of Northern Virginia under the command of General Robert E. Lee.
The union army crossed the Rapidan River into Virginia and attacked Lee’s
confederate force in an area known as the “Wilderness.” Two Confederate
Corps under General’s Ewell and Hill were sent to engage the union army.
The Army of the Potomac had about 115,000 soldiers in the field compared
to almost half that number under General Lee in his Army of Northern
Virginia. The number of union soldiers continued to increase in greater
number compared to the dwindling number of confederate soldiers fit
for military duty. Throughout 1864, the union armies in the east and the
deep south would continue to inflict greater casualties on the confederate
armies, leaving small forces scattered in the Confederate States by 1865.
Battle of New Market
While the war continued in parts of northern and eastern Virginia,
military engagements continued in the western portion of the state: the
Shenandoah Valley. This area was the supply belt for the Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee. A union force
under General Franz Sigel was sent to invade the Shenandoah Valley with
more than 6,000 union soldiers, in an attempt to deprive the confederates
of their food reserves. Confederate General John Breckenridge was sent
to stop the union advance and protect their food basket. The shortage of
manpower for the Confederacy resulted in calling forth all volunteers from
young boys just turning twelve years of age to older men in their sixties.
The desperation of the Confederacy to stop the union invasion led General
Breckenridge to draft the Corps of Cadets of The Virginia Military Institute,
(VMI), making a total of almost 5,000 men. While General Sigel prepared
his defensive line against the confederates, General Breckenridge brought
up his reserve force of the Virginia Military Cadets, about two hundred and
sixty of them. General Sigel ordered a retreat and tentatively postponed a
union invasion into the Shenandoah and the destruction of the confede-
rate supply base. General Breckenridge’s small army would be recalled to
join the Army of Northern Virginia.
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
While the Battle of New Market was taking place in southwestern Virginia,
the Army of Northern Virginia was engaged in southeast Virginia from May
7th-19th. Spotsylvania crossroads was an important area strategically.
Both armies, union and confederate, rushed to take control of the “crossro-
ads.” General U.S. Grant’s strategy was to intercept General Robert E. Lee’s
Army of Northern Virginia before they could reach the confederate capital,
Richmond. Grant’s Army of the Potomac had about 100,000 Union soldiers
compared to Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which had half that number.
Confederate General Richard H. Anderson’s force took control of the
crossroads at Spotsylvania Court House. With heavy concentrated fire by
the confederates, the union advanced against the center of the Confederate
Army under Colonel Emory Upton in a confederate strategic line referred
to as the “Mule Shoe” because of its shape. This area, which was a half
mile across created a narrow path for attack. In the center, the
confederates had wooden structures that created obstacles to pass.
On each side, there were artillery units and rifle pits with thousands of
confederates heavily defending. By May 21st, the Union Army of the
Potomac retreated and then regrouped to continue their push around the
confederate right flank. In the aftermath of Spotsylvania Court House,
General Robert E. Lee shifted from any major offensive to deploying his
army defensively.
Battle of Cold Harbor
After such major battles from the Wilderness, to Spotsylvania, to North
Anna, General Robert E. Lee waited for the next attack by the Army of
the Potomac under General Grant. This came at the beginning of June.
As the union army crossed the Pamunkey River toward Hanover Town on
their way to Richmond, VA, General Lee called for more reserves south of
the confederate capital. General Philip Sheridan, Union Commander of
Cavalry, was ordered to secure the crossroads at Cold Harbor, which began
the engagement with the confederate cavalry under General Fitzhugh Lee.
With a delay in the union offensive on the 2nd, General Lee had formed
a strong defensive line in excess of six miles in length to hold the Army
of Potomac. Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac knew that their attack
would result in high casualties because of the deadly defensive position of
the confederates. The assault began with 40,000 union soldiers attacking
along the six mile front. The battle was a logistic victory for the confederates.
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
General Willliam T. Sherman’s Military Division of the Mississippi, which
was made up of three union armies, continued their march toward the
major rail center in Atlanta, GA. Between Sherman and the City of Atlanta
was Confederate General’s Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Tennessee.
From June 14th-15th the Union artillery began their bombardment of
the confederate position. It was at this time that Confederate General
Leonidas Polk was killed. From June 14th to June 27th, numerous military
engagements took place between Sherman’s Army and Johnston’s Army.
At a standstill, the Confederate Army of Tennessee retreated and formed a
defensive line along the Chattahoochee River. The union and confederate
armies had about the same number of troops in the field during the battle,
15,000-17,000.
Battle of Monocacy
Further north, General Robert E. Lee, ordered Confederate General Jubal
A. Early to invade Maryland. Union General Lew Wallace took his force
of union soldiers and created a line of defense along the Monocacy River.
General Grant receiving communications about Early’s invasion sent a
division of VI Corps to re-enforce General Wallace. Confederates attacked
the union left flank repeatedly. While the Battle of Monocacy was one of
the last victories of the confederates, the battle delayed the confederate
invasion of the nation’s capital, giving the union time to prepare for a
defensive position and a strategic offensive against the confederates.
Battle of Atlanta
From May 1st to September 8th, was one of the most important campaigns
of the Civil War. The campaign involved such battles as Kennesaw
Mountain, Resaca, Monocacy, Peachtree Creek. The most important
engagement was the Battle of Atlanta on July 22nd . Confederate General
John Bell Hood had approximately 62,000 men under his command,
compared to more than 100,000 union soldiers under the command of
General William T. Sherman. At the beginning of the battle, General Hood
retreated toward the City of Atlanta as he was being pursued by Union
General James B. McPherson’s Union Army of the Tennessee. By nightfall,
the fighting stopped. The confederates had failed to break the union line.
The union army began their siege and bombardment of the City of Atlanta.
Confederate supply lines were cut as rail was ripped up by the union army
to prevent any attempt to send in confederate reserves and food supplies.
The confederate army under General John Bell Hood evacuated the City
of Atlanta, leaving it in the hands of the union army. Two months later
General Sherman began his “March to the Sea” with more than 60,000
union soldiers.The campaigns from Tennessee through Georgia cut the
deep south in two. This forced the Confederate Army in the “Deep South”
to continue their retreat from Georgia into the Carolinas.
Battle of Winchester/Opequon
The Battle of Winchester in 1864 was the third battle of Winchester as
part of the Shenandoah Campaign. The 1st Battle of Winchester occurred
in May of 1862, while the second was from June 13th-15th of 1863. It was
during this engagement that union cavalry commander, General Philip
Sheridan distinguished himself. Opposing the union was the confederate
cavalry and infantry under Confederate General Jubal Early. The union
army under Sheridan had more than 35,000 soldiers compared to the
18,000 under the command of General Early. The confederate army was
protected on their right and left flanks by the cavalry under General
Fitzhugh Lee and General Lunsford L. Lomax. With a confederate defensi-
ve line east of Winchester, union divisions were attacking the confederates
in the east and the north. The massive numbers of the union army under
General Sheridan forced the confederate army to retreat.
Battle of Cedar Creek/Belle Grove
By October, the war in the Shenandoah Valley was not yet over. The Battle
of Cedar Creek/Belle grove was the last major battle in the Shenandoah
Valley. The confederate attack surprised general Crook’s Corps and forced
them to retreat. The Union counter-attack forced the confederates to
withdraw to New Market, Va.
Battles of Franklin & Nashville
This campaign involved several battles at the end of the year 1864. The
Battle of Franklin took place on November 30th. Both the Union and the
Confederacy had similar numbers in the field with a slight advantage
for the union. The battle began with the Army of the Tennessee under
Confederate General John Bell Hood attacking the union defensive line in
Columbia, TN, under the command of General John M. Schofield. General
Schofield was in command of the XXIII Corps of the Army of the Ohio.
The confederate plan was to engage General Thomas’ Army, defeat them,
recruit more confederates, and join the Army of Northern Virginia under
General Robert E. Lee, in a major offensive against General Grant’s Army
of the Potomac. Approximately 27,000 confederate soldiers were used as
combatants against General Schofield’s force. The confederates outflan-
ked the union forces under General Schofield. The union army created a
defensive arc around portions of the town of Franklin, while supply wagons
were en-route to General Thomas, who was moving to Nashville. Both
sides built large trench works for the impending attack.
General George Thomas had more than 50,000 union soldiers with him
which made up the Army of the Cumberland. The Confederate Army of
the Tennessee, under the command of General John Bell Hood, with about
30,000 combatants engaged the Union Army in one of the last major
battles of the conflict; the Battle of Nashville. Slow to decide to attack after
weeks of contemplating his strategy, General George Thomas took the
initiative and attacked the confederate line. Confederates retreated as Ge-
neral Hood regrouped his force and created a new line of defense. General
Thomas decided to concentrate most of his man power on the confederate
left flank. By the late afternoon on December 16th, the union army had
broken Confederate General Cheatham’s command as well as Confederate
General Wood’s force. With his army in chaos, General John Bell Hood
regrouped what was left of his Army of the Tennessee and retreated to
Franklin, TN.
1865: Defeat & Surrender
Battle of Bentonville
The battle took place in North Carolina on March 19th -21st. This was
a major victory for the union army under General William T. Sherman
against the Army of Tennessee, under the command of General Joseph E.
Johnston. General Sherman had a force of 60,000 men compared to only
about 20,000 men under General Johnston. General Sherman divided his
force into two large groups for General Henry W. Slocum and General
Oliver O. Howard, as they marched to Goldsboro, NC. General Joseph E.
Johnston recruited all confederate forces in the region to engage the union
army and force them back into South Carolina. At this point, General
Joseph E. Johnston was avoiding the inevitable, a pitched battle that he
could never win against the union army and one that would only result in
massive casualties on the part of the confederates.
Battle of Five Forks
The battle was part of the Appomattox Campaign and was fought on April
1st of 1865. The union army was under the command of General Philip
Sheridan who was opposed by Confederate General George E. Pickett.
General Lee ordered General Pickett to hold and fortify the crossroads at
Five Forks against the invasion of the Union V Corps, under the command
of General Gouvernor K. Warren. The confederates built a strong defensive
line with cavalry on each flank. The V Corps was to attack the confederates
with two divisions in the front and a third held in reserve to be called up
during the engagement. The loss at Five Forks cut off a large area for esca-
pe of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The capital, Richmond, and
the rail city of Petersburg had to be evacuated with confederate soldiers
who were ordered to join the Army of Northern Virginia. The major assault
of union soldiers on Petersburg under the command of General U.S. Grant
led to the fall of Petersburg and soon after, Richmond.
Battle of Appomattox
The Battle was part of the Appomattox Campaign which began on March
29th and ended with General Lee’s surrender to General Grant on April
9th. After several battles, General Grant moved to subdue and force the
surrender of General Robert E. Lee before the Army of Northern Virginia
would be able to connect with Johnston’s Army of the Tennessee. The con-
federate supply line was disabled by General Sheridan’s cavalry at Jeter-
sville, VA. On April 8th, at Appomattox Station, General George A. Custer
defeated two confederate cavalry divisions, captured their supply wagons
and artillery, and re-joined General Sheridan whose army was northeast of
Appomattox Courthouse, waiting for orders to attack the Army of Northern
Virginia. Being cut off by the entire Army of the Potomac, General Robert
E. Lee surrendered the next day to General U.S. Grant. On April 14th,
General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Army of the Tennessee to
General William T. Sherman. Confederate General Richard Anderson, with
a small army, surrendered on May 4th to Union General E.R.S. Canby.
Battle of Palmito Ranch
Before the surrender of General Stand Watie, a pitched battle was fought
at Palmito Ranch, in Texas on May 12-13th. This was the final battle of the
war. Union soldiers under General Lew Wallace and confederate soldiers
under James E. Slaughter agreed to have a tentative peace in Texas.
Confederate commanding officer General John G. Walker did not accept
this tentative agreement. Colonel Theodore H. Barrett commanding the
62nd Colored Infantry ordered an attack on Colonel Ford’s command at
Palmito Ranch. Confederate forces counter-attacked and forced the union
soldiers to retreat to White Ranch. On June 2nd, Confederate General
Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered his Army of the Trans-Mississippi.
Weeks after, Cherokee Confederate General Stand Watie surrendered his
small confederate force.
1865
2 August:
CSS Shenandoah is informed
of the end of the War
6 November:
CSS Shenandoah surrenders
in Liverpool to the United Kingdom
1864
Battle of Cool Spring
of Rutherford’s Farm
of Peachtree Creek
of Atlanta
2
th
Battle of Kernstown
of Ezra Church
of the Crater
1864
2
th
Battle of Dalton
2
th
Battle of Memphis
of Mobile Bay
2
th
Battle of Ream’s Station
of Jonesborough
3
th
Battle of Winchester/Opequon
of Peebles’ Farm
1864
Battle of Saltville
of Allatoona
of Darbytown Road
of Tom’s Brook
2
th
Battle of Lexington
Battle of Cedar Creek/Belle Grove
e
2
th
Battle of Independence
of Mine Creek
1864
8 November:
Lincoln re-elected
Sherman’s March
to the Sea
1865
3
th
Battle of Fort Fisher
of Hatcher’s Run
of Fort Myers
of Wilmington,NC
of Waynesboro
of Averasborough
of Bentonville
1865
Battle of Fort Steadman
of White Oak Road
of Dinwiddie Court House
of Five Fork
3
th
Battle of Petersburg
of Appomattox Station
of Appomattox Courthouse
of West Point
1864
Battle of Columbia
of Sand Creek
of Spring Hill
2
th
Battle of Franklin
3
th
Battle of Murfreesboro
of Nashville
1865
2 June:
CSS Shenandoah
ends operations in Bering Strait
after capturing eleven whale boats
that same day
1865
14 April:
Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booths
14 April:
Lincoln’s death
Battle of Columbus, Georgia
(Battle of Girard)
of Palmito Ranch
Gen. A.P. Hill CSAGen. G. Thomas UA
Gen. J. E. Johnston CSA
X
XI
of the American Civil War/ War Between the States
