Fort Sumter-
The battle of Fort Sumter was on April 12-13, 1861. The Confederate soldiers opened fire with shore batteries upon Fort Sumter with an unrelenting bombardment for forty hours. Major Robert Anderson who was in charge of the Union Forces of Fort Sumter surrendered and the Confederate Flag was raised over the fort. The loss of life was kept to a minimum of none but a horse nicknamed "Charlie" by our class did die. Poor Charlie right? The Confederacy was charged with taking the first shot because Fort Sumter did not fight back.
.jpg)
First Battle of Bull Run-
This battle was on July 21, 1861. This was a major loss for the Union forces. General Winfield Scott ordered poorly trained Union troops under the charge of General Irwin McDowell. The Union forces attacked the Confederacy at a position near Bull Run Creek and they were winning at first and right before victory seemed at hand, Confederate reinforcements arrived. The Union suffered a devastating and humiliating defeat due to the Union's troops scramble to retreat. This defeat led to a shakeup of Northern high command and General McClellan replaced General McDowell as commander of the Union troops in the Washington area. McClellan took some time to train his troops properly.
Shiloh-
On the morning of April 6, 1862, 40,000 Confederate troops decided to attack Union troops near Pittsburgh Landing on the Tennessee river under the command of General Albert Sydney Johnston. The surprise attack from the Confederacy threatened General Ulysses Grant's entire command. A few determined Federals made a last stand at the sunken road of Hornet's Nest. Repeated attacks failed to take Hornet's Nest but eventually mass artillery managed to kill or wound most of the soldiers there. However, at this point, the Union troops managed to rank together and hold off the attack until reinforcements arrived the next day, and then the Union troops outnumbered the Confederacy 40,000 to 30,000. The general of the Confederate troops was mortally wounded during the first day and was replaced by P.G.T. Beuragard. He later retreated his troops after Grants April 7th counteroffensive. This two day battle ended in over 23,000 casualties resulting in the bloodiest war of American
History at that time. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/shiloh.html?tab=facts The Battle of Shiloh
is further explained on the website.
Merrimack vs Monitor-
The Merricmack was a northern built conventional steam frigate and it was salvaged by the confederates from the Norfolk navy yard. It was renamed the "Virginia." The Virginia was armored with iron after it's upper hull was cut away. The commander of this iron ship was Commodore Franklin Buchanan. The Union ironclad ship was the "Monitor" under the command of lieutenant John Worden. The Monitor and the Virginia met on March 8. They had a small battle without much luck, both sides were not properly trained and gunfire was time consuming. Eventually the Virginia met the Monitor's pilothouse and iron splinters flew into the eyes of Worden. The Virginia then retreated due to leaks, low ammunition, and difficulties of steam control. This battle was indecisive and it was considered a victory for both sides. http://m.search.eb.com/topic/389515 Go to the site if you wish to learn more about this battle.
Antietam-
The Union troops under the command of Major General George B. McClellen met the confederate
troops under the command of Robert E. Lee on September 16, 1862. On the dawn of September 17, 1862, Major General Hooker's Union Corp rained fire upon Lee's left flank which started the Battle of Antietam. Lee dedicated all of his forces to this battle while McClellen dedicated less than 3/4 of
his troops. Even though the Union outnumbered the Confederacy 2:1, the Confederates fought back vigorously. The result was that the Confederates were driven out of Virginia. This became the single bloodiest day in all American History and the Union claimed victory. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.html?tab=facts Learn more specific facts about this battle on the website above.
Chancellorsville-
On April 30, 1863, Major General Hooker placed his new and improved army near General Lee's vulnerable flank. Rather than retreating his forces, Lee decided to attack Hooker while they were still in the cover of the wilderness. Lee split his 30,000 force in two, sending Stonewall Jackson to lead 15,000 men around the battlefield towards Hookers right flank and rear. Hookers Unions Eleventh Corp was absolutely destroyed and the Union troops were forced to retreat. This was considered
Lee's greatest victory in the Civil War. Learn more here,
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chancellorsville.html?
tab=home for specifics.
Vicksburg-
On May and June of 1863, Major General Ulysses S. grant surrounded the city of Vicksburg in Mississippi. This led to the entrapment of a Confederate army under the charge of Lieutenant General John Pemberton. After prolonged siege efforts by the Union, the Confederate troops surrendered and the Confederate lost nearly half it's troops with the loss of Pembertons army. This success ultimately led to Grant's eventual promotion to General-in-Chief of the Union army. Check out
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/vicksburg.html for more information!!
Gettysburg-
Upon the Union General George D. Meades approach towards Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Confederate General Lee started to focus his troops. On July 1st, the Confederates drove Union forces
through Gettysburg towards Cemetery Hill. The next day, the
Confederate troops fought the Union troops at Devils Den, Little
Round Top, the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Culps Hill, and East Cemetery Hill. Although the
Confederacy gained
ground, they failed in dislodging the Union forces. Ultimately this was Lee's second failure at an invasion of the North. For a summary of each day in this battle, visit http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/gettysburg.html for more information. Watch the Gettysburg song here, http://youtu.be/WYLdPEcuqiA.
Sherman's March-
From November 15th to December 21, 1863 General Sherman marched 60,000 Union troops across 285 miles from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. The purpose of the march was to frighten Georgia's civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. Learn more here-http://www.history.com/topics/shermans-march
Appomattox Courthouse-
After constant harassment from the Union forces, Lee headed towards the Appomattox county where food and rest lay. Unfortunately, The Confederate troops were once again surrounded and had their supplies cut off from them. General Lee surrendered his remanding forces in the small village of Appomattox Courthouse at the McLean House.
Civil War Medicine-
Civil War Medicine consisted of chloroform, bromine, and life-saving amputations. If there was an infection from the wound, many times, surgeons were required to amputate the infected areas. In the case of an infection, bromine was used to fight the bacteria that would normally form and kill the patient. Chloroform was used to knock patients unconscious so that they wouldn't feel the pain when being amputated.
Battle Technology/Tactics-
New technology of the Civil War was the creation of rifling and mini bulls. This combination allowed for rifles to have more accurate and deadly precision and damage. Another important technology was the usage of the telegram. This allowed for a vast complex system of communication so that information could be passed more easily and quicker. The locomotive train was also a deadly weapon of the North.
Life of a Soldier-
Life as a soldier was very difficult. Food was scarce, and the burden of having to carry your own equipment to make your own life as comfortable as possible wasn't easy. Bread had to be boiled to be eaten and life wasn't comfortable. Explore the life of a soldier here,
http://www.civilwar.com/overview/soldier-life.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment