Battles of Civil War
The First Major Land Battle of the Civil War:
Turning Point Battles of the War:
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The First Major Land Battle of the Civil War:
- The First Battle of Manassas or First Battle of Bull Run
- The first major land battle of the Civil War was fought July 21, 1861 in Price William County Virginia, near the town of Manassas.
- The Confederates called it Manassas and the Union called it Bull Run.
- Each side has approximately 18,000 troops .
- It was a decisive Confederate victory which caught the Union by surprise and suggested it would not be a quick war.
- Citizens and spectators watched the battle from a distance like a sporting event, and soon realized how bloody and costly the war would be.
Turning Point Battles of the War:
- Together the Union capture of Vicksburg and the victory in the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863) is the most widely accepted turning point of the Civil War.
- On July 3rd 1863, Major General George Mead, decisively defeated Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
- Gettysburg was the first time the Army of Northern Virginia was defeated, it repelled Lee's second invasion of the North
- The Army of Northern Virginia suffered serious casualties during the battle of Gettysburg and would have been destroyed had General Mead pressed the fight
- On July 4th 1863 the most important confederate stronghold, Vicksburg in Mississippi, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant
- The Confederate defeat at Vicksburg split the Confederacy denying its control of the Mississippi River and cut off its supply line from Texas and Arkansas
- 30,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered at Vicksburg; this was a significant loss for the Confederacy who was already outnumbered 3 to 1 by Union forces
- The last major battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Appomattox Court House where Robert E. Lee's forces surrendered.
- Although, the last official battle, was the Battle of Palmito Ranch in Texas.
MH