On April 12th, 1861, the Confederate states ultimately began the Civil War when they fired upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina. This battle began when United States Major Robert Anderson and his eighty-five men made the move from Fort …show more content…
Then on July 21st, 1861, the Battle of Bull Run occurred, which was the first major land battle of the Civil War. The goal of this battle, fought in Virginia, was ultimately to open a way to Richmond and end the war. In the end, Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army was victorious; less than one thousand men were killed, wounded, missing, or captured than Irvin McDowell’s Union men. Within the next year, there were six more battles; three Confederate victories, two Union victories, and one draw at the Battle of Hampton Roads. This battle revolutionized naval warfare. Within the year included the Battle of Shiloh. This two-day war was important for the fact that this was the first war with a truly large amount of casualties, totaling around 25,000 …show more content…
After General Lee’s successful outcomes at the Battle of Fredericksburg and Battle of Chancellorsville, he believed that he could invade again and still be successful. The Confederate Army marched into Pennsylvania and Maryland, and General George Gordon Meade’s Union Army met them in a town called Gettysburg. After battling for two days, on July 3rd, the battle turned and became desperate; the Confederate Army turned back for Virginia. At this point, the war would never be the same. The Confederate Army knew that they would never get another chance at defeating the North for good. With 51,000 casualties, this was one of the worst battles of the Civil War. A day after this battle was the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi by Robert E. Lee. This gave the the North complete control of the Mississippi River, which was a vital