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Nov 16, 2012 · The effects of this devastating conflict are still felt today. Roughly 2% of the population, an estimated 620,000 men, lost their lives in the line of duty during the Civil War. Taken as a percentage of today's population, the toll would have risen as high as 6 million souls.
The Siege of Vicksburg (37,532 total casualties), the Battle of Appomattox Court House (28,469), the Siege of Port Hudson (17,500), the Battle of Fort Donelson (16,537), the Battle of Harpers Ferry (12,922), the Battle of Island Number Ten (7,108), and the Battle of Munfordville (4,862) have been omitted from this list because the casualty ...
BattleCampaignDateNearest TownJuly 1 –3, 1863September 19 –20, 1863May 8 –21, 1864May 1 –4, 1863- Battle of Gettysburg: Lee’s Invasion of The North
- Battle of Gettysburg Begins: July 1
- Battle of Gettysburg, Day 2: July 2
- Battle of Gettysburg, Day 3: July 3
- Battle of Gettysburg: Aftermath and Impact
- Gettysburg Address
In May 1863, Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had scored a smashing victory over the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville. Brimming with confidence, Lee decided to go on the offensive and invade the North for a second time (the first invasion had ended at Antietam the previous fall). In addition to bringing the conflict out ...
Upon learning that the Army of the Potomac was on its way, Lee planned to assemble his army in the prosperous crossroads town of Gettysburg, 35 miles southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One of the Confederate divisions in A.P. Hill’s command approached the town in search of supplies early on July 1, only to find that two Union cavalry brigades h...
As the next day dawned, the Union Army had established strong positions from Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge. Lee assessed his enemy’s positions and determined—against the advice of his defensively minded second-in-command, James Longstreet—to attack the Federals where they stood. He ordered Longstreet to lead an attack on the Union left, while Ewell...
Early on the morning of July 3, Union forces of the Twelfth Army Corps pushed back a Confederate threat against Culp’s Hill after a seven-hour firefight and regained their strong position. Believing his men had been on the brink of victory the day before, Lee decided to send three divisions (preceded by an artillery barrage) against the Union cente...
His hopes of a victorious invasion of the North dashed, Lee waited for a Union counterattack on July 4, but it never came. That night, in heavy rain, the Confederate general withdrew his decimated army toward Virginia. The Union had won the Battle of Gettysburg. Though the cautious Meade would be criticized for not pursuing the enemy after Gettysbu...
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. His now-iconic Gettysburg Addresseloquently transformed the Union cause into a struggle for liberty and equality—in only 272 words. He ended with the following: “From these honored dead we take increased devotio...
Learn more about how amputation of injured limbs saved the lives of soldiers during the American Civil War. (more) See all videos for this article. The enormous death rate—roughly 2 percent of the 1860 population of the U.S. died in the war—had an enormous impact on American society.
The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. How it ended.
How does the cost of the Civil War--in casualties and expense--compare to the cost of other American wars? Why do you think that the Civil War was so lethal? Learn how the Institute impacts history education through our work guiding teachers, energizing students, and supporting research.
