Civil War
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was one of the most significant military encounters occurring during the Civil War. During the time period of April 30 to May 6, 1863 in Spotsylvania, Virginia near the town of Chancellorsville, this battle was engaged between Union Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia with General…
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness introduced Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s historical engagements against Gen. Robert E. Lee into the landscape of the Civil War. Fought May 5 – 7, 1864, this was the first encounter that pitted these two infamous leaders against one another. The fighting was bloody and brought heavy casualties to both sides. Background On May 4th,…
Battle of Spotsylvania
The Battle of Spotsylvania, sometimes also called the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, took place in Virginia from May 8-21 in 1864. It was an important battle in the American Civil War. Although it ended with no conclusive winner, its casualties were high. The battle was part of Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign. Grant was in charge of all…
Battle of Gettysburg
After two years of bloody warfare between the North and South, the American Civil War remained locked in a vicious conflict that threatened to permanently alter the history of both the nation and the world. By the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee had successfully secured the Southern states and began leading his army into the North. He had…
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh took place as part of the Civil War on April 6-7, 1862. As a result of the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, General Albert Sidney Johnston and his Confederate troops were forced to fall back to parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and northern Mississippi, relinquishing Kentucky and much of middle-Tennessee. Johnston gathered his troops in Corinth,…
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam lasted only three days, from September 16-18, 1862. Though short, the Battle of Antietam stands out as the single bloodiest day in the Civil War. By the end of the battle, 2,108 Union soldiers were confirmed dead. Another 10,293 were unaccounted for. Confederate losses were only slightly less, but it is estimated that General Robert E….
Battle of Chickamauga
In early September of 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosencrans retook Chattanooga from the Confederates. Chattanooga was a major rail hub, and securing it gave the Yankees a direct route to Atlanta and, thus, to the rest of the South. General Braxton Bragg of the Confederacy decided that he wanted to retake Chattanooga…