The American Civil War was a pivotal event in United States history that lasted from 1861 to 1865. It was fought primarily between the Confederate states in the North and the Confederates primarily in the South This war had far-reaching consequences, including ending slavery in America and reunifying the country. This table presents some of the major battles and turning points of the American Civil War, as well as the major events that followed its conclusion and helped shape the course of American history
Sr. No. | Major Battles | Year | Turning Points |
1 | Battle of Fort Sumter | 1861 | Beginning of the Civil War |
2 | First Battle of Bull Run | 1861 | Realization of the long and bloody war |
3 | Battle of Shiloh | 1862 | Union control of the Mississippi River |
4 | Battle of Antietam | 1862 | Britain and France decide not to intervene |
5 | Battle of Fredericksburg | 1862 | Costly Confederate victory |
6 | Battle of Chancellorsville | 1863 | Stonewall Jackson killed in friendly fire |
7 | Battle of Gettysburg | 1863 | Vicksburg Surrenders to Union Forces |
8 | Siege of Vicksburg | 1863 | Union gains control of the Mississippi River |
9 | Battle of Chickamauga | 1863 | Union Victory at the Battle of Shiloh |
10 | Battle of Chattanooga | 1863 | Union control of Tennessee |
11 | Battle of the Wilderness | 1864 | Grant becomes General-in-Chief |
12 | Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse | 1864 | Bloody and inconclusive battle |
13 | Battle of Cold Harbor | 1864 | Confederate Victory and Heavy Union Losses |
14 | Battle of Petersburg | 1864 | Long and costly siege of Confederate capital |
15 | Battle of Atlanta | 1864 | Union Victory and boost to Lincoln’s re-election chances |
16 | Battle of Mobile Bay | 1864 | Union Victory and control of Gulf of Mexico |
17 | Battle of Franklin | 1864 | Decisive Union victory and heavy losses for Confederacy |
18 | Battle of Nashville | 1864 | Union Victory and end of Confederate threat in Tennessee |
19 | Battle of Five Forks | 1865 | Union Victory and beginning of the end for Confederacy |
20 | Battle of Appomattox Courthouse | 1865 | Lee surrenders, effectively ending the Civil War |
21 | Emancipation Proclamation | 1863 | Changed the war’s focus from preserving the Union to ending slavery |
22 | Gettysburg Address | 1863 | Lincoln’s speech redefined the war’s purpose and meaning |
23 | Sherman’s March to the Sea | 1864 | Devastated the South and weakened Confederate morale |
24 | Election of 1864 | 1864 | Lincoln’s re-election ensured continuation of the war effort |
25 | Assassination of Lincoln | 1865 | Shocked the nation and changed the course of Reconstruction |
26 | Reconstruction Acts | 1867 | Laid the groundwork for rebuilding the South and granting civil rights to African Americans |
27 | 13th Amendment | 1865 | Abolished slavery throughout the United States |
28 | 14th Amendment | 1868 | Defined citizenship and guaranteed equal protection under the law |
29 | 15th Amendment | 1870 | Prohibited denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude |
30 | End of Reconstruction | 1877 | Withdrawal of federal troops from the South led to the rollback of civil rights progress |