Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the civil war. In April 11,1861 Beauregard sent three aides,
Colonel James Chesnut, Captain Stephen.D. Lee, and Lieutenant A. R. Chisholm to demand the surrender
of the Sumter fort but then they had no choice but to take the fort by force. Finally, Confederate forces
opened fire on the Union soldiers. However, the forts cannons for defense did not fire for a while. At about
7:00 A.M., Captain.Abner Doubleday, the fort’s second in command, was given the honor of firing the first
shot in defense of the fort. The confederate soldiers eliminated all of the Union soldiers therefore the Confederate soldiers were victorious.
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run was fought in July 21,1661 near the city of Manassas .Before the battle the
Northern public clamored for a march against the Confederate capital of Richmond,Virginia, which they
expected to bring an early end to the rebellion. The Union soldiers drove the Confederates out of the area at
first. But, the Confederate soldiers had reinforcements under General Thomas Jackson. Thomas Jackson
fought very bravely and was called as ‘Stonewall Jackson’. The Confederate soldiers were victorious as they
let out a battle cry and charged which scared the Union soldiers who then retreated.
The Monitor vs the Merrimack
The south ports were blockaded by the Union and this prevented export and import for the
Confederates. One of the abandoned Union ship, Merrimack, was taken over by the
Confederates and they installed iron plates on the ship. On March 8, 1862, this ship was used in
a naval battle to attack the Union ships which were wooden. The next day, the North sent a
similar ironclad ship called the Monitor to engage the Confederate ship. The Union was
successful in keeping the Merrimack in the harbor and thus did not have any threat from the
Confederates.
Battle of Shiloh
In the Battle of Shiloh,General Grant and his troops gathered along the Tennessee River toward. Corinth, Mississippi.Then on April 6 Confederate soldiers launched a surprise attack at the Union soldiers.The surprise attack lasted two bloody days with very violent fighting.The first day of the battle was terrible,union soldier were almost defeated by Confederate forces. However the second day Union troops recovered and destroyed the Confederate troops.The Union troops were victorious.
Second Battle of Bull Run
The second battle of Bull Run was fought in August 28, 1862 .The battle was started by Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J.Stonewall who captured the Union supply depot at Manassas Junction. His troops thenattacked a Union column east of Gainesville. On August 29, Pope launched a series of assaults against Jackson’s position along an unfinished railroad grade. The attacks were repulsed with heavy casualties on both sides. Since the Union troops eventually retreated Confederate soldiers were considered victorious.
Battle of Antietam
The Union and the Confederate armies gathered along the Antietam creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. On September 17, 1862 they clashed in a bloody battle that left 6000 soldiers dead and 17000 seriously injured. Neither side was destroyed. Finally, the Confederate army retreated allowing victory to the Union. Battle of Gettysburg On July 1, 1863 the two armies clashed near the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle started as a surprise attack that was done by the Union cavalry on the Confederate soldiers who were looking for shoes. The Union soldiers were outnumbered and they fought desperately before retreating. In the second battle an assault was launched by the Confederates. On the last day Lee decided to virtually destroy the Union army. However their attack failed and the Confederate troops retreated. Siege of Vicksburg Another battle took place in the steep hills of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863. Union forces were under the charge of Ulysses S. Grant who put a siege to the town of Vicksburg. Finally, it surrendered along with the Port Hudson, which gave the Union full control of the Mississippi river. This strategy was calledblockading.