1861–1865 - Civil War

The Second Battle of Auburn was fought on October 14, 1863, after Union forces encountered Confederate troops near Auburn. Confederate reinforcements saved General J.E.B. Stuart’s command from capture, while Union forces protected their wagon train and reached Catlett’s Station safely. The battle ended in a strategic draw and led to the Battle of Bristoe Station later that afternoon.

The Battle of Averasboro was fought on March 16, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign, as Confederate General William J. Hardee tried to delay the left wing of Union General William T. Sherman’s army. Although the battle ended without a clear winner, Hardee slowed General Henry W. Slocum’s advance by nearly two days. The delay gave General Joseph E. Johnston time to gather Confederate troops for the Battle of Bentonville.

Joseph Bailey served in the Union Army throughout the American Civil War. He is most remembered for planning and supervising the construction of Bailey's Bridge during the Red River Campaign in 1864.

Nathaniel Prentice Banks was one of President Abraham Lincoln's political Generals during the Civil War. He was also a ten-time member of the United States House of Representatives and served as Governor of Massachusetts.

Clara Barton was an acclaimed humanitarian who is popularly known as the Angel of the Battlefield. She was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, serving from 1881 to 1904.

The Battle of Bean’s Station was fought on December 14, 1863, during the Knoxville Campaign. Confederate General James Longstreet attacked Union cavalry under General J.M. Shackelford and forced the Federals to retreat. The Confederate victory produced few lasting military gains and was the final major engagement of Longstreet’s Knoxville Campaign.

APUSH Definition — PGT Beauregard (1818–1893) was an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He served with distinction throughout the war and is most well-known for commanding Confederate forces that bombarded Fort Sumter in April 1861 during the first battle of the war.

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was an American military leader. As a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, Beauregard served in the eastern and western theaters and was the victorious field commander at the First Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861.

The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek was fought on June 26, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign and resulted in a tactical Union victory. Confederate General Robert E. Lee attempted to overwhelm Fitz John Porter’s isolated 5th Corps, but delays and poor coordination allowed Union forces to repulse repeated Confederate attacks. Despite the victory, George B. McClellan ordered Porter to withdraw and shifted his supply line to the James River, giving Lee an important strategic advantage. It was also part of the Seven Days Battles.

James Beckwourth (c.1798–1866) was a famous Mountain Man — trapper, frontiersman, and guide — who is most well-known for being a successful black man in the first half of the 19th century and his reputation for exaggerating stories about his life.

The Confederate Surrender at Bennett Place was negotiated by General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston near Durham Station, North Carolina, in April 1865. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Confederate soldiers, making it the largest surrender by either side during the Civil War. The agreement ended hostilities in the East, although several Confederate forces remained in the field.

William Bent was a fur trader, merchant, and frontiersman who rose to prominence during the Fur Trade Era. He is most well-known for building Bent’s Fort and his close ties to the Cheyenne.

The Battle of Bentonville was fought from March 19 through March 21, 1865, during General William T. Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign. General Joseph E. Johnston attacked General Henry W. Slocum’s left wing before Sherman could unite with General John M. Schofield at Goldsboro. The battle ended in a Union victory and became the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina. It was also the last major Confederate offensive of the Civil War.

The Bermuda Hundred Campaign was a failed Union offensive into Virginia in May 1864. General Benjamin Butler and the Army of the James tried to threaten Richmond and cut the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, but Confederate forces under General P. G. T. Beauregard stopped the advance. After fighting at Port Walthall Junction, Swift Creek, Chester Station, Proctor’s Creek, and Ware Bottom Church, Confederate defenses trapped Butler’s army on the Bermuda Hundred peninsula.

Big Bethel Battle facts, including dates, location, casualties, leaders, who won, and more interesting facts you might not know.

Considered by many historians to be the first major land engagement of the American Civil War, the Battle of Big Bethel was fought on June 10, 1861 at the southern end of the Virginia Peninsula.

The Battle of Big Black River Bridge was fought on May 17, 1863, during the Vicksburg Campaign. Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant defeated General John C. Pemberton’s Confederate forces after driving them from their defenses along the Big Black River. The victory allowed Grant to advance toward Vicksburg, where he surrounded the city and forced Pemberton to surrender on July 4, 1863.

John Armor Bingham was an influential congressman from Ohio (1865–1873). He is most famous for drafting the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. He also served as Minister to Japan (1873–1885).

Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states in the aftermath of the Civil War that imposed strict regulations on the behavior and activities of African Americans. These codes often restricted the rights and freedoms of African Americans, including their ability to vote, own property, and enter into contracts.