Download battles and campaigns

“BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC”
“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
The Civil War song “Battle Hymn of the
Republic” was extremely popular with
Union soldiers, who often sang it while
rallying for battle. The tune, however, predates the Civil War as an 1856 Methodist
camp-meeting hymn titled “Oh Brothers,
Will You Meet Us on Canaan’s Happy
Shore?” by William Steffe of South Carolina. (It is not known whether he composed the lyrics as well as the tune.)
Shortly after the war began, a group of
Union soldiers in Boston, Massachusetts,
composed new lyrics that referred to abolitionist John Brown, who had been
hanged in Virginia in 1859 for trying to
lead a slave rebellion. To many people in
the North, John Brown was a hero, and the
Union soldiers’ lyrics called him “a soldier
in the army of the Lord.” This song, called
“John Brown’s Body,” quickly became
popular throughout the North.
In February 1862, poet Julia Ward
Howe was visiting a Union army camp
when a clergyman there suggested she
write new lyrics for “John Brown’s Body”
that more closely reflected the moral underpinnings of the Civil War. According to
Howe, it took her only one night to come
up with the lyrics, which she then sent to
the Atlantic Monthly magazine for publication as the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It appeared in the magazine in February 1862, and Howe received $4 as
compensation for her efforts. Shortly
thereafter the song was adopted as a
Union anthem. See also Brown, John.
battles and campaigns
There were approximately 10,450 military
engagements during the Civil War, most of
them in the South. Some of them were major battles, others minor skirmishes, and
still others sieges on forts or cities that
might last days, weeks, or months. In any
case, they might be isolated events or they
might be part of a series of military operations designed to achieve a specific,
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broader goal (such as the capture of an entire peninsula in a certain amount of time).
Such operations, taken collectively, were
called a campaign (e.g., the Peninsula
Campaign).
Historians disagree somewhat on which
battles should be included in a list of the
most important Civil War conflicts. However, the most commonly cited major battles and campaigns are as follows:
The Attack on Fort Sumter. On April
12, 1861, the Confederates fired the first
shots of the war when they attacked a federal garrison at Fort Sumter, located on
a man-made island in the middle of
Charleston Harbor in South Carolina; on
April 14, after a seige of more than fifty
hours, the fort fell into Confederate hands.
The First Battle of Bull Run (also
known as the First Battle of Manassas).
On July 21, 1861, near Centerville, Virginia,
Confederate troops led by General Pierre
Beauregard were victorious against Union
troops led by General Irvin McDowell.
The Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
Campaign (also known as the Henry
and Donelson Campaign). On February
6 and February 14–16, 1862, Union general Ulysses S. Grant took two Confederate forts, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson,
on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers,
respectively, near Memphis, Tennessee.
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as
the Battle of Pittsburg Landing). On
April 6–7, 1862, on the west bank of the
Tennessee River near Savannah, Tennessee, the Union’s Army of the Tennessee
and Army of the Ohio, led by Brigadier
General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General Don Carlos Buell, respectively, were
victorious against the Confederacy’s Army
of the Mississippi, led by Generals Albert
Johnston and Pierre Beauregard.
Jackson’s Valley Campaign. From
March 23 to June 9, 1862, a series of battles took place in the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia between the Confederate forces of
Major General Thomas J. “Stonewall”
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Jackson and various Union commanders;
the Confederates were ultimately victorious, despite the fact that Jackson’s was by
far the lesser force.
The Peninsula Campaign (also known
as the Peninsular Campaign). From
March to July 1862, Major General George
B. McClellan led the Union’s Army of the
Potomac on a campaign across the southeastern Virginia peninsula in an attempt to
capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, but, after many victories, it
was stopped by Confederate general Robert
E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.
Among the most notable battles of this campaign were the Seven Days’ Battles (from
June 25 to July 1, 1862) and the Battle of
Gaines’ Mill (on June 27, 1862).
The Battle of Seven Pines (also known
as the Battle of Fair Oaks). On May 31,
1862, Confederate troops led by General
Joseph Johnston attacked Union troops led
by General George McClellan near Seven
Pines, Virginia, but were eventually forced
back from the battlefield.
The Second Battle of Bull Run (also
known as the Second Battle of Manassas). On August 28–30, 1862, at roughly
the same place as the First Battle of Bull
Run, Confederate troops led by General
Robert E. Lee were victorious against
Union troops led by General John Pope.
The Battle of Antietam (also known
as the Battle of Sharpsburg). On September 17, 1862, Union troops led by General George McClellan met Confederate
troops led by General Robert E. Lee at
Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland, with the result being a stalemate despite the loss of thousands of lives.
The Vicksburg Campaign. From November 1862 to July 1863 in western Mississippi, a series of Union attacks and
sieges ultimately resulted in the fall of the
city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Battle of Fredericksburg. On December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Confederate troops led by General
BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS
Robert E. Lee were victorious over the
Union’s Army of the Potomac, led by General Ambrose Burnside. Afterward there
was an outcry in the North over the
Union’s sizable losses during the conflict
(12,080 dead, 9,600 wounded, and 1,769
missing or taken prisoner).
The Battle of Stones River (also
known as the Battle of Murfreesboro).
From December 31, 1862, to January 2,
1863, the Union’s Army of the Cumberland
under Major General William S. Rosecrans
battled the Confederacy’s Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg; the
Union was ultimately victorious, but both
sides had numerous casualties.
The Battle of Chancellorsville. On
May 1, 1863, Confederate general Robert
E. Lee sent General “Stonewall” Jackson
to attack the right flank of the Union army,
led by General Joseph Hooker, at Chancellorsville, Virginia, while Lee’s remaining forces confronted the rest of Hooker’s
army—a strategy that resulted in a Confederate victory on May 4 and thousands
of Union deaths.
The Battle of Gettysburg. On July 1–3,
1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the
Union’s Army of the Potomac under General George Meade was attacked by the
Confederate’s Army of Northern Virginia
under General Robert E. Lee as part of
Lee’s attempt to bring the Civil War to
Northern soil. Lee was eventually defeated,
but both sides had massive casualties.
The Battle of Chickamauga. On September 19–20, 1863, Confederate forces
led by General Braxton Bragg attacked
Union troops led by General William
Rosecrans at Chickamauga Creek near
Chattanooga, Tennessee, forcing Rosecrans to retreat.
The Battle of Chattanooga. On November 23–25, 1863, the Union’s Army of
the Cumberland, led by General George
Thomas, continued an advance (apparently without authorization) on Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tennessee,
BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS
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until it confronted the Confederate troops
of General Braxton Bragg and forced
them to retreat into Georgia.
The Battle of the Wilderness. On May
5–7, 1864, about fourteen miles west of
Fredericksburg, Virginia, in thick woods, a
series of battles took place between the
Union’s Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia, under
General Robert E. Lee, with no side victorious. Immediately afterward the two forces
met again at the Battle of Spotsylvania.
Spotsylvania Campaign. On May
8–19, 1864, about ten miles southwest of
Fredericksburg, Virginia, the combatants
in the indecisive Battle of the Wilderness
met again at a crossroads at Spotsylvania
Court House, and ultimately the Union
withdrew from the field.
Sheridan’s Valley Campaign. From
August 7, 1864, to March 2, 1865, Union
major general Philip Sheridan, commanding the Army of the Shenandoah, em-
barked on a campaign through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to pursue and defeat Confederate general Jubal Early,
whose corps of the Army of Northern Virginia had been raiding Union supplies.
Sheridan defeated Early in several battles
but failed to kill him, although he did destroy much of the valley to deprive the
Confederacy of valuable crops.
The Atlanta Campaign. From May 9 to
September 2, 1864, in northern Georgia,
three Union armies (the Army of the Tennessee, the Army of the Ohio, and the
Army of the Cumberland) participated in a
campaign to fight their way to the city of
Atlanta, which they captured on September
2. The commander in chief of these armies,
Major General William T. Sherman of the
Army of the Tennessee, subsequently left
Atlanta to march to the Atlantic Ocean,
leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
The Battle of Franklin. On November
30, 1864, near Franklin, Tennessee, Confederate troops under General John Bell
Pennsylvania
ANTIETAM
September 17, 1862
Ohio
Illinois
Indiana
Washington, DC
CHANCELLORSVILLE
May 1863
West
Virginia
Kentucky
FREDERICKSBURG
December 13, 1862
Virginia
Missouri
FORT HENRY
February 6, 1862
FORT DONELSON
February 14–16, 1862
North Carolina
Tennessee
Alabama
Maryland
BULL RUN
1st battle, July 21, 1861
2nd battle,
August 29–30, 1862
PETERSBURG
1864–1865
South Carolina
FORT SUMTER
April 12–14, 1861
Mississippi
New
Jersey
Delaware
Atlantic Ocean
SHILOH
April 6–7, 1862
Arkansas
GETTYSBURG
July 1–3, 1863
Georgia
Union State
Confederate State
Major Battle
Louisiana
VICKSBURG
July 3, 1863
Major
BattlesCampaigns
and Campaigns
Major Battles
and
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BEAUREGARD, PIERRE GUSTAVE TOUTANT
Hood experienced heavy losses while unsuccessfully trying to prevent Union general John M. Schofield’s troops from joining those of Major General George
Thomas in nearby Nashville, Tennessee.
Together with the Battle of Nashville, this
conflict is sometimes referred to as being
part of the Franklin and Nashville Campaign.
The Battle of Nashville. On December
15–16, 1864, at Nashville, Tennessee,
Union forces led by Major General
George Thomas were victorious against
Confederate forces led by General John
Bell Hood.
The Petersburg Campaign. From June
15, 1864, to April 3, 1865, the Union
launched several attacks on Petersburg,
Virginia, attempting to take the city so that
it would subsequently be easier to capture
nearby Richmond, Virginia. One of these
battles, the Battle of the Crater on July 30,
1864, resulted in the slaughter of hundreds
of Union soldiers who had accidentally
marched into a deep crater. The Union suffered other setbacks as well, but ultimately
the Confederates abandoned Petersburg,
largely due to a Confederate defeat in the
nearby Battle of Five Forks.
The Battle of Five Forks. On April 1,
1865, Union forces led by General Philip
Sheridan were victorious against the Confederate forces of General George Pickett
at Five Forks, Virginia, about twelve miles
southwest of Petersburg, Virginia.
Lesser but also significant battles include the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861; the Battle of Ball’s Bluff on
October 21, 1861; the Battle of Mill
Springs on January 19, 1862; the Battle of
Pea Ridge on March 7–8, 1862; the Battle
of Drewry’s Bluff on May 15, 1862; the
Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862;
the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9,
1863; battles in Winchester, Virginia, in
June and September 1863; and the Battle
of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864. See also
individual battle entries.
Beauregard, Pierre Gustave
Toutant (P.G.T.) (1818–1893)
P.G.T. Beauregard was one of only eight
full generals in the Confederacy and as
such was involved in several major battles
(including the siege on Fort Sumter, which
marked the start of the Civil War). Even before the war, though, Beauregard had extensive military experience, having fought
with distinction in the Mexican-American
War (1846–1848) at the battles at Veracruz,
Contreras, and Mexico City. Following the
Mexican-American War, Beauregard
worked on a series of engineering and
building projects for the U.S. Army, including supervising the construction of the
Federal Customs House in New Orleans,
Louisiana. In January 1861 he became the
superintendent of West Point, but he was
removed from the position after only five
days for voicing support for Southern secession.
Beauregard then resigned from the U.S.
Army to join the Orleans Guards in his
home state of Louisiana. He had been part
of this unit for only a week when Confederate president Jefferson Davis made him a
brigadier general in the Confederate army
and put him in charge of taking Fort Sumter.
Beauregard’s success in this endeavor made
him a hero to the Confederacy. His reputation was further enhanced when he commanded thirty-five thousand men in the first
Confederate victory of the war, at the First
Battle of Bull Run in July 1861.
As a reward, Beauregard was promoted
to full general, a position that intensified
an arrogance he already possessed. He
quarreled with other generals over battle
tactics and grew angry when President
Davis refused to implement his suggestions, which included crossing the Potomac River to launch an attack on Washington, D.C. By all accounts, however,
Beauregard’s battle plans were inferior to
those of other commanders; his strength
was his ability to make split-second decisions on the battlefield. Nonetheless, he