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Constructed Response Question:
What were key turning points in the
fighting of the Civil War?
Battles of the Civil War
Outcome: A bloody, four-year
campaign
1. Setting the Stage
Upon Lincoln being elected as President, Southern states began quickly seceding
from the ___________. While slavery was at the heart of the conflict, along with
other _____________ and _____________ issues, it was the South’s
________________________ that was the key factor.
Fort Sumter
i. Confederate forces claimed that if the Union brought any troops to
_____________, off the coast of South Carolina, they would retaliate
ii. Lincoln opted to send a supply ship to _______________ Union forces in
the fort, along with troops
iii. __________________________ fired the first shot upon the fort in the early
morning of April 12, 1861
 The only casualty in the bombardment of Fort Sumter was a Union
horse
First Battle of Bull Run
i. Also known as the __________________________________
ii. Located approximately _______ miles south of Washington, local
townspeople watched the battle from nearby with picnic lunches, thinking
the “war” would be over in short order
iii. During the battle, Confederate General Jackson earned the nickname
______________ for his refusal to give up his position on the battlefield
iv. Result: ___________________ victory
Confederate Morale
i. Following the victory at Bull Run, Confederate forces began to believe they
could win the war. Over time, however, the South could not meet the
_____________ of war resources.
2. Battle of Shiloh
a) Shiloh was fought over two days in April 1862 in Tennessee
b) On Day 2 of the battle, in a deeply wooded area, one soldier described the
environment as a large _____________________ (due to the sound of
rounds buzzing around his head)
c) Result: _______________victory and momentum shift for the Union forces
3. Battle of Antietam
a) Fought on September 17, 1862 near Antietam __________ in Sharpsburg,
Maryland
b) The bloodiest _____________ battle in American history, with over 26,000
estimated combined casualties
c) Result: ______________victory; decisive victory allows President Lincoln
to issue the Emancipation Proclamation
d) Emancipation Proclamation: presidential ________________ and
_________________ order issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863
e) Ordered a change of status for more than 3 million enslaved in the South
from slave to free
4. Battle of Vicksburg
a) Fought over _________ months from May 1863 until July 1863
b) The Mississippi River was arguably the most important economic
____________ of the United States at the time
c) General Grant ordered the Union forces to lay ___________ to the city of
Vicksburg, and in doing so, tunnel down and around the Confederate forces
to reach the city
d) Result: _____________victory; key turning point in the war as it split the
Confederacy in two
5. Battle of Gettysburg
a) Occurred over __________days in July 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
b) Lots of stone, hills and _______________ in and around the town
c) Little Round Top: Union soldiers, under command of Joshua L.
Chamberlain of Maine, successfully ___________________ the hill despite
being outnumbered
d) ________________Charge: all out frontal assault on Union stronghold on
Day 3 of the battle
e) Result: _____________ victory; key turning point in the Civil War as
General Lee would retreat and never again invade the North
Result: The hard-fought, major battles of the Civil War, in which tens of thousands
of soldiers were killed or wounded, eventually led to a __________________
surrender. More than 23% of all Union soldiers who fought in the war were killed,
while more than 24% of all Confederate soldiers were killed.
Constructed Response:
What were key turning points in the fighting of the Civil War?