Early Battles of the Civil War Quiz

Answer: It was a Confederate victory

The First Battle of Bull Run was fought on July 21, 1861 in Prince William County, Virginia, and was one of the first large scale battles of the war. The Union often called battles by the name of a nearby stream or river, so they called it the Battle of Bull Run. The Confederacy more often named battles after nearby towns, and they called it the Battle of First Manassas. Many of the battles of the Civil War have this dual nomenclature.

The commander of the Union troops, Irvin McDowell, was pressured to fight this battle against his better judgment, as he did not consider his troops well-trained enough for combat. Northern politicians demanded that he take action to press the Confederate army further south and reduce the chance of an attack on Washington, DC.

The battle was characterized by poor communications and leadership on both sides. At first, the Union, which enjoyed a significant numerical advantage, pushed the Confederates back, and threatened to break their lines. But the arrival of Confederate reinforcements under Jubal Early and Kirby Smith turned the tide of battle, and the Union army began a retreat which turned into a rout. The South had emerged victorious in the first major battle of the Civil War. As so often happened, however, the Confederate commander, General P. G. T. Beauregard, failed to follow up on this initial success. There were virtually no troops blocking his way to Washington, DC. If he had been able to regroup his army and launch an attack on the Northern capital, he would probably have been able to take it easily, and the the outcome of the Civil War might have been very different.

Answer: It was the first major battle fought west of the Mississippi River

The Battle of Wilson's Creek was the first major battle of the Civil War to take place west of the Mississippi River. It was fought on the site known as Bloody Hill near Springfield, Missouri.

On August 10, 1861, approximately 5,500 Union troops under the command of General Nathaniel Lyon clashed with 12,000 Confederates under General Sterling Price. Although the Union forces repelled three Confederate attacks on their lines, General Lyon was killed and his troops soon grew short of ammunition. Lyon's successor in command, Major Samuel D. Sturgis, abandoned his position and ordered his army to retreat to the nearby city of Rolla.

The Confederate victory allowed a pro-Confederate government to be set up, and the Confederacy recognized Missouri as a Confederate state on November 28, 1861.

Answer: It earned Ulysses S. Grant the nickname "Unconditional Surrender"

Fort Donelson was located in northwestern Tennessee, just a few miles from the Kentucky border. It was vital to the defense of Nashville and control of the Cumberland River. The fort was well supplied with large guns that could be brought to bear on the Cumberland River, and should have been able to withstand an assault.

A Union force of 25,000 men, under the command of Ulysses S. Grant arrived at Fort Donelson on February 12, 1862. He was opposed by 17,000 Confederates under General John B. Floyd. Grant's men surrounded the fort, but before attacking it directly, Grant tried to reduce the fort by ordering his fleet of gunboats to attack it on February 14. This was a significant blunder. The fort's guns inflicted severe damage on Grant's fleet, and forced it to retire.

General Floyd, an incredibly inept commander, and his subordinates, Gideon Pillow and Simon Bolivar Buckner, decided they could not hold Fort Donelson against Grant's superior forces, and decided they would try to break out and retreat to Nashville. Incredibly, after a day of hard fighting on February 15, during which the Southerners had pushed back Grant's troops and opened a clear line of retreat, the timid Floyd ordered his men to retreat back to the fort.

The next day, on February 16, Floyd turned over his command to Pillow, who promptly surrendered command to Buckner. Both Floyd and Pillow fled the fort, leaving Buckner to conduct the actual surrender. Colonel (later General) Nathan Bedford Forrest was enraged when he heard of the intended surrender; he led his cavalry and several thousand troops out of the fort and escaped without incident.

It was at Fort Donelson that Grant earned his nickname of "Unconditional Surrender" Grant. When General Buckner asked Grant for terms prior to surrendering Fort Donelson, Grant famously replied, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." Buckner had no choice but to accept Grant's ultimatum.

The Battle of Fort Donelson was a disaster for the South, brought about entirely by incompetent leadership. The Confederate army had inflicted nearly twice as many casualties on Grant's troops as they had suffered, and under any able general they could have held out until reinforcements arrived, or have made an orderly retreat. As it was, over 12,000 of Fort Donelson's garrison were captured, Grant gained control of the Cumberland River, as well as western Kentucky and Tennessee, and the important city of Nashville fell into Union hands soon after the battle. Floyd was relieved of his command by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Pillow was also relieved, but later reinstated.

Answer: It was a major Union victory

The Battle of Pea Ridge was a confusing affair, fought over three days from March 6 through March 8, 1862, in northwest Arkansas, only a few miles from the Missouri border. Although the Confederate forces under Generals Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price outnumbered the Union army under General Samuel Curtis, poor planning and communications prevented a Southern victory.

General Earl Van Dorn planned to move his army of 16,500 men north very quickly, and attack 10,500 Union troops under General Samuel Curtis. Each Confederate soldier was issued three days rations and forty rounds of ammunition, and all other supplies were left behind to speed up the march. Van Dorn hoped to either destroy Curtis' army or force him to retreat north, opening an avenue for an invasion of Missouri.

Van Dorn split his forces into two wings, one commanded by General Sterling Price, and the other by General Benjamin McCulloch. On March 7, Price's troops overwhelmed the Union forces opposing them, driving the Yankees from their positions and forcing them to retreat. The other wing of Van Dorn's forces met with some initial successes, but General McCulloch was killed early in the fighting, and command of his forces fell to General James M. McIntosh, who was shot dead leading a charge against the Union position. Still, by the end of the first day of fighting, the Confederates had achieved some successes, and held the upper hand.

On the second day, however, the Union forces launched a strong counterattack. The Union artillery inflicted heavy casualties on Van Dorn's army, and the Southern gunners were running low on ammunition, and were unable to respond effectively. Van Dorn was reluctantly forced to retreat.

Pea Ridge is known as the battle that saved Missouri for the Union. Although many other battles would take place in the state, most of Missouri remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war.

Answer: General Albert Sidney Johnston was killed in this battle

The Battle of Shiloh was fought in western Tennessee on April 6-7, 1862. It was one of the most important engagements of the war, and, up until that time, the bloodiest.

The Army of the Tennessee, some 50,000 strong, under the command of Ulysses S. Grant, moved south after the victory at Fort Donelson. Their objective was to destroy Confederate railroads in Tennessee and Mississippi. On the morning of April 6, 1862 the Union army was caught totally off guard when attacked by 45,000 men of the Army of Mississippi under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston.

Grant was not even present when the battle started; he was ten miles away, recovering from injuries received when a horse fell on him two days earlier. He hurried to the scene when he heard the sound of artillery fire. Although some Union troops fought well, and put up a stubborn resistance, many were routed and fled to the Tennessee River, where they sought protection under the guns of the Northern ironclad ships that were anchored there. After a day of hard fighting, the Confederate army had pushed Grant's troops back to a small perimeter around Pittsburg Landing, on the banks of the Tennessee River.

The success had not come without a price; Albert Sidney Johnston, widely regarded as the South's finest general, was shot and in the leg and died from loss of blood. His second-in-command, General P. G. T. Beauregard, failed to press the Confederate advantage when night fell, a crucial mistake. General William Tecumseh Sherman remarked to Grant, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant, unperturbed, is said to have answered, "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

Grant's words proved to be prophetic. During the night, the Union army received 21,000 reinforcements under Generals Lew Wallace and Don Carlos Buell. Casualties and allocating troops to cover lines of retreat had reduced Beauregard's numbers to about 28,000, meaning that on the second day he was outnumbered almost two to one. The Union forces launched a fierce counterattack on the morning of April 7, and, after a day of hard fighting, the tired and outnumbered Confederates were forced to retreat. Despite winning a crucial victory, Grant was severely criticized for his actions on the first day of the battle, and was temporarily relieved of his command. The Union army had suffered over 10,000 troops killed or wounded, and almost 3,000 missing or captured.

Answer: It was a Confederate victory

Although not as well known as some other battles, Cedar Mountain was an important turning point in the war. It was fought in Culpeper County, Virginia, on August 9, 1862 between Confederate forces under Stonewall Jackson, and Union troops commanded by Nathaniel P. Banks.

The newly appointed commander of the Army of Virginia, General John Pope, hoped to capture an important railroad junction at Gordonsville, Virginia. He spread his lines too thin, however, and Robert E. Lee was able to send some 16,000 troops under the command of Stonewall Jackson to strike at the vanguard of the Union forces before it could be reinforced.

The Confederate attack was poorly managed. General Charles S. Winder was killed by an artillery shell during the early part of the battle. The Confederate troops were unable to support one another, and the Union commander, Nathaniel P. Banks, left his strong defensive position and launched an attack which broke the Confederate line on the left. Only the unexpected arrival reinforcements under General A. P. Hill saved the day for the South. They were eventually able to force the Yankees back with heavy losses. The importance of the Battle of Cedar Mountain is that the Confederate victory there forced the North to abandon its Peninsular Campaign, relieving pressure on the South's capital of Richmond, and shifting the scene of the conflict in the eastern theatre to northern Virginia.

Answer: The Union suffered a crushing and humiliating defeat

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or Second Manassas, was fought August 28-30, 1862. Following the Union defeat at the Battle of Cedar Mountain a few weeks earlier, General George B. McClellan was ordered to abandon his Peninsular Campaign and consolidate his forces of the Army of the Potomac with those of General John Pope's Army of Virginia. If this move had been carried out successfully, the North would have enjoyed an insurmountable numerical advantage in troops in Virginia. Lee decided to strike Pope before he could be reinforced by McClellan.

Robert E. Lee dispatched General Stonewall Jackson with 24,000 troops to slip around Pope's right flank and capture the Union supply depot at Manassas Junction. Jackson's troops had to march some 55 miles in less than two days in order to accomplish their objective. Jackson took all the captured Union supplies he could carry and burned the rest; he then retreated to a defensive position near the Bull Run Mountains and the Warrenton Gap. Pope, knowing that his army of some 60,000 men outnumbered Jackson by more than two to one, believed he had the Confederates trapped, and ordered a series of unsuccessful attacks on Jackson's lines on August 28 and August 29.

In the meantime, General James Longstreet with the remaining 30,000 men of the Army of Northern Virginia arrived on the scene to reinforce Jackson. On August 30 the combined Confederate forces launched a massive attack that forced Pope to abandon his position and retreat. The Confederates had achieved a tactical victory, but more importantly had caused the Union Army to become demoralized, and there was much dissension in its ranks. Pope was relieved of his command, and another Union officer, Major General Fitz John Porter, was court-martialed and dismissed from the army. It took nearly 25 years for Porter to clear his name and receive a pardon.

The Second Battle of Bull Run was important because it allowed to Robert E. Lee to advance northward, and begin his first invasion of Union-held territory later in the year, a campaign that ended in the bloody stalemate at Antietam Creek.

Answer: The battle is regarded as Robert E. Lee's greatest victory

The Battle of Chancellorsville was actually a series of battles fought between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia between April 30 and May 6, 1863 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Although often spoken of as Robert E. Lee's "greatest victory," the Confederate success at this battle owed as much to luck and the enemy's incompetence as strategic brilliance.

Major General Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Army of the Potomac on January 26, 1863. Relying on the Union's overwhelming advantage in numbers (his troops outnumbered Lee's by more than two to one), Hooker devised a plan to attack Lee on two fronts, clearing the way to the capture of Richmond. The plan was actually a good one, but Hooker was handicapped by the poor performance of his subordinates.

Hooker's first action was to send General George Stoneman with 10,000 cavalry to cross the Rappahannock River and destroy Lee's supply lines. This action failed utterly. Stoneman was supposed to cross the river on April 27, but heavy rains had swollen the river and it could not be crossed until April 29. Stoneman accomplished very little, and was constantly harassed by Southern cavalry. Stoneman ended up losing almost all of his horses, and was barely able to manage a retreat.

In the meantime, Hooker crossed the Rapidan River and stationed 42,000 troops near Chancellorsville. Another 40,000 troops under General John Sedgwick were massed near Fredericksburg. Hooker's plan was to attack Lee's army simultaneously from both the front and rear. "May God have mercy on General Lee," Hooker said, "for I shall have none."

Lee decided on a bold plan. He sent Stonewall jackson with 30,000 troops to attack Hooker's right flank. The Union Army's XI Corps, under General O.O. Howard, was caught completely by surprise and routed by Jackson's troops. Howard was unable to rally his troops and offer any effective resistance.

On the left, however, General Sedgwick broke through the Confederate line, and forced the small detachment opposing him to retreat. The Confederates reformed and eventually stopped Sedgwick's progress. By May 6, Hooker had had enough, and ordered a retreat back across the Rappahannock River.

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a great victory for the South, but it came at a terrific cost. Lee had suffered nearly as many casualties as Hooker (there were actually more Confederate soldiers killed). Furthermore, General Stonewall Jackson, his best general, was wounded by friendly fire on May 2, and died on May 10. Hooker was relieved of his command following the defeat.

Answer: The battle was fought in Mississippi

One of the key elements of the Northern strategy during the Civil War was to gain control of the Mississippi River. Once accomplished, the Confederacy would be cut in half, and moving men and supplies from the western to the eastern theatres of the war would be difficult or impossible. By May, 1863 the Union had nearly accomplished its objectives. Only the fortress city of Vicksburg, in central Mississippi, remained in Confederate hands.

Taking Vicksburg was a herculean task. It was so heavily fortified that it was called "the Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Grant attempted to assault the city on May 19, 1863, and again on May 22. Each time, the assaults were repelled, and he sustained very heavy losses. Grant reluctantly decided that he would surround the city and lay siege to it. By the end of June, Vicksburg was surrounded by 77,000 Union troops facing 30,000 Confederate defenders.

The Union gunboats anchored in the Mississippi River and Northern artillery continuously bombarded Vicksburg for over six weeks, but did little damage. Grant's troops also dug tunnels and blew up mines in an attempt to breach the Confederate defenses, but these measures failed. Numerous attempts were made to draw Union forces away from Vicksburg, but Grant refused to abandon his position. What finally caused the Confederates to surrender was the lack of food.

On July 4, 1863 the Vicksburg garrison surrendered to Grant. Unlike at Fort Donelson, the Confederate commander, General John C. Pemberton, was able to negotiate favorable terms. The 29,425 Confederate soldiers who surrendered were granted parole, and the officers were allowed to keep their horses and side arms. Most were back in action in a few months. Grant did capture a large number of muskets and cannons, and the Mississippi River was now firmly in Union hands. The citizens of Vicksburg did not forget the battle and subsequent Yankee occupation; the town did not officially celebrate the 4th of July (the date of its surrender) again until 1944.

Answer: No

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought on July 1-3, 1863, is probably the most famous battle of the Civil War. It was also the biggest battle, with 94,000 Union and 72,000 Confederate troops engaged. The South's failure to win this battle is often seen as the death blow to Confederate hopes of winning the war.

After his victory at Chancellorsville, Lee wanted to shift the battleground in the eastern theatre to the North. The Army of the Potomac, upon learning of Lee's march into Pennsylvania, hastened in pursuit. By July 1, Union troops had taken up positions north of Gettysburg. They were attacked by Confederate forces and, after a day of fierce fighting, were pushed back through Gettysburg, and occupied the high ground south of the town. Confederate forces enjoyed a numerical advantage on the first day of the battle, and had the attack been pressed, they would have probably routed the Yankees. But the Southerners were tired, and the generals on the scene elected to wait for the arrival of the remainder of Lee's army. More Northern troops also began to arrive to reinforce their positions.

By the second day of the battle, reinforcements had arrived for both sides. But the North now enjoyed a numerical advantage, as well as holding a defensible position. The Confederates enjoyed some success in attacking the middle of the Union line, nearly wiping out the III Corps, but attacks on the Union flanks, at Little Round Top and Culp's Hill, were repulsed with great loss.

On the third day, against the advice of his generals, Lee ordered another attack on the Union lines, the famous Pickett's Charge. Historians still debate why he decided on this tactic, which was almost certain to fail. The Confederate troops were cut down by the thousands, with only a handful reaching the Union lines. Lee and a badly battered Army of Northern Virginia were forced to retreat. Although both sides suffered a comparable number of casualties during the battle, the South could not replace its losses as easily as the Union. The Battle of Gettysburg is usually regarded as the turning point in the Civil War. After Gettysburg, the South was usually forced to fight a defensive war.