The text of this guide to the major battles of America’s Civil War (equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 30 pages) was prepared by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, which sponsors the American Battlefield Protection Program. Learn about 23 major battles of the Civil War: Antietam, First Bull Run (First Manassas), Second Bull Run (Second Manassas), Chancellorsville, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Cold Harbor, Fair Oaks (Seven Pines), Fort Donelson, Fort Henry, Franklin, Fredericksburg (Marye’s Heights), Gettysburg, Kennesaw Mountain, Mobile Bay, Nashville, Perryville, Petersburg, Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing), Spotsylvania Court House, Stones River (Murfreesboro), Vicksburg, and Wilderness. Also includes an introductory article—by historian Edward Eggleston—that briefly describes the causes, campaigns, military leaders, and results of the war.
Sample passage:
FREDERICKSBURG
Other Name: Marye’s Heights
Location: Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, Virginia
Dates: December 11–15, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (North); Gen. Robert E. Lee (South)
Estimated Casualties: 17,929 total (North 13,353; South 4,576)
Description: On November 14, Burnside, now in command of the Army of the Potomac, sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg. The rest of the army soon followed. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind the town. On December 11, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock under fire. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over, and on December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. Meade’s division, on the Union left flank, briefly penetrated Jackson’s line but was driven back by a counterattack. Union generals C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and Confederate generals Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign. Burnside initiated a new offensive in January 1863, which quickly bogged down in the winter mud. The abortive “Mud March” and other failures led to Burnside’s replacement by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in January 1863.
Result: Confederate victory
Sample passage:
FREDERICKSBURG
Other Name: Marye’s Heights
Location: Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, Virginia
Dates: December 11–15, 1862
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (North); Gen. Robert E. Lee (South)
Estimated Casualties: 17,929 total (North 13,353; South 4,576)
Description: On November 14, Burnside, now in command of the Army of the Potomac, sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg. The rest of the army soon followed. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind the town. On December 11, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock under fire. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over, and on December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. Meade’s division, on the Union left flank, briefly penetrated Jackson’s line but was driven back by a counterattack. Union generals C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and Confederate generals Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign. Burnside initiated a new offensive in January 1863, which quickly bogged down in the winter mud. The abortive “Mud March” and other failures led to Burnside’s replacement by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in January 1863.
Result: Confederate victory
