Civil War Major Battles

CIVIL WAR:1861-1865

MAJOR BATTLES

www.civilwar.org

FT.SUMTER

April 12-14, 1865

Charleston Harbor, South Carolina

Confederate Victory

No Casualties

Forces Engaged

Union: 80

Confederate: 500

Commanders

Union: Commander Robert Anderson

Confederate: Commander P.G.T Beauregard

On April 12, 1861, General P.G.T. Beauregard, in command of the Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor, opened fire on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter. At 2:30pm on April 13 Major Robert Anderson, garrison commander, surrendered the fort and was evacuated the next day.

HAMPTOM ROADS/ MONITOR V MERRIMACK/ BATTLE OF IRONCLADS

Peninsula Campaign

March 8-9, 1862

Hampton Roads

Draw

Forces Engaged

Union 1400

Confederate 188

Casualties

Union 369

Confederate 24

Commanders

Union- John L Worden

Confederates- Franklin Buchannan

On March 8, 1862, from her berth at Norfolk, the Confederate ironclad Virginia steamed into Hampton Roads where she sank Cumberland and ran Congress aground. On March 9, the Union ironclad Monitor having fortuitously arrived to do battle, initiated the first engagement of ironclads in history. The two ships fought each other to a standstill, but Virginia retired.

SECOND MANASSAS/SECOND BULL RUN

Northern Virginia Campaingn

August 28-30, 1862

Prince William County, Virginia

Casualties

Union 13K

Confederates 8K

Forces Engaged

Union 70,000

Confederate 55,000

Commanders

Union: John Pope

Confederate Robert E. Lee

In order to draw Pope’s army into battle, Jackson ordered an attack on a Federal column that was passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike on August 28. The fighting at Brawner Farm lasted several hours and resulted in a stalemate. Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him. 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...