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On October 24, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln made a consequential change in Union command in the Western Theater: Major General Don Carlos Buell was removed from command and replaced by Major General William S. Rosecrans. The decision was about mo…

On October 20, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln took a step that seemed straightforward on paper but would have important consequences for the Union war effort in the West. He authorized Major General John A. McClernand to organize troops in Indiana,…

They thought it would be over quickly. In the summer of 1861, Americans on both sides of the growing Civil War still carried remarkably romantic ideas about what was coming. Soldiers marched off with enthusiasm. Politicians talked confidently about…

The Battle of Perryville, fought on October 8, 1862, was one of the most important—and often overlooked—battles of the American Civil War. Although it produced no dramatic battlefield collapse and ended without a clear tactical victory, Perryville e…

The Battle of Corinth, fought October 3–4, 1862, was one of the most important—and often underappreciated—Union victories in the western theater. Coming only weeks after the bloody battles of Iuka and Antietam, Corinth demonstrated that Confederate …

On September 27, 1862, something happened in New Orleans that would prove far more important than it may have seemed at the time: the 1st Regiment Louisiana Native Guards was formally mustered into Union service. It was the first Black regiment offi…

The Battle of Iuka, fought on September 19, 1862, was a relatively small engagement by Civil War standards, but its significance was considerably larger than its casualty figures might suggest. Fought in northern Mississippi, Iuka was part of Union …

On September 17, 1862, roughly 100,000 soldiers collided near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in what became the bloodiest single day in American history. The Battle of Antietam was not a decisive military victory in the traditional sense. Robert E. Lee’s Arm…

In September 1862, Robert E. Lee made one of the most consequential decisions of the Civil War: he took the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River and into Maryland. Coming only weeks after the Confederate victory at Second Bull Run, the…

The Second Battle of Bull Run (or Second Manassas), fought between August 28 and 30, 1862, was one of the Confederacy's greatest battlefield victories, but it was also a devastating reminder of a deeper problem plaguing the Union war effort: Preside…

On August 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee made a decision that would shape the character and effectiveness of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia for the remainder of the Civil War. By placing Major General J.E.B. Stuart in command of all the …

The Battle of Cedar Mountain, fought on August 9, 1862, is often remembered as the opening engagement of Robert E. Lee's Northern Virginia Campaign, but its significance extends well beyond military strategy. While the Confederate victory helped set…

The fighting at Baton Rouge on August 5, 1862, and the destruction of the Confederate ironclad CSS Arkansas the following day marked the collapse of one of the Confederacy's last serious attempts to challenge Union control of the lower Mississippi R…

On July 29, 1862, Confederate spy Belle Boyd was captured by Union forces near Warrenton, Virginia, marking one of the most famous episodes in the colorful—and often exaggerated—career of the Civil War's best-known female espionage figure. Although …

The Second Confiscation Act, signed by Abraham Lincoln on July 17, 1862, marked a turning point in the Union's conduct of the Civil War. Although the conflict had begun primarily as an effort to preserve the Union rather than abolish slavery, the le…

The appointment of Henry Wager Halleck as General-in-Chief of all Union armies on July 11, 1862, marked a significant turning point in the Union war effort. While Halleck himself is often overshadowed by more dynamic military figures such as Ulysses…

The retreat of Union forces under George B. McClellan from the outskirts of Richmond in July 1862, following the Seven Days Battles, marked one of the most consequential operational failures of the early Civil War. It effectively ended the Peninsula…

The Battle of Malvern Hill, fought on July 1, 1862, remains one of the clearest examples of the difference between strategic success and tactical competence in the Civil War. While Confederate General Robert E. Lee is rightly celebrated for saving R…

The Seven Days Campaign, fought from June 25 to July 1, 1862, marked one of the most important turning points of the American Civil War. Even before the climactic Battle of Malvern Hill, the campaign fundamentally altered the strategic direction of …

J.E.B. Stuart’s famous ride around Union Major General George B. McClellan’s army from June 12–15, 1862, was one of the most celebrated cavalry operations of the American Civil War. Conducted during the early stages of the Peninsula Campaign, Stuart…

The twin battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic, fought on June 8–9, 1862, marked the dramatic conclusion of Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson’s celebrated Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Although neither battle ranks among the largest engagements …

The First Battle of Winchester, fought on May 25, 1862, was one of the defining moments of Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s celebrated Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Though small in scale compared to later Civil War battles, Winchest…

The Battle of Front Royal on May 23, 1862, was one of the most dramatic turning points in Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s famed Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Coming only two weeks after Jackson’s victory at the Battle of McDowell o…

The Union occupation of Norfolk on May 10, 1862, and the subsequent loss of the ironclad CSS Virginia the following day marked a decisive turning point in the naval and strategic balance of the American Civil War. These twin events effectively ended…