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…
Siege of Vicksburg
May 25 – July 4, 1863 By late 1861, President Abraham Lincoln was pressuring Union commanders in the west to invade the South. On January 30, 1862, the Western Theater commander, General Henry Halleck, reluctantly approved Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant's request to attack Fort Henry, located on the Tennessee River. By late 1861, President…
Siege of Yorktown
April 5 – May 4, 1862 Lasting from April 5 to May 4, 1862, the Siege of Yorktown stalled Union Major General George B. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign for four weeks, enabling the Confederacy to shore up its defenses of Richmond, Virginia. Within twenty-four hours of the Union's defeat at the Battle of Bull Run I…
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
April 9, 1865 On April 9, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met at the home of Wilmer McClean, located in the small Virginia village of Appomattox Court House, to negotiate the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. By 4 p.m., the two generals reached an agreement, and Lee signed…
Surrender at Bennett Place
April 17 – 26, 1865 On April 26, 1865 Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union General William T. Sherman negotiated the largest surrender of the Civil War at Bennett Place near Hillsborough, North Carolina. At the dawn of 1865, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's strategy of having all Union forces in the field act…
Tullahoma Campaign
June 24 – July 3, 1863 The Tullahoma Campaign, also known as the Middle Tennessee Campaign, was a series of military engagements fought in south-central Tennessee from June 24 through July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The campaign secured middle Tennessee for the Union. On October 24, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln relieved Major…
U.S.-Mexican War
April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848
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…