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Patent registered for the Gattling Gun
Siege of Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The battle that started the American Civil War. The Federal fort in Charleston Harbour was bombarded into surrender by the Confederates.
Battle of Philippi: A Union army surprises the Confederate troops who had been blocking the railroad and force them into a rapid retreat.
Battle of Big Bethal, Virginia, defeat of a Federal attack on the fort at Big Bethal in Virginia.
Battle of Rich Mountain: The Confederate army at Beverly is outflanked and forced into another retreat.
Skirmish at Corrick's Ford: Action during the pursuit of the army defeated at Rich Mountain, in which the Confederate commander General Garnett becomes the first civil war general to be killed in action.
First Battle of Bull Run/ Manassas, Virginia. Confederate victory over a Union army invading Virginia. Bull Run ensured that the Confederacy would survive past its first few months but also increased determination to fight on in the North.
Battle of Wilson’s Creek - an early Union defeat in Missouri that saw the death of Nathaniel Lyon, the Union commander in the state.
28-29 August 1861,
Battle of Hatteras, North Carolina. The first of a series of battles that saw the Confederates loose control of most of the North Carolina coastline.
Confederate attack on the Union position at Gauley Bridge repulsed with some ease
Battle of Cheat Mountain: Robert E. Lee's first battlefield command, and a Confederate defeat caused in part by the over-complexity of his plan (to 15 September)
Battle of Carnifex Ferry: Confederate forces in the south of West Virginia defeated by General Rosecrans
Battle of Cheat Mountain ends.
Union forces capture Ship Island a useful base on the Gulf Coast
Battle of Ball’s Bluff, Virginia, defeat of a Union attempt to capture Leesbury (Virginia), forty miles up-river from Washington.
Battle of Belmont, Missouri. An early battle in the career of U.S. Grant. An attempt to create a diversion in the Mississippi campaign, most significant for the battlefield experience it gave Grant.
The Battle of Port Royal was a major Union victory early in the American Civil War that demonstrated how difficult it would be for the Confederacy to defend its coastline
Siege of Fort Henry: Union capture of a poorly designed Confederate fort on the Tennessee River.
Battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Federal seizure of Roanoke Island gave them control over Albemarle Sound, North Carolina.
10 February 1862:
Battle of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Naval battle that saw the destruction of a small Confederate fleet on the North Carolina coast.
Siege of Fort Donelson: Union capture of a second fort, this time guarding the Cumberland River.
The Battle of Pea Ridge, or Elkhorn Tavern was the biggest battle fought west of the Mississippi during the American Civil War.
Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia. The first battle between two ironclad warships. Ending in a draw, the battle preserved Union control of the James River.
Battle of New Madrid, part of the Union advance down the Mississippi that slowly split the Confederacy in half
14 March 1862:
Battle of New Berne, North Carolina. Second Union success during the Burnside expedition on the North Carolina coast. New Berne remained in Union hands for the rest of the war
First Battle of Kernstown, Stonewall Jackson's only defeat in the Shenandoah in 1862
29 March-26 April 1862:
Siege of Fort Macon, North Carolina. Union capture of Fort Macon closes Beaufort, one of the last ports open to the Confederates on the North Carolina coastline.
The Battle of Island No. 10 was a Union victory that further reduced Confederate control of the Mississippi river
Siege of Fort Pulaski: The Union capture of Fort Pulaski virtually closes the port of Savannah to Confederate blockade runners.
Capture of New Orleans, a Union fleet captured the largest city in the Confederacy
Battle of McDowell. Stonewall Jackson defeats a small detachment of General Fremont's army in the mountains west of the Shenandoah Valley.
Battle of Fort Pillow. Minor Confederate victory on the Mississippi when their gunboat fleet surprises the Union fleet attacking Fort Pillow.
Battle of Front Royal. Stonewall Jackson overwhelms a small Union outpost at Front Royal.
First Battle of Winchester. Stonewall Jackson forces Banks's Union army out of the Shenandoah Valley.
Battle of Fair Oaks/ Seven Pines, Virginia: Confederate attack on the Union army outside Richmond, notable mainly for the wounding of the Confederate commander Joe Johnston, allowing Robert E. Lee to be promoted to command the armies around Richmond.
Naval battle of Memphis. A Union fleet defeats the Confederate defenders of the city on the Mississippi and seizes control of Memphis
Battle of Cross Keys. Stonewall Jackson turns to attack Fremont's forces chasing him down the valley.
Battle of Port Republic. Jackson attacks the second force chasing him down the Shenandoah Valley, forcing it to pull back.
Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia. Final Confederate attack of the Seven Days’ Battle, and another Confederate defeat. Despite this, McClellan continued to retreat.
Battle of Baton Rouge Failed Confederate attempt to recapture Baton Rouge, defeated in part by Union gunboats on the river.
Battle of Cedar Mountain, Virginia. A rare Confederate victory from a position of strength. Stonewall Jackson commanded twice the troops of his Union opponent, who still launched an attack which was initially successful but eventually defeated. Cedar Mountain confirmed that the main battle front had moved away from McClellan in the peninsular and back into the area between Richmond and Washington.
Second Battle of Bull Run/ Manassas, Virginia. Another Confederate victory on the same ground, against a much larger, but very badly handled Union army. The Confederate victory moved the scene of the fighting from the vicinity of Richmond to that of Washington and was a massive boost to the Confederate cause
Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. Confederate victory over a small Union army, most of which was captured.
Battle of Chantilly, Virginia. Aftermath of Second Bull Run. Lee drove the Union army back to Washington.
Confederate capture of Munfordville, Kentucky during their invasion of Kentucky
Battle of Crampton’s Gap, Maryland. Sluggish Union victory in the campaign that led to Antietam.
The Battle of South Mountain was a delaying action that helped Robert E. Lee unite his army to fight at Antietam
The Siege of Lexington, (to 20 September 1862), was the high point of Confederate success in Missouri.
Battle of Iuka. Confederate forces attempting to invade western Tennessee avoid capture in a Union trap
Battle of Newtonia, a minor battle in southern Missouri during the American Civil War
Battle of Corinth. Confederate forces fail to capture Corinth, a key base in western Mississippi, while attempting to invade Tennessee
Skirmish at Hatchie Bridge. Confederate forces defeated at Corinth narrowly avoid being cut off during their retreat.
Battle of Perryville, Kentucky. Botched battle in which half of a Union army fought a Confederate army that thought most of the Union army was elsewhere. The Confederates withdrew when it became clear that they were outnumbered three to one.
The Battle of Old Fort Wayne, saw the defeat of a pro-Confederate Native American army.
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a minor Federal victory in north western Arkansas that effectively ended a period of campaigning in that part of the state
Battle of Arkansas Post, Arkansas. Federal combined operation against a Confederate position on the Arkansas river that succeeded but at too high a cost for General Grant, who ordered a withdrawal.
Grierson's Raid, (to 2 May 1863), was probably the most effective cavalry raid of the entire American Civil War.
Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi, Part of Grant’s Vicksburg campaign in which a small Confederate army of 6,000 was defeated by 23,000 Union soldiers.
End of Grierson's Raid
Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, a Confederate victory that ended a Union offensive and opened the chance of a Confederate invasion of the north.
Start of the Big Black River campaign, aimed at the capture of Vicksburg, the key to the Mississippi.
Battle of Raymond, Mississippi, First battle during the Big Black River campaign
Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, Second victory for Grant during his Vicksburg campaign.
Battle of Champion’s Hill, Mississippi, Union victory in Grant’s Vicksburg campaign that defeated General Pemberton’s mobile army defending Vicksburg.
Battle of Big Black River, Mississippi, Second defeat inflicted on the remnants of Pemberton’s army.
First Union attack on Vicksburg defeated, marking the start of the siege (to 4 July)
Battle of Milliken’s Bend, a failed Confederate attempt to relieve the siege of Vicksburg
Battle of Brandy Station. Largest cavalry battle of the war. A confederate victory in which a large Union cavalry force, sent on to find General Lee, was repulsed after some initial success.
Second battle of Winchester, an early battle in the Gettysburg campaign.
Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Defeat of General Lee’s invasion of the North. The confederate army suffered severe casualties, and was never as effective again. Over a third of Lee’s army became casualties.
The Battle of Helena, Arkansas, 4 July 1863, was an unsuccessful Confederate counterattack aimed at relieving the pressure on Vicksburg
The Battle of Fort Wagner, , was a failed Union attack on the defences of Charleston, famous for being the first serious action of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment
Battle of Bayou Forche: Battle just outside Little Rock during the Union conquest of Arkansas that saw the Confederate defenders of the city forced to retreat south.
Surrender of Vicksburg. The garrison of 30,000 was released on parole, on the expectation that they would spread gloom around the Confederacy. General Grant was later to say that the surrender of Vicksburg was the decisive event of the war.
Battle of Bristoe Station, Confederate army under General Hill attacked one Union force, just to find itself under attack by a second.
The Battle of Pine Bluff was a minor cavalry battle in the aftermath of the Federal capture of Little Rock, Arkansas
Battle of Wauhatchie, the only Confederate attempt to break the newly established Cracker Line, getting supplies into Chattanooga.
The Action of the Rappahannock Redoubts, was a minor battle in the aftermath of Gettysburg
Battle of Campbell's Station, successful delaying action that allowed the Union forces under Burnside to get back inside the defences of Knoxville
Battle of Lookout Mountain, part of General Grant's plan for lifting the siege of Chattanooga
Battle of Missionary Ridge: General Grant drives the Confederate army away from Chattanooga.
Battle of Knoxville, unsuccessful Confederate attempt to recapture Knoxville, Tennessee.
Battle of Bean's Station, Tennessee, A minor Confederate victory that ended the serious fighting in the Knoxville campaign.
Sabine Crossroads, 8 April 1864, was the first of two battles that ended any chance of Union success in the Red River campaign
The Battle of Pleasant Hill was the second of two battles in two days that ended any chance of success for the Red River campaign
The Fort Pillow Massacre was a Confederate victory tainted by a massacre of black prisoners after the battle.
Battle of the Wilderness, the first battle during U.S. Grant's overland campaign against Richmond. The battle was a Confederate victory, but unlike earlier Union commanders Grant did not retreat, instead continuing with his advance.
Battle of Resaca, Georgia: Confederate victory during Sherman’s advance towards Atlanta. Sherman’s manoeuvres forced the Confederates to retreat anyway.
Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, Virginia. Battle that ended any chance of General Butler achieving the major breakthrough he had gained a chance to achieve after getting between Petersburg and Richmond.
Battle of North Anna River, Virginia. Something of a drawn battle in the Grant’s Richmond campaign. Neither Lee or Grant performed well in this battle.
Battle of New Hope Church, Georgia: A period of unproductive fighting during Sherman’s advance towards Atlanta.
Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia. The main assault comes on 3 June, when Grant fails to break Lee’s line yet again.
Battle of Piedmont, Virginia: Union victory over a Confederate force that had moved out of their defences to launch their own attack.
Battle of Brice’s Crossroad, Mississippi. Confederate victory in Mississippi in which a force of 8,000 Union soldiers sent to defeat Forest’s cavalry force found them, and was defeated by a force half their size.
Battle of Trevilian Junction, Virginia. Bloodiest cavalry battle of the war, between a raiding force under Sheridan and Wade Hampton’s confederate cavalry. Something of a draw, but the raid soon withdrew.
Battle of Petersburg, Virginia. Failed Union attack on Petersburg, one of the great missed chances of the war. After the battle, the Union settled down to a regular siege (to 3 April 1865)
Battles of Atlanta, Georgia. Second of two confederate attempts to defeat the Union army threatening Atlanta that resulted in heavy confederate casualties.
The Second Battle of Kernstown was a minor Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley
Battle of Ezra Church, Georgia. Union victory in the campaign that led to Sherman’s capture of Atlanta.
Battle of the Crater, Virginia. Incident during the siege of Petersburg. The Union exploded a giant mine under the Confederate lines, which caused massive disruption to the Confederates, but the Union follow up was botched, and the line was held.
Battle of Mobile Bay, Union victory that closed the port of Mobile to Confederate blockade runner
Battle of Jonesborough, Georgia, A failed Confederate attempt to defeat a Union army blocking railway access into Atlanta.
Capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Union victory that finally isolated Wilmington, the last southern port capable of helping Lee’s army.
Battle of Averasborough, North Carolina. Confederate delaying action whose main significance was that it told the Confederates that Shermans’ army was split into two wings, with a twelve mile gap.
Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina. Confederate attempt to defeat one wing of Sherman’s army before the other wing could come to its assistance. The attempt failed, and two days later Union reinforcements forced a Confederate retreat.
Battle of Fort Stedman. Confederate attack on Fort Stedman in the Richmond/ Petersburg line, repulsed after initial successes. Results in the weakening of the Confederate line to the point where Lee orders the evacuation of the line, and with it Richmond.
Battle of Five Forks, Virginia. A Confederate force guarding a key crossroads was overwhelmed by Sheridan’s cavalry. The defeat showed Grant that the Confederate army was starting to collapse.
Battle of Ulundi (South Africa), British victory ending 1879 Zulu War
Expiry of Transvaal ultimatum marks official start of the Second Anglo-Boer War.
Battle of Talana Hill, first battle of the Second Anglo-Boer War, and a British victory
Battle of Elandslaagte, a second victory in two days for the British in Natal.
Battle of Modderspruit or Rietfontein, inconclusive battle as the British pull back into Ladysmith
"Mournful Monday" sees two British defeats around Ladysmith - one at Nicholson's Nek and one at Lombard's Kop.
Start of the Siege of Ladysmith (to 27 February 1900)
Battle of Belmont, first fighting during Lord Methuen's attempt to relieve the siege of Kimberley and a minor British victory
Battle of Rooilaagte, second British victory in three days during the relief of Kimberley
Battle of Modder River, the first setback during the first attempt to relieve Kimberly. The British were pinned down all day but the Boers retreated overnight
Battle of Stormberg. The first British defeat during Black Week. A British army attempting a night march got lost and walking into an ambush.
Battle of Magersfontein. Boer victory that ended the first attempt to relieve the siege of Kimberley. The second British defeat during Black Week
Battle of Colenso. Boer victory that ended the first attempt to relieve the siege of Ladysmith. The third British defeat during Black Week.
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