Civil War Battles

Civil War Battles

Major Conflicts

​1st Battle of Bull Run/ Manassas July 21, 1861

• ​First major action of the war.

• ​35,000 Union soldiers marched toward the much smaller 20,000 Confederates who had encamped along a small river.

• ​The union Leadership was convinced the Battle would be swift and decisive and would bring the rebellion to a close in one day.

​The Outcome

• ​After holding out all day against numerous Union attacks the Confederates issued a charge at the perfect time and it forced the Union to make a frantic retreat that lead to the evacuation of Washington D.C. The confederate sure of their victory would break the Union they chose not to advance on Washington.

• ​**This is the Battle Where "Stonewall Jackson" earned his nic-name.**

• ​**The Rebel Yell was born here**

​The Battle of Shiloh April 6, 1862–April 7, 1862

• ​The Union army planned to move south and capture an important Confederate east-west railway hub in northern Mississippi. To defend the hub, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston fortified the town of Corinth, Mississippi. The Union planned to unite two armies—under Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell—and then take Corinth.

​The Outcome

• After a day of fighting the Union held their ground​.

• ​The next day Union reinforcements arrived and launched an attack against the Southern lines. The confederates had to withdraw. General Johnston was killed in the battle and was replaced by P.T Beauregard. Combined casualties 25,000

Multiple Choice

Why do Civil War battles often have 2 names?

• Because they were so large in scale they happened in two places

• Historians disagree on battle locations

• Northern historians used towns to name battles while southern used landmarks

• Teachers just like to make thing complicated?

Multiple Choice

Before the battle what were union leaders convinced would be the result of the Battle of Bull Run?

• The South would be defeated and fall back in line.

• The would not have to fight because they south would be afraid of their superior numbers

• They could talk the Southern Generals into a peaceful resolution

• Washington D.C would be attacked

Multiple Choice

How many casualties were suffered on each side during the battle of Shiloh? (In only 2 days of fighting.)

• 500

• 25,000

• 50,000

• 10,000

​Antietam or the Battle of Sharpsburg September 17, 1862

• ​After fighting a series of successful defensive campaigns Lee knew that in order to win he would have to take the war to the North and strike the same fear they had generated at Bull Run.

• ​However in a twist of fate his battle plans fell into the hands of the Union and they were ready.

• ​The Confederates threw everything they had at the Union lines and by the end of the day there were 23,000 dead.

​Outcome

• ​The Confederate retreated after failing to take the field.

• ​McClellan did not chase Lee, news of which made Lincoln furious.

• ​Feeling that the life cost of the war was very high and the support for it was waning, Lincoln used the victory at Antietam to announce the Emancipation Proclamation effectively shifting the focus of the war from Unity to ending slavery.

Multiple Choice

Why did Lee want to invade the North?

• He did not like the weather in the summer in the south.

• He felt that a battle in the north would lead to British support.

• He wanted to capture the Statue of Liberty

• He wanted to take the war North and scare them into quitting.

Multiple Choice

How many casualties were suffered in one day at Antietam?

• 12,000

• 10,000

• 25,000

• 15,500

Multiple Choice

Why did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation

• To free all the slaves immediately

• To reward McClellan for his victory

• To give the war a new purpose people would want to fight for.

• To win the Election of 1864