Meade decided with
the majority of his staff to remain and stop the confederate advance and
force them to retreat from Pennsylvania and Maryland; thus, protecting
Washington D.C. from invasion by the Confederate Army of Northern
Virginia. Cemetery Ridge would be the scene of the worst fighting of
the war as Confederate General George Pickett, with more than 12,000
soldiers, spear-headed the attack against the union center. Through the
woods of Seminary Ridge, confederates led by Pickett’s Brigade waited for
the artillery fire between the union and confederates to end. As Stuart’s ca-
valry charged, they were met with the union cavalry under the command
of Major General Judson Kilpatrick. One of his brigadier generals during
the battle was George A. Custer. By the end of the day, General Robert E.
Lee ordered his Army of Northern Virginia to re-treat. General George
Meade, with a large number of casualties and few reserves, decided to hold
his position rather than pursue General Lee and his Confederate Army.
The victory against the confederates would help build union morale for
northern volunteers. As for the men who lay dead on the battlefield after
three days of gruesome bloodshed, they would remain buried on the field
in a large area for a national cemetery to honor both union and confedera-
te soldiers in giving their ultimate sacrifice. The ground would be ceremo-
nially consecrated by having President Lincoln make a few closing remarks
at the dedication of this “National Cemetery;” his Gettysburg Address.
General Bragg re-located to La Fayette, GA and waited for the union army
under General Rosecrans to march through the mountain pass. On Sep-
tember 18th, confederate re-enforcements arrived, bringing the total to ap-
proximately 66,000 soldiers, thus outnumbering the Union Army by about
6,000 men. General George Thomas’ Corps held a defensive position to the
rear at Snodgrass Hill. By nightfall, Thomas’ Corps kept the confederate’s
back and allowed General Rosecrans to evacuate his Army of the Cumber-
land, which marched to take control of Chattanooga. The evacuation and
losses inflicted upon the union army led to General Rosecrans being repla-
ced by General George Thomas, nicknamed the “Rock of Chickamauga,”
for halting the confederate attacks. General Bragg’s Army of the Tennessee
regrouped and held offensive positions around Chattanooga.
Battle of Chattanooga
During 1862 and 1863, there were several battles of Chattanooga. The
Chattanooga Campaign of 1863, began with the union army retreating
from Chickamauga to their main camp in Chattanooga. While the union
soldiers were creating a defensive line against the impending attack by the
Confederate Army of the Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg, Union
General U.S. Grant was able to create a supply line to bring in food and
ammunition for the union force. Confederate General James Longstreet
attacked the union supply line at the Battle of Wauhatchie, but was
defeated and forced to retreat. As the Confederate Army of the Tennessee
continued in their retreat, the Union Army was able to invade Georgia and
penetrate the “Deep South.” General Grant was ordered to take
command of the union armies. He joined General Meade and the Army
of the Potomac. In 1864, several major campaigns against the Army of
Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E. Lee were planned
and coordinated by General U.S. Grant. The Military Department of the
Mississippi was given to General William T. Sherman. In 1864, Union
Generals U.S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan turned the
war against the confederates as they took control of major rail terminals,
such as Atlanta, GA.
1864: A Major Shift in The War & Retreat for the Confederacy
Battle of the Wilderness
By the spring of 1864, the Army of the Potomac under the command of
General U.S. Grant had one objective: the defeat and surrender of the Army
1863
Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro
2
th
Battle of Springfield
of Washington, NC
1
th
Battle of Franklin
of Chancellorsville
of Port Gibson
of Chalk Bluff
1863
2
th
Battle of Fredericksburg
2
th
Battle of Winchester
Tullahoma Campaign begins
Battle of Gettysburg
Siege of Vicksburg/Jackson
2
th
Battle of Fort Sumter
1863
2
th
Battle of Chattanooga
of Chickamauga
2
th
Battle of Rappahannock Station
3
th
Battle of Chattanooga
Mine Run Campaign
of Bean’s Station
of Mossy Creek
1864
Battle of Olustee
of Walkerton
of Mansfield
of Pleasant Hill
of Prairie D’Ane
of Fort Pillow
of Plymouth
1864
Battle of Jenkins’ Ferr
of the Wilderness
of Swift Creek
of Cove Mountain
of Chester Station
of Yellow Tavern
of Resaca
1864
Battle of New Market
of Spotsylvania Court House
of Wilson’s Wharf
of North Anna
of New Hope Church
of Pickett’s Mill
of Old Church
1864
Battle of Cold Harbor
of Piedmont
1
th
Battle of Petersburg
Battle of Brices Crossroads
of Trevilian Station
2
th
Battle of Petersburg
1864
Sinking of CSS Alabama
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
of Monocacy Junction
of Fort Stevens
of Camden Point
of Tupelo
1862
2
th
Battle of Corinth
of Prairie Grove
of Fredericksburg
of Jackson, Tennessee
1862
1
th
Battle of Rappahannock Station
2
th
Battle of Bull Run or 2
th
Manassas
Battle of Richmond (Kentucky)
of Chantilly
of South Mountain
of Harpers Ferry
of Antietam/Sharpsburg
Gen. P. Sheridan UA
Gen. J.E.B. Stuart CSA
Gen. W. S. Hancock UA Gen. J. Longstreet CSA
Gen.T. Stonewall J. UA
Gen. R.H. Anderson CSA
Gen. W.T. Sherman UA
Gen. L. Polk CSA
VIII
IX
of the American Civil War/ War Between the States
