Summaries

Sheridan’s Valley Campaign was a Union military operation fought from May through October 1864 as part of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Union General Philip Sheridan defeated General Jubal Early at Opequon, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek while destroying the valley’s agricultural resources. The Union victory, known as “The Burning,” ended the Shenandoah Valley’s role as a major source of food and supplies for the Confederacy and helped ensure President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election.

Also known as the Savannah Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, was a Union offensive in late 1864 that cut a swath of destruction across Georgia about 60 miles wide and 250 miles long, from Atlanta to Savannah.

The Battle of South Mountain was fought on September 14, 1862, during the Maryland Campaign, as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of Turner’s Gap, Fox’s Gap, and Crampton’s Gap. Union forces captured Crampton’s Gap and forced Robert E. Lee to withdraw from South Mountain, but George B. McClellan’s delay allowed Lee to reunite his divided army near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Three days later, the armies fought again at the Battle of Antietam.

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was fought between Union and Confederate forces from May 8 to May 21, 1864, during the Overland Campaign. The battle included intense fighting at Laurel Hill, the Po River, the Bloody Angle, and Harris Farm. Although neither side achieved a clear victory, Union forces continued advancing southeast after the battle instead of retreating.

Fought on June 25, 1864, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge, also known as the Battle of Blacks and Whites, was the first major engagement of the Wilson-Kautz Raid during the Petersburg Campaign in Virginia.

The Battle of Stones River, also known as the First Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, through January 2, 1863. Confederate forces initially drove the Union army backward, but Union reinforcements, stronger defensive positions, and artillery support stopped General Braxton Bragg’s attacks. Bragg withdrew to Tullahoma, leaving Murfreesboro to General William S. Rosecrans and giving the Union a much-needed victory.

The Battle of Swift Creek was fought on May 9, 1864, during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign. Although Union forces repelled a Confederate attack and damaged some railroad tracks, they failed to destroy the bridges across Swift Creek or cut traffic between Petersburg and Richmond.

Fought from August 18 - 21, 1864, the Battle of Globe Tavern was the first Union victory of the Petersburg Campaign.

The Battle of Tom’s Brook was fought on October 9, 1864, during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. Union cavalry divisions commanded by General Wesley Merritt and George A. Custer surprised and routed Confederate cavalry along Tom’s Brook. The rapid Confederate retreat became known as the “Woodstock Races” and weakened the morale and effectiveness of the Confederate cavalry for the rest of the campaign.

The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek was fought from May 29 to 30, 1864, during the Overland Campaign. Union forces crossed Totopotomoy Creek and attacked Confederate positions. Jubal Early counterattacked and drove back the left side of the Union forces. Although the battle ended inconclusively, the Confederates failed to stop Ulysses S. Grant from continuing his advance toward Richmond, Virginia.

The Battle of Trevilian Station was fought from June 11 to 12, 1864, during the Overland Campaign. Confederate cavalry under Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee defeated Philip Sheridan’s Union cavalry, which destroyed about six miles of the Virginia Central Railroad before withdrawing east.

The Tullahoma Campaign was a Union military campaign carried out in Middle Tennessee from June 24 to July 3, 1863. Union General William Rosecrans used the success of Colonel John Wilder’s “Lightning Brigade” at Hoover’s Gap to force General Braxton Bragg to retreat. The Union victory drove Confederate forces out of Middle Tennessee while inflicting relatively few casualties on Rosecrans’ forces.

The Battle of Upperville was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America on June 21, 1863. The outcome of the battle was inconclusive.

The Battle of Utoy Creek was fought from August 5 to 7, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign, when Union forces under General John M. Schofield attacked Confederate defenses under General John B. Hood. The Confederates stopped the Union forces from cutting a critical supply line into Atlanta. The outcome of the battle helped convince General William T. Sherman to abandon frontal attacks against the city’s Confederate defenders.

The Battle of Valcour Island was fought on October 11, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It was part of the Canada Campaign and ended in a British victory, but American forces led by Benedict Arnold prevented the British from launching an invasion of the Hudson River Valley.

The Virginia Gunpowder Incident took place from April 21, 1775, to May 4, 1775, during the American Revolutionary War. The affair started when the Governor of Virginia had gunpowder removed from the storehouse in Williamsburg. It set off a chain of events that included the Governor forming his own army, leading to the outbreak of hostilities in Virginia.

The Battle of Ware Bottom Church was fought on May 20, 1864, during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign. Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard attacked General Benjamin F. Butler’s Union line and forced it back toward Bermuda Hundred. The Confederate victory allowed Beauregard to build the Howlett Line, which trapped Butler’s army on the Bermuda Hundred peninsula.

The Battle of Wauhatchie was fought from October 28 to October 29, 1863, during the Chattanooga Campaign. Confederate forces launched a night attack against General John W. Geary’s isolated Union division near Wauhatchie Station, but Union reinforcements forced them to retreat. The Union victory protected the “Cracker Line,” which carried supplies to the Union army trapped in Chattanooga.

The Union victory at the Battle of Waynesboro, fought on March 2, 1865 in Augusta County, Virginia, ended any meaningful Confederate presence in the Shenandoah Valley for the remainder of the Civil War.

The West Virginia Campaign of 1861 was a struggle between Union and Confederate forces for control of the mountainous region of Western Virginia. The Union victory paved the way for West Virginia to separate from Virginia in 1863 and join the Union.