Conflict Chronicles Anchor Chart
Conflict Chronicles
Major Battles & Military Turning Points of the American Civil War
April 1861
Fort Sumter
The spark that ignited the war. Confederate forces attacked the federal fort in South Carolina. No lives were lost in the battle, but the war had begun.
"The flag of the United States was hauled down... the nation was at war with itself."
Strategic Shift
This Union "victory" paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation, changing the war's purpose to ending slavery.
Sept 1862
Antietam
The bloodiest single day in American history. Over 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing in just 12 hours of fighting.
The Turning Point Year
1863: The Tide Turns
July 1-3, 1863
Gettysburg
Lee's second invasion of the North was halted in Pennsylvania. This 3-day battle was the "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy.
July 4, 1863
Vicksburg
Grant captures the stronghold on the Mississippi River. The South is split in two, losing its vital supply line to the West.
Nov-Dec 1864
March to the Sea
General Sherman leads a path of destruction through Georgia. By targeting infrastructure, he breaks the Southern economic back.
Concept: Total War
War that is not limited to military targets, but also includes civilians and economic resources.
Victory & Union
Lee's surrender effectively ended the organized resistance of the Confederacy. The Union was saved.
April 9, 1865
Appomattox
The Final Act: General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at the Wilmer McLean house in Virginia.
Wartime Grand Strategies
The Anaconda Plan (Union)
A three-part strategy to "strangle" the South: 1) Blockade Southern ports, 2) Control the Mississippi River, 3) Capture the Confederate capital at Richmond.
War of Attrition (Confederacy)
A defensive strategy aimed at making the war so costly in terms of lives and money that the North would lose its will to continue fighting and sue for peace.
