Battles that Took Place During the Civil War Before June of 1863
The Confederate assault on Fort Sumter in 1861 marked the beginning of the American Civil War. The Confederate states represented the southern region of the United States, while Union soldiers represented northern and midwestern states. Some of the battles leading up to Gettysburg in July, 1863, had a major impact on the Civil War's end result.
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1861
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In July, the first Battle of Bull Run in Virginia pitted 30,000 Union troops against 22,000 Confederate soldiers. The Union controlled the early part of the battle, but it ended in an overwhelming Confederate win. It included a Rebel stand led by troops under Colonel Thomas Jackson, which led to Jackson's nickname "Stonewall." The Battle of Wilson's Creek took place in August near Springfield, Missouri. It was the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River and another Confederate victory. Among the casualties was Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general to be killed in action. Wilson's Creek left the Confederate army in control of southwestern Missouri.
1862
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The Second Battle of Bull Run occurred in August near Manassas, Virginia. It pitted General Robert E. Lee for the Confederacy against Maj. Gen. John Pope of the Union. The Confederates won the two-day battle and it encouraged Lee to initiate the Maryland Campaign. The Battle of Harper's Ferry took place in September in northern Virginia and western Maryland. The confederate army led by Jackson took 12,000 prisoners there then turned to join Lee at Antietam.
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1863
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The Battle of Cape Girardeau was initiated by the Confederate forces running raids in Missouri. The Union side, led by Brig. Gen. John McNeil, suffered 12 fatalities; the Confederates lost approximately 300 men. It was the last attempt by Confederate forces to seize Missouri. The Siege of Vicksburg was a series of battles that started in May and ran through July. It ended when Vicksburg fell to the Union forces on July 4. It was the final stage of Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's campaign to gain control the Mississippi River.
Antietam
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The Battle of Antietam was fought in September, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek. The Union army lost over 12,400 men, while the Confederates lost approximately 10,300. This made the Battle of Antietam the bloodiest single-day battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Antietam is considered a Union win since the Confederates had to withdraw from Maryland, but it was not decisive enough for President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln fumed while his generals allowed Lee's damaged and outnumbered army to slip back into Virginia. It did embolden Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.
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