Browse all Events in the Civil War 1861 Time Period.
Battle of Middle Fork Bridge
July 6 -7, 1861 The Battle of Middle Fork Bridge was fought on July 6 and 7, 1861, in Upshur County, Virginia (now West Virginia). As the possibility of civil war in the United States evolved during the early months of 1861, Virginia was a divided state. Led by residents of the eastern part of…
Battle of Philippi
June 3, 1861 Generally considered to be the first significant land engagement of the American Civil War, the Battle of Philippi, also known as the "Races at Philippi," was fought on June 3, 1861, in Barbour County, Virginia (now West Virginia). As the possibility of civil war in the United States evolved during the early…
Battle of Rich Mountain
July 11, 1861 The Battle of Rich Mountain was fought on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia). As the possibility of civil war in the United States evolved during the early months of 1861, Virginia was a divided state. Led by residents of the eastern part of the state, Virginia voted…
Battle of Wilson’s Creek
August 10, 1861 Fought on August 10, 1861, the Battle of Wilson's Creek was the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River and the scene of the death of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general killed in combat. When the American Civil War began, sympathies in the border state of Missouri…
Confederate Medicine
1861–1865 During the American Civil War, the Union had the equivalent of 1,556,678 three-year enlistments, compared with roughly 1,083,000 for the Confederacy. Over 620,000 men perished, a figure that tops the total fatalities of all other wars in which Americans have fought. During the war, the average soldier could expect to become sick 5 or…
Union Medicine
1861–1865 During the American Civil War, the Union had the equivalent of 1,556,678 three-year enlistments, compared with roughly 1,083,000 for the Confederacy. Over 620,000 men perished, a figure that tops the total fatalities of all other wars in which Americans have fought. During the war, the average soldier could expect to become sick 5 or…
Washington Peace Conference
1861 Proposed by Virginia and chaired by former U.S. President John Tyler, the Washington Peace Conference was an unsuccessful eleventh-hour attempt to save the Union and avoid the American Civil War. On November 6, 1860, American voters elected Republican Abraham Lincoln as the sixteenth President of the United States. Alarmed by what they considered to…
Western Virginia Campaign
June–October, 1861 Also known as the Rich Mountain Campaign, or simply Operations in Western Virginia, the Western Virginia Campaign was a struggle between Union and Confederate forces in 1861 for control of the mountainous area of western Virginia. As the possibility of civil war in the United States evolved during the early months of 1861,…