The CSA was split in two. (Second Battle of Galveston) - January 1 - Texas - Confederate victory. The United States Civil War, fought between 1861 and 1865, featured many major and minor engagements, and military actions. On the morning of April 9th, after a failed last-ditch attack to try to break through the Union line, Lee realized he was extraordinarily outmanned and simply couldn’t continue the fighting. Much like Grant’s Overland Campaign against Lee, Sherman’s forces encountered heavy losses against Confederate generals Joseph Johnston and John Bell Hood.
Learn more about the battles that helped to create and define our nation. After the stalemates and heavy losses of men during Grant’s Overland Campaign, Lincoln badly needed a clear Union victory. Combined with the victory at Gettysburg, things were looking up for the United States of America. The Civil War was a mass concentration of varying gun types, both long and short, which led to an equally varied group of bullets being used. Confederate Civil War Casualties.
The fate of the fledgling nation — geographically, culturally, existentially — hung in the balance between the years 1861 and 1865.Despite its significance, the average American doesn’t possess a very expansive understanding of the conflict. He didn’t send in all his troops and over the course of a single day, the two sides fought to an intensely violent and bloody stalemate. The Confederacy had strung together a number of momentum-building victories and support for Lincoln was flagging.
After traveling east to Washington, Grant took charge of the maligned Army of the Potomac and immediately took the offensive. His reputation suffered, unfairly, and he would have to work hard to win it back (which he, of course, ultimately did).
This meant that everyone, on both sides, was very inexperienced. The Civil War consisted of 50 major battles and 5,000 minor battles.
These battles were fought using a variety of strategies with varying degrees of success.. Finally though, in late June and early July, supplies, food, and morale were running low and on July 4 (again!) Before marching ahead with his 40,000 troops, Grant was waiting for reinforcements (another 15,000 soldiers) which he thought would overwhelm confederate general Albert Johnston’s 44,000 troops. He also had the Emancipation Proclamation waiting in the wings, but needed to release it at the right time; to do so when the Confederates had the lead would read as a desperate last move. He knew the North had more men and greater resources; however cold the reality of the situation was, he was willing to sacrifice men in order to win. His aim was the capture of the Confederate seat of power, and he wasn’t going home until it happened. Civil War Casualties: The Bloodiest Battles. What happened instead was chaos.
Union forces retreated a couple miles and suffered heavy losses, but the lines didn’t break entirely — a credit to Grant’s leadership. The U.S. standing military was virtually non-existent at this point; state militias were the rule and volunteers had to be rounded up from the individual states.
But as his provisions ran low, the Union had two options, as most of Lincoln’s advisors saw it.
The campaign would end at Petersburg, south of Richmond, which was a strategic supply point for the capital and the Confederate army. There was a lot at stake for the North going into the fall of 1862. She fought the CSS Virginia at the momentous Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862.). Or, it could resupply the fort with provisions and arms and use it as a launching point for an offensive action. Just across the border was the town of Corinth, which was a major rail and supply center.
On the night of September 1st, after Sherman had cut off Hood’s supply lines, the Confederate general decided to abandon Atlanta, setting fire to military supplies and installations as he left.On September 2nd, Union forces marched in, the mayor surrendered, and Sherman sent Lincoln a now-famous telegram: “Atlanta is ours, and fairly won.” With those six words, Lincoln’s 1864 election victory was secured; combined with Lee’s inability to fend off Grant in the same time period, the taking of Atlanta spelled doom for the Confederacy. If you have suggestions to add to the list, please send them to us. He was forced to keep waiting and waiting and waiting .