AntietamOn September 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee went against General George McClelland near Antietam creek, in the the first battle of the American Civil War to be fought on northern soil. Though McClellan failed to utilize his numerical superiority to crush Lee’s army, he was able to check the Confederate advance into the north After a string of Union defeats, this tactical victory provided Abraham Lincoln the political cover he needed to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. Though the result of the battle was inconclusive, it remains the bloodiest single day in American history, with more than 22,000 deaths.
ChickamaugaLate 1863, Union forces moved against the railroad center in Chattanooga, TN just across the GA line. On September 19-20, Union General Rosecrans led his troops against Confederate General Braxton Braggs 7 miles South of Chattanooga at Chickamauga Creek. Braggs army defeated the Union forces and forced the Union army back to TN.
Sherman's March to the SeaSherman's army moved quickly through the state from Atlanta to Savannah. On December 22 Sherman sent a wire to President Lincoln. The next day, Union troops took over Savannah.
Sherman's Atlanta CampaignWhen Grant moved his army east to attack Lee, he left 112,00 men in Chattanooga under the command of General Sherman, who took those men and began a campaign towards Atlanta. He faced General Joseph E Johnston (who replaced Bragg.) general J had 60,000 troops to hold back on Sherman's army.
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Emancipation ProclamationAmerican document made by resident Abraham Lincoln that freed 4 million slaves in the United States.
Union Blockade of Georgias CoastThe Union decided to block all trade with the southern states so they would lose the American civil war.
AndersonvilleAndersonville, Georgia, served as the Confederate military prison. The prison at Andersonville was the South’s largest prison for captured Union soldiers and known for its unhealthy conditions and high death rate.
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War. After a great victory over Union forces, General Robert E. Lee marched his Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. The advancing Confederates clashed with the Union’s Army. The next day saw even heavier fighting, as the Confederates attacked the Federals on both left and right. Lee ordered an attack by fewer than 15,000 troops on the enemy’s center. The fight managed to pierce the Union lines but eventually failed, at the cost of thousands of rebel deaths, and Lee was forced to withdraw his battered army
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