Significant Civil War Battles
For four straight years, Union and Confederate soldiers battled during the bloodiest war in American history. Both sides suffered unprecedented casualties, and the severe lack of infrastructure made accurate accounting of those soldiers near impossible.
By definition, military "casualties" include not only the dead, but also the injured, ill, captured, and missing. To this day, exact numbers are impossible to determine, and scholars dispute even the most well-researched estimates. However, these staggering numbers still offer profound insight into the immense tragedy experienced by the American people throughout the Civil War.
April 12, 1861: Battle of Fort Sumter
Casualties: none
June 30, 1861: Battle of Philippi
Casualties: 30
4 Union
26 Confederate
July 21, 1861: First Battle of Bull Run/First Battle of Manassas
Casualties: 4,700
2,950 Union
1,750 Confederate
August 28-29, 1861: Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries
Casualties: 773
3 Union
770 Confederate
October 21, 1861: Battle of Ball's Bluff
Casualties: 1,070
921 Union
149 Confederate
November 7, 1861: Battle of Belmont
Casualties: 1,464
498 Union
966 Confederate
January 19, 1862: Battle of Mill Springs
Casualties: 671
232 Union
439 Confederate
February 6, 1862: Battle of Fort Henry
Casualties: 119
40 Union
79 Confederate
February 11, 1862: Battle of Fort Donelson
Casualties: 17,398
2,331 Union
15,067 Confederate
March 8, 1862: Battle of Hampton Roads
Casualties: 433
409 Union
24 Confederate
March 23, 1862: First Battle of Kernstown
Casualties: 1,308
590 Union
718 Confederate
April 5, 1862: Siege of Yorktown
Casualties: 320
April 6-7, 1862: Battle of Shiloh
Casualties: 23,741
13,047 Union
10,694 Confederate
April 10-11, 1862: Battle of Fort Pulaski
Casualties: 365
1 Union
364 Confederate
April 25, 1862: Capture of New Orleans
Casualties: None
May 31, 1862: Battle of Seven Pines
Casualties: 13,736
5,739 Union
7,997 Confederate
June 6, 1862: Battle of Memphis
Casualties: 181
1 Union
180 Confederate
June 26, 1862: Battle of Beaver Dam Creek
Casualties: 1,700
400 Union
1,300 Confederate
June 27, 1862: Battle of Gaines' Mill
Casualties: 15,500
6,800 Union
8,700 Confederate
June 30, 1862: Battle of Glendale
Casualties: Undetermined
July 1, 1862: Battle of Malvern Hill
Casualties: 8,500
August 9, 1862: Battle of Cedar Mountain
Casualties: 2,707
1,400 Union
1,307 Confederate
August 28-30, 1862: Second Battle of Bull Run/Second Battle of Manassas
Casualties: 22,180
13,830 Union
8,350 Confederate
September 1, 1862: Battle of Chantilly
Casualties: 2,100
1,300 Union
800 Confederate
September 14, 1862: Battle of South Mountain
Casualties: 4,500
September 17, 1862: Battle of Antietam
Casualties: 23,100
October 8, 1862: Battle of Perryville
Casualties: 7,407
4,211 Union
3,196 Confederate
December 13, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg
Casualties: 17,929
13,353 Union
4,576 Confederate
December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863: Battle of Stones River
Casualties: 23,515
13,249 Union
10,266 Confederate
January 9-11, 1863: Battle of Arkansas Post
Casualties: 6,547
1,047 Union
5,500 Confederate
April 30 - May 1, 1863: Battle of Chancellorsville
Casualties: Unknown
May 12, 1863: Battle of Raymond
Casualties: 956
442 Union
514 Confederate
May 18 - July 4, 1863: Siege of Vicksburg
Casualties: 19,233
10,142 Union
9,091 Confederate
May 21 - July 9, 1863: Siege of Port Hudson
Casualties: 12,208
5,000 Union
7,208 Confederate
June 9, 1863: Battle of Brandy Station
Casualties: 1,090
July 1-3, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg
Casualties: 51,000
23,000 Union
28,000 Confederate
July 11, 1863: First Battle of Fort Wagner
Casualties: 351
339 Union
12 Confederate
July 18, 1863: Second Battle of Fort Wagner
Casualties: 1,689
1,515 Union
174 Confederate
September 19-20, 1863: Battle of Chickamauga
Casualties: 34,624
16,170 Union
18,454 Confederate
November 23-25, 1863: Battle of Chattanooga
Casualties: 12,485
5,815 Union
6,670 Confederate
May 5-7, 1864: Battle of the Wilderness
Casualties: 29,800
18,400 Union
11,400 Confederate
May 8-21, 1864: Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse
Casualties: 30,000
18,000 Union
12,000 Confederate
May 13, 1864: Battle of Resaca
Casualties: 5,547
2,747 Union
2,800 Confederate
May 15, 1864: Battle of New Market
Casualties: 1,380
840 Union
540 Confederate
May 31 - June 12, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor
Casualties: 15,500
13,000 Union
2,500 Confederate
July 22, 1864: Battle of Atlanta
Casualties: 12,140
3,641 Union
8,499 Confederate
July 24, 1864: Second Battle of Kernstown
Casualties: 1,800
1,200 Union
600 Confederate
July 30, 1864: Battle of the Crater
Casualties: 5,300
August 5, 1864: Battle of Mobile Bay
Casualties: 1,822
322 Union
1,500 Confederate
August 18-21, 1864: Battle of Globe Tavern
Casualties: 5,879
4,279 Union
1,600 Confederate
August 31 - September 1, 1864: Battle of Jonesborough
Casualties: 3,149
1,149 Union
2,000 Confederate
October 19, 1864: Battle of Cedar Creek
Casualties: 8,575
5,665 Union
2,910 Confederate
November - December, 1864: Sherman's March to the Sea
Casualties: Unknown
November 29, 1864: Battle of Spring Hill
Casualties: Unknown
November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin
Casualties: 8,587
2,326 Union
6,261 Confederate
December 15-16, 1864: Battle of Nashville
Casualties: 6,602
2,140 Union
4,462 Confederate
January 13-15, 1865: Second Battle of Fort Fisher
Casualties: 2,000
March 19-21, 1865: Battle of Bentonville
Casualties: 4,738
1,646 Union
3,092 Confederate
April 1, 1865: Battle of Five Forks
Casualties: 3,780
830 Union
2,950 Confederate
April 6, 1865: Battle of Sailor's Creek
Casualties: 9,980
April 9, 1865: Surrender at Appomattox Court House
Casualties: 700
27,805 Confederate soldiers paroled
