The Battles of the Civil War
The Civil War was the bloodiest war in United States history. Many battles occurred during this war, including the turning point Battle of Gettysburg, the first major battle, the Battle of Bull Run, and the bloody Battle of Antietam. Some other well-known ones are the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Chancellorsville. To find out more about Gettysburg, Bull Run, Spotsylvania, and Antietam, check below for more information!
The Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg, also known as “The High Water Mark of the Rebellion,” was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863. The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important encounter of the American Civil War. It was fought after the Confederate forces won at the Battle of Chancellorsville. The Confederates confidently marched into the town of Gettysburg and opened fire. On July 3rd, General Robert E. Lee attacked 15,000 troops on the enemies spot, Cemetery Ridge. This battle was known as “Pickett's Charge”. The main goal of this battle was to try and damage the Union. After thousands of casualties, General Robert E. Lee was forced to surrender. The Battle of Gettysburg was considered a turning point in the Civil War. This Battle was considered a turning point because it is when the Union turns onto the offensive side of the war. This means the Confederacy was just trying to survive while the Union attacked. That was the last of the Confederates being on top. 51,000 soldiers, in total, were killed hurt, stolen, or missing. After the Battle of Gettysburg, the war carried on for two more bloody years with the Union winning it all.
The Battle of SpotsylvaniaThe Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was an important battle in the American Civil War. This Battle was 13 days long from May 8th - May 21, 1864. The Battle of Spotsylvania was fought for 20 vicious hours and deeply threatened the Confederate army. This battle started when the two different sides casualty started to fight. It seemed to be a one-day thing until the fighting didn't stop. The fighting didn't stop for 13 whole days! The Battle of Spotsylvania was fought the day after the Wilderness, a battle in the deep woods of Virginia. The Wilderness had a lot of casualties, 18,000 Union casualties, and 11,000 Confederate casualties. On May 9, the Union soldiers were sent to turn the Confederates left, when they were meant to go right, but on May 10th, the Confederates opposed this act. That same day, the Union forces attacked the Confederates, but Robert E. Lee remained strong. May 10th was a busy day for the Union forces. They also attacked the Confederates on a 200-yard opening. May 19 - 21 1864, the Confederates were on full alert and were attacking the union forces by the second. In the end, the Union won. |
The Battle of Bull RUnThe Battle of Bull Run was a single day battle fought on July 21, 1861. This was known as the first battle of the Civil War. If was fought in Manassas Junction, Virginia. Manassas Junction is 25 miles away from Washington DC. Both sides were planning on making an easy win on the other. When both sides met at the river of Bull Run, the fighting began. If was an intense battle until the Confederates screamed, not just any scream, a bloodcurdling shriek. It was a hot Virginia day and civilians went to watch the battle. When the Confederates charged, they all screamed at the same screech. It wasn't just any scream, it was a scream that forced the civilians to run and the Union forces to surrender. The Confederates went out with the first victory and they thought they would win the whole war. The Union forces used to think that this would be a short war because they would kill out the Confederates quickly, but this became apparent to both sides, it wasn't going to be a 3-month battle, it would be a long time war. The next important battle was named The Battle of Antietam. The Battle of AntietamThe Battle of Antietam was a very unique battle of the Civil War for many reasons. First of all, Antietam was the first fight to be fought on northern soil. Up until that point, all of the battles had been fought in the South. Also, the Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest clash that occurred in the Civil War. In all, there was an estimated 25, 000 casualties, which is about fifteen hundred more deaths than the next bloodiest battle.
In Antietam, Major General George B. McClellan faced off against Robert E. Lee in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Both leaders were well-known, as they had both fought in the Mexican-American War. What was interesting about Lee was that he did not support secession, but he refused to fight against his home state, thus becoming a famous leader of the Confederacy. The battle started out somewhat uneven, as the Union forces had much more soldiers than the Confederate forces. Nevertheless, the Confederacy held their ground. As Antietam progressed, many became wounded and dead. At the end of the battle, even though the outcome was considered an inconclusive draw from a military standpoint, the Union claimed victory, which boosted the near future Emancipation Proclamation. |
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