The battles of the Civil War were fought across the United States from the East Coast to as far west as New Mexico. Beginning in 1861, these battles made a permanent mark upon the landscape and elevated to prominence small towns that had previously been peaceful villages. As a result, names such as Manassas, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg became eternally entwined with images of sacrifice, bloodshed, and heroism. It is estimated that over 10,000 battles of various sizes were fought during the Civil War as Union forces marched towards victory. The battles of the Civil War are largely divided into the Eastern, Western, and Trans-Mississippi Theaters, with the bulk of the fighting taking place in the first two. During the Civil War, over 200,000 Americans were killed in battle as each side fought for their chosen cause. In this article, we list several of the key engagements and will be adding more over time.

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress

December 15-16, 1864 - Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas (right) wins the Battle of Nashville. Advancing from his defeat at Franklin, Gen. John Bell Hood arrived outside the Union lines at Nashville on December 2 with the Army of Tennessee. Digging in, he awaited Thomas' attack. Methodically planning his assault, Thomas was beset with messages from Pres. Abraham Lincoln and Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant urging immediate action. Slowed by severe winter weather, Thomas assaulted Hood's position on December 15. Pushing the Confederates back, he failed to drive them away. Forming a new line that night, Hood remained on the defensive. Advancing again the next day, Thomas' men enveloped Hood's left flank and routed his army. Fleeing to Tupelo, MS, the Army of Tennessee was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. The victory preserved the Union hold on Tennessee and ended a threat to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's supply lines as he advanced across Georgia. A Confederate disaster, what should Hood have done differently?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

December 13, 1939 - British ships engage Admiral Graf Spee (right) in the Battle of the River Plate. Tasked with raiding Allied shipping in the South Atlantic, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee was hunted by the Royal Navy during late 1939. Brought to battle by Commodore Henry Harwood's Force G off the estuary of the River Plate, Captain Hans Langsdorff succeeded in mauling the cruiser HMS Exeter but suffered a critical hit to his ship's fuel processing plant. Forced into neutral Montevideo, Uruguay, Langsdorff was unable to secure permission for his ship to remain long enough to make repairs. The victim of effective British false intelligence, he came to believe that a large force had gathered off the River Plate to intercept him. Unable to remain and fearing destruction at sea, he scuttled Graf Spee in the River Plate on December 17. Did Langsdorff make the right decision?

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December 11, 1917 - Field Marshal Edmund Allenby (right) enters Jerusalem on foot. Graduating from Sandhurst in 1881, Allenby saw extensive service in South Africa in the 1880s and during the Second Boer War. Establishing himself as a skilled field commander, he was tapped for rapid advancement. With the beginning of World War I, he led the British Expeditionary Force's Cavalry Division before rising to command the British Third Army. Relieved in June 1917 due to conflicts with Field Marshal Douglas Haig and his performance at Arras, Allenby was made commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Winning the Third Battle of Gaza, he captured Jerusalem in December 1917. Renewing his assault in August 1918, he won the decisive Battle of Megiddo and routed Ottoman forces. Rapidly advancing, he took Aleppo before the Ottomans surrendered. After the war, Allenby remained in the region as an administrator. Where does Allenby rank among the great commanders of World War I?

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Their offensive capability spent at Verdun, the Germans opened 1917 by falling back to a strong position known as the Hindenburg Line. The Allied cause was bolstered in April when the United States, angered by Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, entered the war. Returning to the offensive, the French were badly repulsed later that month at Chemin des Dames leading some units to mutiny. Forced to carry the load, the British won limited victories at Arras and Messines, but suffered heavily at Passchendaele. Despite some success in 1916, Russia began to collapse internally as revolution broke out and the Communist Bolsheviks came to power. Seeking to exit the war, they signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in early 1918.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Army

December 7, 1941 - Japanese aircraft attack Pearl Harbor (right). After several years of growing tensions between the United States and Japan over the latter's war in China, the Roosevelt Administration initiated an oil embargo in August 1941. Reliant on the United States for the majority of its oil, the embargo led the Japanese to begin planning operations to capture the Dutch East Indies. Believing that the US Pacific Fleet posed a threat to this plan, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto began planning for an attack on Pearl Harbor. Approved by the Emperor Hirohito, the attack force sailed on November 26. Arriving near Oahu on December 7, the Japanese carriers launched two attack waves which sank or damaged 21 ships, including all eight of the Pacific Fleet's battleships. Dubbed a "date which will live in infamy," the attack brought the United States into World War II and united the nation behind the war effort.

Photograph Coutesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command

December 5, 1757 - Prussian forces under Frederick the Great (right) win the Battle of Leuthen. Returning east after his decisive victory at Rossbach, Frederick sought to expel the Austrians from Silesia before winter. Though badly outnumbered, Frederick advanced on the army of Prince Charles of Lorraine. Spotting a weakness on the Austrian left flank, he sent forward part of his army to fix the enemy in place, then marched the bulk of his army behind a chain of hills to remain undetected. Reaching the Austrian left, his men attacked, taking a key hill and rolling up the enemy line. Though Charles attempted to reform his lines, he was not able to hold off the Prussian assaults that continued through the day. With evening approaching, both of the Austrian flanks collapsed and Charles' army fled the field. A masterpiece of maneuver warfare, Leuthen was one of Frederick's most stunning victories. Was this Frederick's greatest triumph?

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December 3, 1826 - Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan (right) in born in Philadelphia. A veteran of the Mexican-American War, McClellan quickly gained notice during the Civil War for several minor victories in western Virginia. Elevated to lead Union forces around Washington, he proved a superb organizer and created the Army of the Potomac. A cautious and timid field commander, he often believed that he was outnumbered and frequently clashed with Pres. Abraham Lincoln. Defeated on the Peninsula in the summer of 1862, he failed to crush Gen. Robert E. Lee at Antietam that September. Relieved in November, "Little Mac" ran for president in 1864, but was defeated by Lincoln. Where does McClellan rank on your list of Civil War commanders?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

December 2, 1738 - Maj. Gen. Richard Montgomery (right) is born in Ireland. The son of a British officer, Montgomery entered the military in 1756 rather than finish his studies at Trinity College. A skilled officer, he served with distinction in the 1758 siege of Louisbourg and capture of Fort Ticonderoga. After participating in campaigns in the Caribbean and battling Pontiac's Rebellion, he left the army in 1772 when his Whig political leanings began to hurt his career. Moving to New York, he became a supporter of the American cause. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was made a brigadier general in Continental service. Initially Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler's deputy, he led the American invasion of Canada in late 1775 and captured Montreal. Moving east, he was killed in the Battle of Quebec. A promising officer, Washington described his death as a "heavy loss." Had he lived, would the attack on Quebec succeeded?

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November 30, 1700 - 18-year old King Charles XII of Sweden (right) wins a stunning victory at Narva. Advancing east with 8,500 well-trained men after his defeat of the Danes, Charles sought lift the siege of Narva in Swedish-held Estonia. Though Duke Charles Eugène de Croy possessed 30,000-37,000 men outside the city, Charles was not to be denied and launched a massive assault on November 30. Using a blinding snowstorm as cover, the Swedish troops advanced to within 50 yards of the Russian lines before they were seen. Shattering Croy's lines, the Swedes defeated his army detail through the rest of the day. The Battle of Narva was one of the greatest victories in Swedish history and effectively destroyed the Russian army. Was there anything Croy could have done to prevent this disaster?

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