Browse all Entries, Images, Videos, and Audio Files in the Civil War Battles topic.
Pickett’s Charge
July 3, 1863 During the first two days of battle at Gettysburg (July 1 and 2, 1863), Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces tried unsuccessfully to flank each end of the Union line. Believing that Union commander General George Meade had weakened the middle of his line in support of the attacks on his flanks, Lee…
President Lincoln’s Executive Order Tendering Thanks to William T. Sherman
September 3, 1864 On September 3, 1864, President Lincoln issued an executive order offering the thanks of the nation to William T. Sherman for his successful campaign in Georgia that led to the capture of Atlanta. The national thanks are tendered by the President to Major-General William T. Sherman and the gallant officers and soldiers…
Red River Campaign
March 10 – May 22, 1864 The Red River Campaign was an ill-fated Union attempt to capture Shreveport, Louisiana and drive all Rebel forces out of the state during the spring of 1864. By the spring of 1864, Confederate Louisiana had shriveled to the northwestern area of the state. The capital had moved to Opelousas…
Seven Days Battles
June 25 – July 1, 1862 On June 25, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched a series of six battles in seven days that pitted the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia against Major General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Collectively known as the Seven Days Battles, Lee's assaults drove McClellan's army away…
Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862
February–June 1862 Also known as Jackson's Valley Campaign, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, was remarkable for the adroit tactics of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who out-maneuvered and defeated three Union armies during the spring of 1862. Despite their stunning victory at the Battle of Bull Run I in July 1861, Confederate prospects were dim…
Sheridan’s Valley Campaign
August–October 1864 Sheridan's Valley Campaign was the last of three campaigns that comprise the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, DC, Grant drafted a plan to have the various Union armies…
Sherman’s March to the Sea
November 15, 1864 – December 21, 1864 Also known as the Savannah Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea, was a Union offensive in late 1864 that cut a swath of destruction across Georgia about 60 miles wide and 250 miles long, from Atlanta to Savannah. History of Sherman’s March to the Sea Following the Federal…
Siege of Corinth
April 29 to May 30, 1862 The Siege of Corinth, also known as the First Battle of Corinth or the Battle of Corinth I, was a Union offensive led by Major General Henry Halleck aimed at capturing the vital Confederate rail center at Corinth, Mississippi in May 1862, following the Union victory at the Battle…
Siege of Port Hudson
May 22, 1863 – July 9, 1863 Also known as the Battle of Port Hudson, the Siege of Port Hudson was the longest siege in the history of American warfare. From the onset of the American Civil War, seizing control of the Mississippi River was a primary goal of Union forces operating in the Western…