The bloodiest day in American history takes place as the armies of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan fight to a standoff near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek.
Tag: Civil War
From David Ash, 37th Illinois
Letter from David Ash, Company B, 37th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, three days after the Battle of Pea Ridge.
The Battle of Valverde
Henry H. Sibley’s Confederate Army of New Mexico begins its mission to conquer the New Mexico Territory, culminating in a fight for a ford on the Rio Grande.
The Fall of Fort Donelson
Federals score their greatest victory of the war up to this time, generating a new national hero in the process.
The Union is Broken For Ever
The year closes with southerners optimistic about gaining independence and northerners pessimistic about preserving the Union.
The Battle of Ball’s Bluff
Federal forces suffer another horrific defeat when they are driven off a cliff overlooking the Potomac River at Leesburg, Virginia.