Curated playlist
1862 in the American Civil War
- Confederate Heartland OffensiveGeneral Braxton Bragg brought 20,000 extra rifles into Kentucky and got about two thousand recruits.
- Battle of Island Number TenConfederate defenders on Island Number Ten had dozens of guns but only one road out. Cutting it would doom the garrison.
- Battle of Stones RiverHours before the Battle of Stones River, Union and Confederate bands joined in one song.
- Battle of AntietamTwo Union soldiers found Lee's army orders wrapped around three cigars. The Battle of Antietam followed in 1862.
- Battle of FredericksburgAt Fredericksburg in 1862, Union troops charged a stone wall fourteen times and never broke through.
- Union blockadeLincoln's 1861 blockade began with only three suitable Navy ships. They had to seal 3,500 miles of Confederate coast.
- Battle of Fort HenryFort Henry surrendered to a fleet in 1862 while its gates were underwater. The Confederates left by small boat.
- Battle of PerryvilleThe Battle of Perryville began over a few algae-covered puddles in a dried-up creek. Both armies badly needed the water.
- Battle of Fort DonelsonUlysses S. Grant demanded unconditional and immediate surrender at Fort Donelson in 1862.
- First Battle of MemphisAt the First Battle of Memphis, no Confederate ship captain held military rank. They were river traders.
- Battle of Hampton RoadsIn one day in March 1862, an ironclad sank two Union warships. It was the Battle of Hampton Roads.
- Battle of ShilohThe Battle of Shiloh began when a junior officer disobeyed orders at midnight. His scouts partly spoiled the surprise.
- Battle of Forts Jackson and St. PhilipNothing stood behind two river forts guarding New Orleans, the Confederacy's largest city.
- Battle of RichmondA hidden ravine let Confederates flank Union troops at the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. Union losses were 5,353.
- Capture of New OrleansConfederate generals expected an attack from the north, but Union ships reached New Orleans from the Gulf.
- Battle of Pea RidgeAt Pea Ridge, two Confederate generals died within hours of each other. A smaller Union army won.
- Battle of Seven PinesA bullet and a shell fragment felled Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston at the Battle of Seven Pines.