Hi, I’m John Green and this is Crash Course US History. Starting next week, we’re going

to be talking about the Civil War. As you may have noticed, Crash Course doesn’t usually

focus on military history, because we’re more interested in causes and effects and

that kind of stuff, but because some in our audience are likely to insist that a series

on American History has to include the battles of the Civil War, I am now going to tell you

about EVERY SINGLE fight of the war.

Oh. Stan, this says there were 8,000 instances of violence between the Union and the Confederate

States of America between 1861 and 1865. Can that be right?

Slight change of plan. I’m going to tell you about the MAJOR battles of the Civil War.

The shooting started in 1861. In April the first shots of the war were fired at the Battle

of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, which the South won. Next the Battle of Rich Mountain

went to the North. First Bull Run happened in Manassas, VA in July. The South won, General

Jackson got the nickname Stonewall, and the North realized this war was going to be serious

business. The South had another victory at Wilson’s Creek in August, but lost to the

Union at Carnifex Ferry in September. The North got another win at the Battle of Cheat

Mountain, but the South finished the year strong with wins at Ball’s Bluff and Chustenahlah.

The North came roaring back in 1862 with wins at the battles of Mill Springs, Fort Henry,

Roanoke Island, and Fort Donelson, where the Confederate general was named Simon Bolivar

Buckner. What!?

There was fighting in the west, with the South winning at Valverder, NM, and Pea Ridge, AR.

The Union won at New Madrid, MO. The Battle of Hampton Roads, VA in March was a draw,

and featured the first fight between two ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia.

The Union won the Battle of Bern, and the first battle of Kernstown, and then draws

at Glorieta Pass, NM, and Yorktown. The Union won the Battle of Shiloh, where future Ben

Hur author Lew Wallace was accused of incompetence and cowardice. The Union won the Battle of

Fort Pulaski and the Battle of Forts Jackson and St Philip, which gave the North control

of New Orleans. The North won the siege of Corinth, and McClellan fought one of the many

indecisive battles he would be involved in at Williamsburg, VA. Then Stonewall Jackson

had a great run, winning battles at McDowell, Front Royal, and Winchester. Union forces

captured Memphis, TN in May, but then lost a couple more to Jackson at Cross Keys and

Port Republic. In Virginia that June, Robert E Lee and Goerge McClellan fought a series

of six battles in seven days, which were called the seven days battles. There was a draw at

Oak Grove, Union victory at Beaver Dam Creek, a win for Lee at Gaines’ Mill, ties at Garnett’s

and Golding’s Farm, the Battle of Savage’s Station, and the battle of Glendale.

The Union finally won the Seven Days at Malvern Hill, but McClellan withdrew after the battle,

allowing Lee and the remaining confederates to escape. In July 1862, one of the least

consequential battles of the war took place in Stan’s hometown, Newburgh, IN. A force

of 35 Confederate irregulars built some fake cannons out of stovepipes that they called

Quaker guns, crossed the Ohio River, captured some weapons and a hospital full of wounded

Union soldiers, and then abandoned the town later the same day. This was the first town

in the North to be captured by Confederates. Later that summer came the Battles of Baton

Rouge, Cedar Mountain, Mannassas Station, the Second Battle of Bull Run, Richmond, KY,

Chantilly, and Harper’s Ferry, all of which the Confederates won. The Union won at South

Mountain, but lost at Munfordville. On September 17 McClellan ended Lee’s invasion of the

north at Anteitam, MD. This was the bloodiest single day of the war with 22,717 dead, wounded,

or missing. The rest of 1862 saw the battles of Perryville, Prairie Grove, Fredericksburg,

and Chickasaw Bayou.

1863 started in Tennessee with a Union victory at the Battle of Stones River, but also with

a simultaneous Confederate victory at Galveston, TX. There were lots of smallish skirmishes

during the winter and early Spring, until the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, where

Lee defeated Hooker, but Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded. He lost his arm, and

then died 8 days later of pneumonia. His arm buried with its own headstone near Chancellorsville.

The North won a bunch of battles in Mississippi at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion

Hill, Big Black River Ridge, and finally, Vicksburg. This victory, along with the victory

at Port Hudson effectively ended the Confederacy’s ability to use the Mississippi River. June,

1863 in Virginia was inconclusive, with draws at Brandy Station, Winchester, Aldie, Middleburg,

and Upperville. July brought the Battle of Gettysburg, a major Union victory. This battle

featured Pickett’s famous charge, was the end of Lee’s second invasion of the north,

was the costliest of the war in terms of caualties, and led to, believe it or not, The Gettysburg

Address.

The rest of that summer brought split results with Union wins at Helena, AR, Honey Springs,

OK and Chattanooga, TN. The Confederates answered with two victories at Ft Wagner, SC. They

also won at Ft Sumter AGAIN, holding the fort against heavy Union bombardment, and they

perpetrated a massacre of civilians in Lawrence, KS. The rest of 1863 saw battles at Sabine

Pass, TX, Bayou Fourche, AR, a major confederate win at Chickamauga, the battles of Bristow

Station, Wauhatchie, Rappahannock Station, Chattanooga again, Ringgold Gap, Fort Sanders,

and Mossy Creek.

Oh man, we’re only to 1864. Gotta keep it moving. Stan, can you just indicate who won

these on screen? Great

The first major battles of 1864 were in February at Olustee, FL and Okolona, MS.

The spring saw battles at Fort De Russy, Mansfield, Prairie D’Ane, AR, Pleasant Hill, LA, and

Fort Pillow, TN. There were The Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Courthouse,

Procter’s Creek, New Market, North Anna, Old Church, Cold Harbor, and the Battle of

the Piedmont all in Virginia.

Summer brought the battles of Marietta, GA, and Brice’s Crossroads, MS. The battles

of Trevillian Station, Petersburg, Lynchburg, and Jerusalem Plank Road were all fought in

Virginia. Also Kennesaw Mountain, GA, Monocacy, Maryland, and Fort Stevens, in the District

of Columbia. Abraham Lincoln himself went to observe this battle, and the guy standing

next to him got shot. Next were the battles of Tupelo, MS, Peachtree Creek, GA, and Atlanta,

GA, a major Union victory won by General Sherman. Also fought were the battles of Kernstown,

VA, Ezra Church, GA, the Battle of the Crater in Virginia, the battles of Mobile Bay, AL,

Deep Bottom, Globe Tavern, and Reams station in VA, and the battle of Jonesborough, GA

which solidified Union control of Atlanta.

Ok. Autumn of 1864, we’re in the home stretch here. The battles of Opequon, Fisher’s Hill,

Chaffin’s Farm, Peebles’ Farm, and Cedar Creek were all fought in Virginia. The battles

of Byram’s Ford, Newtonia, and Westpory all happened in Missouri. Johnsonville, TN,

Griswoldville, GA, Spring Hill, TN, The Sand Creek Massacre, The Battle of Franklin, TN,

Fort McAllister, GA, and Nashville, TN finished out the year.

Whew. 1865, here we go. The Battles of Fort Fisher, NC, Hatcher’s Run, VA, Waynesboro,

Virginia, Bentonville, NC, Fort Stedman, VA, Spanish Fort, AL, White Oak Road, VA, Five

Forks, VA, Selma, AL, the THIRD battle of Petersburg, VA, Fort Blakely, AL, Saylor’s

Creek, VA, Appomattox Station, VA, and finally, the decisive battle at Appomattox Courthouse,

VA, on April 8, 1865 which resulted in Lee’s surrender to Grant. There were a few more

minor skirmishes, but the war was OVER.

So there you have it, an episode of Crash Course ENTIRELY about battles. I know that

we missed many, many battles of the war, but these are most of the big ones. There’s

not even a big finish this week, because I’m just exhausted from all the fighting. Thanks

for watching, and we’ll see you next week.