Curated playlist
Union victories of the American Civil War
- Confederate Heartland OffensiveGeneral Braxton Bragg brought 20,000 extra rifles into Kentucky and got about two thousand recruits.
- Second Battle of FredericksburgAt Fredericksburg, a truce to collect wounded men let Union soldiers study a Confederate flank.
- Battle of Port RoyalUnion warships won the Battle of Port Royal by sailing in circles while firing.
- 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 Yellow TavernA Union private on foot shot Jeb Stuart at the Battle of Yellow Tavern. Stuart died in Richmond the next day, May 1864.
- Battle of AntietamTwo Union soldiers found Lee's army orders wrapped around three cigars. The Battle of Antietam followed in 1862.
- Battle of Five ForksAt the Battle of Five Forks, both top Confederate commanders were at a fish lunch over a mile from the front.
- Battle of West PointThe Battle of West Point was fought seven days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. News had not reached everyone.
- 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 Philippi (1861)A mother's pistol shots started the Battle of Philippi early. She fired at Union pickets who had caught her son.
- Battle of Fort DonelsonUlysses S. Grant demanded unconditional and immediate surrender at Fort Donelson in 1862.
- Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg began as a search for shoes. A Confederate brigade went looking for supplies in July 1863.
- Battle of Cedar CreekThe Battle of Cedar Creek, also known as the Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on the 19th of October 1864 in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia. It began in heavy fog before dawn. Many Union soldiers near Middletown were still…
- Battle of NashvilleAt Nashville in December 1864, Union troops routed John Bell Hood's Confederate army in two days.
- Battle of Appomattox Court HouseWilmer McLean moved to Appomattox to escape the war, and Lee surrendered in his parlor.
- First Battle of MemphisAt the First Battle of Memphis, no Confederate ship captain held military rank. They were river traders.
- Siege of Port HudsonConfederates at Port Hudson held out 48 days on mule meat and rats.
- 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 FranklinAt the Battle of Franklin, fourteen Confederate generals fell in a few hours. Five died on the field in 1864.
- Capture of New OrleansConfederate generals expected an attack from the north, but Union ships reached New Orleans from the Gulf.
- Battle of Glorieta PassAt Glorieta Pass in 1862, Confederate troops won the field and still lost. Their supply train was destroyed.
- Battle of Pea RidgeAt Pea Ridge, two Confederate generals died within hours of each other. A smaller Union army won.