Download KEY BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR

KEY BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR
Directions: As you read about each battle, record the location of the battle, the victor (who won) and answer the focus
question that follows each reading. When listing key people, write their last name, followed by a U or C, depending on the
side they fought for, ex. Ayres (U). The focus question MUST be answered in complete sentences.
Battle
Fort Sumter
Bull Run
Virginia vs. Monitor
p. 492, Naval Action
Antietam
Location
Key People
Winner
Focus Question Answer
Battle
Location
Key People
Winner
Focus Question Answer
Fredericksburg
Vicksburg
Gettysburg
Homework!!!
Directions: To show your understanding of the significance of the major battles of the Civil War, use information from
your notes to create six headlines of newspaper articles (one for each battle researched). Your headlines can be no longer
then eight words in length and need to summarize the significance of each battle. (DO NOT DO FT SUMTER!!)
1. _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter, a federal fort located in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, refused to surrender
to the Confederates. Sixty-eight soldiers under the command of Major Anderson had been in the
fort from December 26th, without supply. When Lincoln made the decision to resupply the Fort,
the Confederacy decided to assault. In the middle of the night April 11, 1861, Major Anderson
was given an ultimatum; either surrender by 4 A.M. or the Confederate cannons would open fire.
At 4:30 A.M. on the 12th, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard gave the order to open fire.
The next afternoon Major Anderson surrendered. The Civil War had begun.
Why does it make sense that Fort Sumter was the first fort attacked by the Confederacy?
Battle of Bull Run
To take Richmond, the Confederate capital, the Union army would first have to defeat the
Confederate troops stationed at the town of Manassas, Virginia.
On July 21, 1861, Union forces commanded by General Irvin McDowell fought with Confederate
forces headed by General Pierre Beauregard near a little creek called Bull Run north of Manassas.
In the North, this battle came to be known as the First Battle of Bull Run.
At one point in the battle, a Confederate officer rallied his troops by pointing his sword toward
Southern General Thomas J. Jackson. The officer cried, “There is Jackson standing like a stone
wall! Rally behind the Virginians!” From this incident, Jackson won the nickname “Stonewall”
Jackson. His men held fast against the Union assault.
As fresh troops arrived, the Confederates equaled the Union forces in number and launched a
countercharge. Attacking the Union line, they let out a blood-curdling scream. This scream, later
called the “rebel yell,” caused the Union troops to panic and run away.
The Confederate victory in the First Battle of Bull Run thrilled the South and shocked the North.
Many in the South thought the war was won. The North realized it had underestimated its
opponent. Lincoln sent the 90-day militias home and called for a real army of 500,000 volunteers
for three years.
Why does it make sense that people in the South were thrilled by the Battle of Bull Run and
people in the North were shocked?
Battle of Antietam
General Robert E. Lee led his army into Maryland, a Union State in a gamble to win the war. This
was the first time Lee had attacked a Union state. A Confederate officer accidentally left a copy
of Lee’s battle plans wrapped around three cigars at a campsite. When Union troops stopped to
rest at the abandoned campsite, a Union soldier stumbled on the plans. The captured plans gave
Union General George McClellan a chance to stop Lee and his army. The Union army massed
against Lee outside a little town in Maryland, called Sharpsburg, near the Antietam Creek on
September 17, 1862. In a day long battle, 23,582 Americans died, becoming the single bloodiest
day in U.S. history. Both sides lost an equal number of men. The Confederate force, which was
smaller however, was forced to withdraw. In the aftermath of the battle – considered to be a
Union victory, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation and also began to allow African
American soldiers to fight for the Union.
Why does it make sense that Battle of Antietam was very important?
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 11-15, 1862 –– Over 120,000 Union troops under General Ambrose E. Burnside were
met at Fredericksburg, Virginia by an entrenched Confederate force of 78,000 under Robert E.
Lee. The Union attack failed, resulting in more than 12,500 casualties compared to 5,000 for the
Confederates. This battle is remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the war. Lincoln
was furious after the battle and fired Burnside from his command. The victory restored
Confederate morale lost after the defeat in the Battle of Antietam. Just the opposite happened
in the Union. This was one of the lowest points of the war for the Union.
Why does it make sense that the Battle of Fredericksburg was one of the lowest points of the
war for the Union?
Battle of Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last major Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River.
General Ulysses S. Grant had began his attack on Vicksburg in May 1863. But when his direct
attacks failed, he settled in for a long siege. Grant’s troops surrounded the city and prevented
the delivery of food and supplies. Eventually, the Confederates ran out of food. In desperation,
they ate mules, dogs, and even rats. Finally, after nearly a month and a half, they surrendered.
The Union victory fulfilled a major part of the Anaconda Plan. The North had taken New Orleans
the previous spring. Now, with complete control over the Mississippi River, the South was split in
two.
Why does it make sense that the Union plan for victory was called the Anaconda Plan?
Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederates learned of a supply of shoes in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and went
to investigate. There, on July 1, 1863, they ran into Union troops. Both sides called for
reinforcements, and the Battle of Gettysburg was on.
The fighting raged for three days. On the rocky hills and fields around Gettysburg, 90,000 Union
troops, under the command of General George Meade, clashed with 75,000 Confederates.
During the struggle, Union forces tried to hold their ground on Cemetery Ridge, just south of
town, while rebel soldiers tried to dislodge them.
The turning point came on July 3, when Lee ordered General George Pickett to mount a direct
attack on the middle of the Union line. It was a deadly mistake. Some 13,000 rebel troops
charged up the ridge into heavy Union fire. Pickett’s Charge, as this attack came to be known, was
torn to pieces. The Confederates retreated and waited for a Union counterattack. But once again,
Lincoln’s generals failed to finish off Lee’s army. The furious Lincoln wondered when he would
find a general who would defeat Lee once and for all.
Even so, the Union rejoiced over the victory at Gettysburg. Lee’s hopes for a Confederate victory
in the North were crushed. The North had lost 23,000 men, but Southern losses were even
greater. Over one-third of Lee’s army, 28,000 men, lay dead or wounded. Sick at heart, Lee led
his army back to Virginia. Many consider this battle to be the turning point of the war. Lee would
never invade Northern territory again.
Why does it make sense that Confederate General Lee would never invade Union territory again?
This will be collected!
Name_______________
Date___________
Mod______
Directions: Using the Civil War maps on pgs. 64-67 of the atlas, answer the questions below.
Questions 5 and 6 are critical thinking questions; think about the strengths and weaknesses of
each side when answering those questions.
1. At the start of the war in 1861, which side won most of the battles?
2. In the second year of the war, which side started to win more battles?
3. During the last two years of the war, which side won nearly all of the battles?
4. In which part of America did most of the battles take place?
5. Why do you think the Confederacy was able to win many battles at the start of the war?
6. Why do you think the North was able to win many battles after the first year of the war?
This will be collected!
Name_______________
Date___________
Mod______
Directions: Using the Civil War maps on pgs. 64-67 of the atlas, answer the questions below.
Questions 5 and 6 are critical thinking questions; think about the strengths and weaknesses of
each side when answering those questions.
1. At the start of the war in 1861, which side won most of the battles?
2. In the second year of the war, which side started to win more battles?
3. During the last two years of the war, which side won nearly all of the battles?
4. In which part of America did most of the battles take place?
5. Why do you think the Confederacy was able to win many battles at the start of the war?
6. Why do you think the North was able to win many battles after the first year of the war?