Battles Of The American Civil War

William Starke Rosecrans was a brilliant Civil War general, inventor, and politician. Known for victories at Iuka, Corinth, and Stones River, he outmaneuvered Confederate forces in Tennessee before suffering a major defeat at Chickamauga. Clashing with Ulysses S. Grant and others, his military career ended in controversy. After the war, he served in politics and was elected to Congress from California. Discover the rise, fall, and legacy of this complex Union leader.

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As the United States expanded westward and the debate over slavery intensified, the Kansas Territory became the epicenter of a brutal ideological and political conflict. Known as Bleeding Kansas, this violent and chaotic period between 1854 and 1861 marked the nation’s descent toward civil war.

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We profile Nathan Bedford Forrest, a polarizing figure who rose from a Tennessee slave trader to a Confederate cavalry general and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Before the Civil War, Forrest amassed wealth through slave trading, real estate, and cotton plantations. Enlisting as a private in 1861, he became a general, earning the nickname "Wizard of the Saddle" for innovative cavalry tactics. His role in the 1864 Fort Pillow Massacre, where surrendered black and Unionist troops were killed, remains highly controversial. As Klan leader (1867–1869), he led violent efforts to suppress black voting rights but later disbanded the group an...

This week Dive we cover George Armstrong Custer, one of America’s most iconic and polarizing military figures. From his roots in New Rumley, Ohio, to his daring exploits as a Civil War cavalry commander and his infamous "Last Stand" at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, this video explores Custer’s life, military career, and enduring legacy.

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We dive into John Brown’s audacious raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, a pivotal moment that ignited tensions leading to the Civil War. From his secretive preparations at the Kennedy Farmhouse under the alias Isaac Smith to his bold attempt to seize the U.S. Armory, we explore Brown’s plan to arm enslaved people and strike fear into the heart of the South.

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This week, we cover General Albert Sidney Johnston, a distinguished military officer who served in the Texian Army, United States Army, and Confederate States Army. From his early days at West Point to his heroic actions in the Black Hawk War, Texas-Indian Wars, Mexican-American War, Utah War, and his ultimate sacrifice at the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War, Johnston’s 34-year career was marked by courage and leadership. Praised by Confederate President Jefferson Davis as one of the finest generals before Robert E. Lee, Johnston’s death at Shiloh was considered a turning point for the Confederacy.

We cover the controversial life of John Charles Frémont, the "Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains"! From his scandalous beginnings in Savannah, Georgia, to his daring expeditions mapping the American West, Frémont’s story is a rollercoaster of adventure, ambition, and drama. As a U.S. Army officer, explorer, California senator, and the first Republican presidential nominee in 1856, he shaped the nation’s expansion through Manifest Destiny. But his legacy is a mixed bag—hero to some, villain to others, with a dark role in Native American displacement.

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On this episode we take a look at the Union Army POW Camp Douglas. Sometimes described as the "Andersonville of the North" as almost 4,500 prisoners died in the camp. Many of these deaths came from disease from the horrible living conditions inside the camp leading to Camp Douglas having a death rate of about 17%.

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We've compiled every battle we have done of the Gettysburg campaign all in one episode! Over 3 hours of the campaign from the first battle of Franklin's Crossing, the largest battle of them all, Gettysburg, up to the last of the campaign, Manassas Gap. Enjoy!

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Dive into the thrilling story of James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, one of the most iconic cavalry commanders of the American Civil War! Known for his daring reconnaissance missions, flamboyant style, and unwavering loyalty to the Confederacy, Stuart was the trusted "eyes and ears" of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. From his early days at West Point to his audacious raids and tragic death at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, we explore Stuart’s remarkable life, military genius, and lasting impact.

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We take a look at Ambrose Burnside, who became Commander of the Army Of The Potomac after the dismissal of McClellan. Although well liked by his men, he is generally thought of as an incompetent leader who was promoted above his abilities, which even he admits. After the disasters of Fredericksburg and The Crater he was let go of command of the Potomac and never did anything of note for the rest of the war.

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This week we take a look at the landmark case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, which in March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court ruled that African Americans are not Citizens of the United States. The case stems from a slave named Dred Scott who sued his owner claiming that the owner took him out of state and brought him to a free state where he argued he should be free.  

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Up next we have Robert E. Lee's "Old War Horse" James Longstreet! Known as one of the best Generals on either side of the war, Longstreet played important roles in some of the most important battles. He is also one of the few that did quite well after the war, as well as one of the few Generals to live into the 1900s.  

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This week on Behind The Battles, we cover the most successful General of the Army Of The Potomac, George Meade. Perhaps best known as commanding the army during the victory at Gettysburg, he did not have a good reputation with his higher ups and Grant stationed himself with Meade for the remainder of the war to keep an eye on him. We will cover his pre war life, his war time contributions and of course his later life and death.  

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After covering the CSS Virginia last week, we take a look at it's enemy this week. The USS Monitor was the Union's first ironclad warship. While it was famous for battling the Virginia at Hampton Roads, unlike the Virginia, the Monitor went on to fight a couple more battles. We will get into the planning and creation of the ship as well as the battles and her demise at sea.  

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On this episode, we profile America's first ever ironclad warship, the CSS Virginia. After the Union army had to burn the USS Merrimack when the Confederates took over the shipyard she was at, the Confederates raised what was left of it and used it to build the Virginia. It became most famous for the first ever battle of two ironclads in the world against the USS Monitor at the battle of Hampton Roads.  

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This week, we profile one of the greatest Generals on either side during the war, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Known as one the best tactical generals of the war, he played important roles in both battles of Bull Run and Robert E. Lee considered him his "right arm." As usual we will take a look at his early life and military career, his death at Chancellorsville, and his legacy.  

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On this week's Behind The Battles we cover one of the most Union Generals, George B. McClellan! Commander of the Army Of The Potomac and, for a time, the Union Army altogether, he was heavily criticized for his failure to pursue the enemy and take out the Confederates. We will take a look at his early life and military years, his Civil War years, and of course his life after the war up to his death.  

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On this episode, we cover what is perhaps the deadliest place you could be during the Civil War, Andersonville Prison near Andersonville, Georgia. It opened in February 1864 and housed Union prisoners of war. Around 28% of the prisoners held at the camp died, mostly to scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery. It was one truly awful place.      

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Behind The Battles roars on with the Confederate's greatest General, Robert E. Lee. We will cover his early life and military career on to his painful decision to choose the CSA over the USA, and his later life and legacy after the war. There are some things you may not have heard before, especially his views on slavery. You don't want to miss this one!  

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This week we continue our profile of Ulysses S. Grant and we dive into his presidency including all the good and bad. Spoiler alert: there was a lot of bad. We then take a look at his life after his presidency, his memoirs, and finally his death and legacy.  

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We continue with more Behind The Battles and take a look at the most popular General of the Civil War Ulysses S. Grant! In this first part, we will learn about his early life and him first joining the military, allegations of being a drunkard and then emerging as a Civil War hero. Then we see his time after the war and the run up to the 1868 election!  

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For this week's Behind The Battles we take a look at the Trent Affair that saw the United States almost get into another war with Britain while engaged in the civil war with the south. After the U.S. Navy seized two Confederate envoys from a British ship, a major crisis broke out that saw Britain preparing for war, while the United States looks for a way to prevent it.  

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On April 27th, 1865, the steamboat Sultana which was carrying over 2,000 passengers--many who were Union POWs--exploded near Memphis,TN on the Mississippi River. One of it's boilers overheated and exploded which resulted in the death of at least 1,164 people which remains the worst maritime disaster in American history.  

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We move on with more Behind The Battles and this week we take a look at the other president---Jefferson Davis. Serving several high ranking positions in the United States government, when it came time for him to choose a side after his state of Mississippi's secession, he chose to side with the secessionists. We will cover his early life and his foray into politics, becoming president of the Confederacy, his capture and his later life up until his death.  

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We have come to end of Abraham Lincoln's story and unfortunately his life. We cover the assassination with the events leading up to it, the search for Booth and the other conspirators and wrap it up by taking a look at Lincoln's legacy as president.  

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On part three of Abraham Lincoln's story, we take a look at his presidency. With the nation in war we see how he navigated that as well as some of his policies, appointments, and everything in between leading up to that fateful day at Ford's Theater.  

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In part two of the Abraham Lincoln series, we take a look at the lead up to the 1860 election in which Abe is thrust back into the political game. We will also breakdown the election and the prelude to the states seceding.  

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We start off the debut episode of Behind The Battles the only way it should be started. We go through the life of Abraham Lincoln in an epic 4 part series! First up in part one, we will cover his early life, his beginnings as a lawyer and his early career in politics. 2025 is going to be HUGE!

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THE WAR IS OVER! That's right, we have reached the end of the bloodiest war on American soil. We start off the episode with the battle of Columbus, GA on April 16th, 1865, where Wilson's Raid comes to an end. Some historians have argued that this battle was the actual last battle of the war instead of the widely accepted battle of Palmito Ranch.  

Next up is the small battle of Anderson, SC on May 1st. The Union troops arrived in Anderson to look for the fleeing Jefferson Davis, when he was not located they looted the city.  

Even though General Lee surrendered his troops at Appomattox Court House April 9th, 1865, that didn't mean the war was over. On the very same day of Lee's surrender, the battle of Fort Blakeley took place where the Union took the last major Confederate port.  

On April 13th-15th the last battle between Sherman and Johnston took place at the battle of Morrisville. After this battle, all hope was lost and Johnston surrenders his army to Sherman just two weeks later, which is the largest surrender of the war. We will cover the surrender in detail.  

For th...

The time has come as we have reached the de facto end of the war with General Grant's army finally stopping General Lee. After being on the run since the fall of Petersburg, Lee's luck finally runs out at the battle of Appomattox Station on April 8th, 1865 where he is forced to surrender his army the next day at Appomattox Court House. Although there is still around 160,000 Confederate troops in other armies, the war is basically over once Lee surrenders as the other armies soon follow suit. The official end is near.

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We are getting closer to the end with this week's battles taking us one day away from Lee's surrender. At this point, Lee and his army are still retreating hoping to get rations and supplies, but the Union are one step ahead the whole way.  

The Confederates suffer a huge defeat in the battle of Sailor's Creek on April 6th, 1865 where a large portion of Lee's Army was captured, including Kershaw and Ewell.  

The next day at the battle of Cumberland Church, all hope is lost as he is forced to retreat to Appomattox Court House, on...

We are on our way to the end of the war and in this episode we will see Robert E. Lee and the Confederates start their retreat from Petersburg and Richmond. We have the battle of Namozine Church on April 3rd, the battle of Amelia Springs on April 5th, and the battle of Rice's Station on April 6th.  

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The Third Battle Of Petersburg occurred on April 2nd, 1865, and it was essentially the beginning of the end for General Lee's Army. The Union push the Confederate line back and force a retreat of Lee's Army. The Confederates are forced to abandon Petersburg as well as Richmond taking documents and archives with them. The defeat eventually leads to the infamous surrender of Lee's Army at Appomattox Courthouse.  

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The Battle Of Five Forks occurred on April 1st, 1865, during the Appomattox Campaign with a Union effort to capture Five Forks to control the South Side Railroad which was one of the last major supply lines and evacuation routes for the Confederates. The win here would cause Robert E. Lee to abandon Petersburg and Richmond and the war is all but over.  

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We have officially reached the beginning of the end as we start the Appomattox Campaign. First, we take a look at the small battle of Spanish Fort in Alabama on March 27th- April 8th, 1865 where Union forces attempt to take the fort.  

The Appomattox Campaign begins with the battle of Lewis's Farm on March 29th as the Union works to dislodge the Confederate lines at Petersburg and Richmond. This leads us directly into the simultaneous battles of White Oak Road and Dinwiddie Court House on March 31st and the Confederate chances of winning the war are all but o...

It's the month of March of 1865 and it’s only a matter of time before the collapse of the Confederates. We start out the episode with the Battle of Averasborough on March 16th as Sherman was moving his Army towards Goldsboro, he split it in two where Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee decided to attack the force led by Maj. Gen. Henry Slocum. This was a preclude to our next battle of Bentonville.  

At Bentonville on March 19th-21st the Confederate forces were entrenched when Slocum came up upon them and the battle began. After Sherman sent reinforcements, all...

This week, we cover 4 battles as the war winds down. We start in Virginia with the battle of Waynesboro on March 2nd, 1865 where Brigadier General George Custer and his troops defeat Lt. General John Bell Hood and eliminate his army. Hood would not see the battlefield for the rest of his career.  

Next, we head to Florida on March 6th with the battle of Natural Bridge. A Confederate force tries to stop the Yankee's from crossing the bridge.  

For the last two battles of the episode, we go back to the Carolinas Campaign at the battles of...

Columbia, South Carolina was captured on February 17th, 1865 during the Carolinas Campaign. Sherman and his troops took over the city where Union troops and some residents got drunk and proceeded to burn the city and raise hell.   

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