The Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, took place from June 15-18, 1864 in the city of Petersburg, Virginia.  Led by Union General Ulysses S. Grant, the Union forces left Cold Harbor and attacked the Confederate forces under the command of General Pierre Beauregard.  General William F. Smith’s failure to take advantage of the low number of Confederate forces initially present allowed General Robert E. Lee to send reinforcements and the Confederates were able to defend Petersburg from capture.  This battle marked the beginning of the siege of Petersburg.  The National Park Service’s website includes an overview on the opening of the fighting as well as short biographies  on the commanding officers for each army.  The website also offers lesson plans, travel trunks, and information for teachers on planning a field trip to the battleground.  The Civil War Preservation Trust’s website  provides a list for recommended reading, historical articles, and quick facts on the Battle of Petersburg.  Beauregard commented  on the mistakes of the Union forces that prevented the capture of Petersburg:

“Strange to say, General Smith contented himself with breaking into our lines, and attempted nothing further that night.  All the more strange was this inaction on his part, since General Hancock, with his strong and well-equipped Second Army Corps, had also been hurried to Petersburg, and was actually there, or in the immediate vicinity of the town, on the evening of the 15th.  He had informed General Smith of the arrival of his command and the readiness of his two divisions- Birney’s and Gibbon’s- to give him whatever assistance he might require.  Petersburg at that hour was clearly at the mercy of the Federal commander, who had all but captured it, and only failed of final success because he could not realize the fact of the unparalleled disparity between the two contending forces.”

Some other resources that may be useful are Armistead Long’s Memoirs of Robert E. Lee: His Military and Personal History and Ulysses S. Grant’s Personal Memoirs which could provide opposing views of the Battle of Petersburg from the Union and Confederate commanding generals.  In terms of modern scholarship, James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom is available as a preview on Google Books and contains a concise summary of the events of the battle.  The Battle of Petersburg could be related to a lesson on black soldiers and their role in the Civil War as the 6th and 43rd United States Colored Troop  Regiments either fought in this particular battle or in the following battles during the siege of Petersburg.  The National Park Service also provides an article on black soldiers at the siege which may be helpful to browse.

Corinth, Mississippi, founded in 1854, became an important site for Union and Confederate troops following the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard of the Confederate army set his troops in Corinth in April 1862 until a much larger force led by Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck followed and began to encroach on the Confederate stronghold. On the evening of May 29, after sustaining Union bombardments, the Confederates set up several convincing tricks to mask their retreat and convey the arrival of reinforcements. They cheered when trains arrived and set up deceiving cannon-like log imitations called “quaker guns”.

The actual Battle of Corinth did not take place until October 3 and October 4, 1862. Confederate forces led by Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn sought to return Corinth to Confederate control, for since the siege from five months before Union fortifications had strengthened in the small town. Though some Confederate soldiers did break the Union’s barriers around the city, the approaching Confederates retreated from Corinth as Union forces followed them across Tennessee.

The siege and battle at Corinth illustrate important shifts in the early part of the Civil War. Corinth became a key battlefront in 1862 despite being developed less than a decade prior. The “fighting, occupation, and carnage,” as noted by Timothy B. Smith in his article published by the Mississippi Historical Society,  that occurred in this small town show the true scale of the Civil War. Battles did not always take place on the battlefield. Several recent efforts have been made to recognize Corinth in the Civil War, including several landmarks within Corinth. Corinth’s Crossroads Museum and the National Park Service’s Corinth Interpretive Center commemorate the impact of the Civil War felt in the town. Teachers may find useful other photos of Corinth and the park taken by Michael Noirot as part of a photo contest for Corinth on his blog.

Manning Ferguson Force’s From Fort Henry to Corinth provides a summary of the battle from a nineteenth-century perspective. For more modern scholarship on the siege and battle see the National Park Service’s summaries and lessons of the conflict. Michael Ballard dedicates a chapter in Civil War Mississippi: A Guide to the Battle of Corinth and focuses on mistakes made by Van Dorn as the Confederate force sought to regain control in Corinth.

The Battle of the Wilderness (also known as Combats at Parker’s Store, Craig’s Meeting House, Todd’s Tavern, Brock Road, and the Furnaces) took place from May 5-7, 1864 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia as a part of Union General Ulysses S. Grant ’s overland campaign.  Grant’s troops attacked General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia on May 5 and a fierce fight broke out between the soldiers.  There were high casualties on both sides, including Union General James Wadsworth and Confederate General John M. Jones.  The National Park Service’s website provides a detailed overview of the fighting and profiles on various historical figures that fought in the battle.  Teachers may find the suggested reading list and the information for visiting the battlefield posted on the website useful for planning a fieldtrip to the area.  The National Park Service also includes a virtual tour of the battleground for those that cannot make the trip as well as photos of the different sites and monuments.  The Civil War Preservation Trust’s website has some interesting historical maps which may be valuable to take a look at. A study of the Battle of the Wilderness may be useful to incorporate into lessons on African American troops in the Civil War since the 43rd USCT served in the Wilderness Campaign along with other United States Colored Troop regiments.  A previous post outlines the actions of the 43rd USCT during the Wilderness campaign.  Gordon C. Rhea commented on the outcome of the battle in his book:

“The recent carnage could be viewed as the opening salvo of a protracted battle to end the war in Virginia.  Grant’s directive represented the maturation of his thinking.  Lee, Grant was conceding, could not be beaten here.  But the campaign was not over.  Grant would fight again, next time on the fields that offered him the upper hand.  Lincoln’s new commander in chief had been checked, but not defeated. “

The Battle of Stones River (also known as the Battle of Murfreesboro) took place from December 31, 1862- January 3, 1863 in Rutherford County, Tennessee.  Confederate General Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee forced Union Major General William S. Rosecrans to the Nashville Pike, but the Union Army of the Cumberland was able to regain a strong position by crossing Stones River.  The Confederate forces had to retreat and abandoned the battlefield on January 4-5.  The National Park Service’s website provides an essay detailing the events of the battle and maps depicting troop movement.  Other tools for teachers featured on the site are traveling trunks, lesson plans and teacher guides, and exhibits which provide students with an opportunity to learn about the Battle of Stones River interactively.  The Civil War Preservation Trust’ s website includes a list of recommended books for the subject as well as several related historical articles.  Also available on the website are historical maps and a photo gallery.  Another selection on Google Books in limited view is No Better Place to Die: the Battle of Stones River as it gives a fairly detailed preview of the battle and there are also different reports from the battle’s commanding officers in Volume 20 of the Official Records. Alexander F. Stevenson commented on this event in his account of the battle:

“At 11 o’clock that night the rebel army commenced its retreat, and long before day break its infantry was miles away on the road towards Tullahoma and Shelbyville, while their cavalry withdrew slowly at daybreak, burning bridges as they moved south.  While this retrograde movement of General Bragg’s army was going on, and each hour of this Sunday night was widening the distances between contending forces, our men lay in the muddy and rain-drenched ground, ready to attack at the earliest dawn to repel the enemy’s attacks.  Soon, however, a report came, incredible at first, that the enemy had evacuated Murfreesboro’.  Can it be true? was in everybody’s mouth, but few believed it; others argued that some hired spy had probably brought the news, to draw us out of our position, that the battle might be continued a few miles south of Murfreesboro’.”

The Siege of Port Hudson began in late May 1863 with a series of battles, including one on May 27 that was among the first major engagements that involved African American regiments. After General Franklin Gardner received reports that confirmed the Confederate defeat at Vicksburg, he surrendered his forces to General Nathaniel P. Banks on July 9, 1863. Some estimates put the total number of casualties during the siege at 12,208 (Union 5,000 / CSA 7,208). The National Park Service offers a great lesson plan about Port Hudson through their Teaching with Historic Places program. Teachers will find a short overview of the battle, several accounts from soldiers who participated in the battle, and links to several photographs. Louisiana State University’s Marshall Dunham photograph album also has a number of photographs of Port Hudson. In addition, several battle maps are available from the Library of Congress. Port Hudson may not be that well known, but as General Ulysses S. Grant explained in his Personal Memoirs (1885-1886), the Union’s victory on July 9 was a significant one. “From that day to the close of the rebellion the Mississippi River, from its source to its mouth, remained in the control of the National troops,” as Grant noted. You can also find other documents about this battle in volume 26 of the Official Records. (A list of all the reports starts on page 41).

On July 11, 1864, two days after the Battle of Monocacy, Confederate forces under the command of General Jubal A. Early reached the edge of Washington D.C.  The following day, the Confederate forces faced the Union VI Corps under the direction of Major General Horatio G. Wright and Major General Alexander M. McCook and were eventually forced to withdraw from the city which ended General Early’s invasion of Maryland.  President Abraham Lincoln watched the battle from Fort Stevens and was in close proximity to the fighting.  The National Park Service’s website provides a concise summary  of the battle as well as the number of casualties that occurred in the midst of the fighting.  It also includes a report on the preservation of the battlefield from the Civil War Sites Advisory Committee which shows that although most of the site has been destroyed or altered through urban development there is still an area that remains preserved in Rock Creek Park and can be visited today.  The National Park Service offers lesson plans for teachers under the Historical Context for Fort Circle Parks that has key resources for classroom learning as well as suggestions for additional sources.  The Grand Army of the Republic’s Washington During Wartime described the scene with President Lincoln at Fort Stevens during a conversation with General Wright:

“I entreated the President not to expose his life to the bullets of the enemy; but he seemed oblivious to his surroundings; finally, when I found that my entreaties had failed to make any impression on him, I said, ‘Mr. President, I know you are commander of the armies of the United States, but I am in command here, and as you are not safe when you are standing, I order you to come sit down here.’  Mr. Lincoln looked at me and smiled, and then, in more consideration of my earnestness than inclination, stepped down and took position behind the parapet.  Even then he would persist in standing up and exposing his tall form.”

Some other sources on Fort Stevens that may be interesting to browse are Robert Sampson Lanier’s The Photographic History of the Civil War: Forts and Artillery as it provides some valuable images of soldiers stationed at Fort Stevens during the Civil War along with summaries of the major battles fought around the Washington D.C. area.  Two other interesting sources that can be found on Google Books are Recollections of the Civil War: With Many Original Diary Entries and Letters Written from the Seat of War, and With Annotated References and the Official Records since both give many firsthand accounts written by soldiers and officers who took part in the fighting at Fort Stevens.

In Ulysses S. Grant ’s memoir, fully available on Google Books, the brigadier general recollected that from February 11 to 16 1862, his men battled extreme winter conditions that alternated between “rain and snow, thawing and freezing” in addition to engaging the 21,000 Confederate troops entrenched at Fort Donelson . Historians Jack Hurst and Kendall Gott  both argue that the Union’s capture of Fort Donelson was a crucial victory as it opened the western theater to Northern troops and supplies.  Hurst’s book, Men of Fire: Grant, Forrest, and the Campaign that Decided the Civil War, and Gott’s analysis, Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862, are both available in limited preview on Google Books. A key resource for teachers and researchers is the National Park Service’s website on Fort Donelson.  The website includes informational tools for creating lesson plans and field trips  to Fort Donelson, and also features the Fort Donelson National Cemetery’s website , which includes a “Roll of Honor” that lists the known Union soldiers that were reinterred in the cemetery. The National Park website also includes a special section that documents the evolution of the role of African Americans at Fort Donelson, which ranged from slave labor to employment by the U.S. Quartermaster, later reinforced by the Second Confiscation Act of July 1862.  Grant famously demanded “an unconditional and immediate surrender”  from the remaining Confederate general, Simon B. Buckner at Fort Donelson, which resulted in 12,000 to 15,000 prisoners of war including Flavel Clingan Barber , Dickinson College Class of 1850.

After Confederates fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to restore order in South Carolina. This action pushed Upper South states like North Carolina and Virginia to secede and join the Confederacy. The National Park Service’s website on Fort Sumter provides a good place to start and learn more about this event. You can find historic images and modern day pictures as well as information about their education exhibit. Teachers will want to look at the curriculum material and teachers guide. In addition, the National Park Service has put together a variety of documents and essays that provide more background information on Fort Sumter. Another interesting site to check out is Tulane University’s “Crisis at Fort Sumter,” which provides a detailed timeline of what happened regarding Fort Sumter between December 1860 and April 1861. The timeline is divided into several different sections, such as “Dilemmas of Compromise” and “Final Orders.” House Divided also has some material on the Fort Sumter major topic page, including historic images and a bibliography. You will also find links to profiles of several of the individuals who were involved, such as Major Robert Anderson and Secretary of State William Henry Seward. Be sure to check out the “Documents” tab for President Abraham Lincoln’s letters to General Winfield Scott on March 9, 1861 and to Major Robert Anderson on May 1, 1861.

The Battle of Antietam was a key battle during the Civil War that took place on September 17, 1862. After the engagement, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary announcement of the emancipation proclamation. The National Park Service website on Antietam has a number of great resources, including historic photographs by Alexander Gardner, Captain James Hope’s paintings, and a gallery of antique postcards. Teachers can find curriculum materials as well – these include lesson plans, a primary sources packet, worksheets, and scavenger hunts. Visitors can also find a nice timeline, and details on the Army of the Potomac and Army of Northern Virginia. Historyanimated.com, a non-profit educational foundation, has a great battle animation of Antietam. Antietam on the Web also provides a number of great resources, including links to all 315 of the commanders’ After-Action Reports published in the Official Records.