1. Fort SumterWhen:April 12-13, 1861Where: Charleston, SC Union Commander: Major Robert Anderson Confederate Commander: PGT Beauregard Result (Who won?

1. Fort Sumter When: April 12-13, 1861 Where: Charleston, SC Union Commander: Major Robert Anderson Confederate Commander: PGT Beauregard Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union surrendered the fort. South wins the battle. South seen as the ones who start the war since they fired the first shot. No casualties.

2. First Bull Run/First Manassas When: July 21, 1861 Where: Manassas, VA Union Commander: Gen. Irvin McDowell Confederate Commander: PGT Beauregard Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Confederate victory. Union runs away in a chaotic retreat. “Battle of Blunders.” 2600 casualties. Shocks the nation. Makes people realize the war will not be over soon. Union mobilizes even more troops and begins strict training regimen

3. Wilson’s Creek When: August 10, 1861 Where: Wilson’s Creek, MO Union Commander: Gen. Nathaniel Lyon Confederate Commander: Gen. Ben McCollough and Gen. Sterling Price Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Confederate victory. 2400 casualties. Initially looked like this victory would lead to the secession of Missouri, but the union forces and politicians in the state were able to keep Missouri loyal to the Union for the duration of the war.

4. Ball’s Bluff/Leesburg/Harrison’s Island When: October 21, 1861Where: Leesburg, VA

 Union Commander: Gen. George McCall Confederate Commander: Col. Nathan Evans Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Confederate victory. 155 casualties. Col. Edward Baker was killed. He was a sitting US Senator and is the only sitting US Senator ever killed in battle. He was Democrat. Democrats were seen as soft on the war. Some believed he conspired to help the Confederates win the battle. It led to the formation of a Congressional committee to observe and evaluate the officers’ conduct of the war. It created deep political division in the Union army for the remainder of the war.

5. Fort Henry and Fort Donelson When: February, 1862 Where: Kentucky and Tennessee Border along the Tennessess and Cumberland Rivers. Union Commander: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Simon Buckner Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. Casualties vary between 125 and nearly 6000. Almost 15,000 Confederate troops were captured. The Union was able to control the states of Kentucky and Tennessee by controlling the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. This guaranteed Kentucky would remain a state in the Union and greatly minimized resistance in Tennessee while allowing Union troops and supplies to use the rivers to penetrate deep into southern territory.

6. Pea Ridge When: March 6-8, 1862 Where: Pea Ridge, AR

Union Commander: Gen. Samuel Curtis Confederate Commander: Gen. Earl Van Dorn

Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. 8500 Casualties. Union routed and confused the Confederate forces along the Missouri/Arkansas border. This battle ensures that Missouri will be a Union state for the rest of the war. It crushed Confederate optimism that Missouri may secede after an earlier Confederate victory at Wilson’s Creek.

7. Shiloh/Pittsburgh Landing When: April 6-7, 1862 Where: Pittsburg Landing, TN Union Commander: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Albert Sydney Johnston Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union Victory. 23000 casualties! Nearly a Union loss but saved on second day of battle by reinforcements. Taught Grant the lesson of not underestimating the enemy. Grant removed from command under suspicion of being drunk on the eve of battle. General Johnston, Confederates’ best field commander besides Lee was killed

8. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign When: January to June, 1862Where: James Peninsula in Virginia on the way to Richmond, VA

Union Commander: Gen. George B. McClellan Confederate Commander: Gen. Robert E. Lee

Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Series of Confederate victories, but Union continued to advance toward Richmond. Lee finally defeated McClellan at the Seven Days Battle near Richmond and McClellan retreated. Casualties were in the tens of thousands because there were dozens of skirmishes and major battles. The result was Lincoln removed McClellan from command. Even though he outnumbered the Confederates, McClellan was hesitant to engage the enemy. Lincoln was frustrated that such a superior army could be defeated. It led to years of frustration for Lincoln and the North as Lee continued to win battles he shouldn’t have because the Union commanders were so incompetent.

9. Second Bull Run/Second Manassas When: August 29-30, 1862 Where: Manassas, VA

Union Commander: Gen. John Pope Confederate Commander: Gen. Robert E. Lee

Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Overwhelming Confederate victory. 25000 casualties! Showed again the superiority of Confederate leadership and cavalry. Confederate Cavalry General JEB Stuart made a ride around the Union army taunting them and disrupting Union supply lines. Gave Lee confidence to invade the North and try to end the war by striking for the first time on Union soil. Lincoln reinstated McClellan to command of the Union forces.

10. Antietam/Sharpsburg When: September 17, 1862 Where: Sharpsburg, MD

Union Commander: Gen. McClellan Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee

Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. Bloodiest single day of the war with 23000 casualties. Forced lee to withdraw back to the south. McClellan could have completely defeated the Confederate army, but McClellan refused to follow up. McClellan removed from command for good. Gave Lincoln a much-needed victory so he could issue the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves from a position of strength. The Proclamation did not really free any slaves, but it made the war about slavery instead of preserving the Union and ensured that foreign powers like Great Britain would not enter the war on the side of the Confederacy.

The Proclamation did not free any slaves of the border states (Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia), or of any southern state (or part of a state) already under Union control. By limiting emancipation so that it would affect only those areas in rebellion and only those individuals who supported that rebellion, Lincoln could retain the loyalty of pro-Union slave owners, and for that matter, pro-Union racists. So concerned was he lest soldiers would fight not to end slavery but only to save the Union, that he published the provisional emancipation in the form of a booklet on September 24, 1862, to be distributed throughout the Army.

11. Fredericksburg When: December 13, 1862 Where: Fredericksburg, VA

Union Commander: Gen. Ambrose Burnside Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee

Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Crushing Confederate victory. 18000 casualties, mostly Union. Burnside nearly caught Lee by surprise by heading straight for Richmond instead of following the army. Lee cuts off Burnside and stops his advance. Burnside is forced to retreat and wait for spring. Burnside is removed from command.

12. Stone’s River/Mufreesboro When: Dec. 31, 1862- Jan. 1, 1863

Where: Murfreesboro,TN Union Commander: Gen. William Rosecrans Confederate Commander: Gen. Braxton Bragg Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): 25000 casualties. This battle can be considered a draw. Union holds the ground, but the Confederate army still blocks the way to Chattanooga.  

13. Chancellorsville When: May2-6, 1863 Where: Chancellorsville, VA Union Commander: Gen. Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker Confederate Commander: Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): 29000 casualties. Considered Lee’s greatest victory. Lee outmaneuvered a superior force of Union soldiers. Cost him much. One-fourth of his troops were casualties and Stonewall Jackson died as a result of a wound from this battle. Lee was confident, but also desperate after this fight. He needed to go north again and claim a victory on northern soil to try to deliver a knockout blow to the Union.

14. Vicksburg When: April-July 4, 1863 Where: Vicksburg, MS Union Commander: Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Joseph Johnston Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): 19,000 casualties. This battle was a siege. It lasted nearly 6 months. Vicksburg was the last obstacle to the Union in its quest to control the Mississippi River. With this Union victory, the Confederacy was split in half. The Union could move troops and supplies very rapidly along the entire Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. This battle is considered the turning point of the war in the West. Grant is promoted to command of the entire western army. He will now move to Chattanooga.

15. Gettysburg When: July 1-3, 1863 Where: Gettysburg, PA Union Commander: Gen. George Meade Confederate Commander: Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): 51,000 casualties! This is the bloodiest battle of the war. Lee staked all his hopes on a victory in this fight. It began as a battle over shoes. Both armies were surprised by the other. Confederate cavalry commander JEB Stuart was making another circle around the army and Lee was left blind. The Union held the high ground at the end of day 1. Day 2 saw heavy fighting on the left flank. Joshua Lawerence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held off their attack there on Little Round Top. Day 3 saw a suicidal charge against the center of the Union lines by George Pickett. This is the turning point of the war in the east. Lee’s army is decimated. He will never be able to mount an offensive again. His best hope is to hold out long enough for the Union to tire of fighting and give up. General Meade could have followed this victory by pressing an attack against Lee. He didn’t. Lee regrouped to fight for 2 more years.

16. Chickamauga When: September 18-20, 1863 Where: Chickamauga, GA Union Commander: Gen. Rosecrans Confederate Commander: Gen. Bragg Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Confederate victory. 34,000 casualties. Brutal fighting. The Union army was nearly destroyed. General George Thomas would not retreat or the army would have been lost. He became known as the “Rock of Chickamauga.” All leaders in this battle except Thomas were demoted. Could have reversed the positive effects of Gettysburg. General Grant promoted to head of all western forces.

17. Chattanooga When: November 23-25, 1863 Where: Chattanooga, TN Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Bragg Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. 12,000 casualties. “Battle in the Clouds.” Union was surrounded and cut off from supplies. Grant attacked and defeated the Confederates driving them out of Tennessee. Grant promoted to head of ALL union forces and William Tecumseh Sherman promoted to head of all Western forces.

18. The Wilderness When: May 5-6, 1864 Where: Near Fredericksburg, VA Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Draw. 25,000 casualties- 18,000 Union, 7,000 Confederate. Longstreet wounded and out for the rest of the war. Shot accidentally by his own men almost exactly a year after Stonewall Jackson on almost the same ground. Union suffered double the casualties, but Grant continued to chase Lee.

19. Spotsylvania When: May 8-21, 1864 Where: Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Casualties unknown for sure. Union 11,000; Confederates ?????. No clear winner, but Grant kept moving south towards Richmond

20. Cold Harbor When: June 3, 1864 Where: Cold Harbor, VA Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?):Confederate victory. Casualties unknown, but some estimates put the numbers near 80000! Temporarily halts Grants advance.

21. Petersburg When: June 15, 1864- April 2, 1865 Where: Petersburg, VA Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Eventual Union victory after a prolonged siege. Casualties are unknown but some estimates are as high as 70000! Also known as the “Battle of the Crater.” Leads to the capture of Richmond by Union forces.

22. Mobile When: August 2-23, 1864 Where: Mobile Bay, AL Union Commander: Adm. David Farragut Confederate Commander: Gen. Richard Page Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. 1800 casualties. This was one of the last port cities in possession of the Confederacy. By capturing this port, the Union stopped all the illegal shipments of supplies and food coming to the Confederates from foreign countries.

23. Atlanta/ March to the Sea When: July 22- Sept. 2, 1864Where: Atlanta, GA Union Commander: Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman Confederate Commander: Gen. John Bell Hood Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union Victory. 22000 casualties. This was the beginning of the “Total War” the Union would wage on the Confederacy. General Sherman captured and burned the economic hub of Atlanta. His army then marched to Savannah, GA leaving a 90-mile wide path of destruction in their wake. They burned and pillaged any plantations and towns in their path as well as the cotton crops of Georgia. This campaign was designed to break the spirit and will of the southern people both military and civilian.

24. Cedar Creek When: October 19, 1864 Where: Cedar Creek, VA Union Commander: Gen. Phillip Sheridan Confederate Commander: Gen. Jubal Early Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. 8600 casualties. This battle was for control of the agricultural and economic base of the Confederacy- the Shenandoah River Valley. After years of sustaining the Confederate armies through its rich soil and bountiful harvests, the Union cavalry took control of the valley. This basically left the Confederacy with little or no supplies.

25. Franklin When: November 30, 1864 Where: Franklin, TN Union Commander: Gen. George Thomas Confederate Commander: Gen. Hood Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union Victory. 9000 casualties. Gen. John Bell Hood saw the perilous position of Lee’s army in Virginia and the south, in general, under the assault of Gen. William T. Sherman. Hood sent troops north toward Nashville to divert Sherman and others from joining Grant in the assault on the Army of Virginia. Because this battle failed, Sherman was free to join Grant and trap Lee and his men between two powerful armies.

26. Appomattox When: April 7-9, 1865 Where: Appomattox Courthouse, VA Union Commander: Gen. Grant Confederate Commander: Gen. Lee Result (Who won? How many casualties? What was the lasting impact?): Union victory. Casualties unknown. Lee surrenders to Grant. The Army of Virginia was the largest of the Confederate armies. This is regarded as the official end of the Civil War even though several Confederate armies would continue to fight until late into 1865. 

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.“ A. Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

Army Hardtack Recipe

Ingredients:

•4 cups flour (perferably whole wheat)

•4 teaspoons salt

•Water (about 2 cups)

•Pre-heat oven to 375° F

•Makes about 10 pieces

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add just enough water (less than two cups) so that the mixture will stick together, producing a dough that won’t stick to hands, rolling pin or pan.  Mix the dough by hand. Roll the dough out, shaping it roughly into a rectangle. Cut into the dough into squares about 3 x 3 inches and ½ inch thick.

After cutting the squares, press a pattern of four rows of four holes into each square, using a nail or other such object. Do not punch through the dough.  The appearance you want is similar to that of a modern saltine cracker.  Turn each square over and do the same thing to the other side.

Place the squares on an ungreased cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn each piece over and bake for another 30 minutes. The crackers should be slightly brown on both sides.

The fresh crackers are easily broken but as they dry, they harden and assume the consistentency of fired brick.