Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1865

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This is a list of battles and skirmishes of the American Civil War during the year 1865, the final year of the war. During the year, Union forces were able to capture the last major Confederate ports still open to shipping, along with the Confederate capital, and forced the surrender of the four major Confederate commands.

In the Eastern Theater, a combined Union army and naval force captured Fort Fisher at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in January, closing the port of Wilmington, North Carolina to Confederate shipping (the city itself would be captured the following month). On April 1 and 2, Union forces commanded by Lieutenant General U.S. Grant launched a series of attacks on the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia near Petersburg, Virginia, overunning the Confederate fortifications. As a result, General Robert E. Lee was forced to evacuate both that city and Richmond, ending the nine month siege operations. Lee attempted to flee southwards to North Carolina to unite with other Confederate forces but was surrounded and forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9.[1]

In North Carolina, General Joseph Johnston was appointed commander of all Confederate forces in the state and ordered to defeat Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman. The resulting Carolinas Campaign culminated in the Battle of Bentonville on March 19 to 21, in which the Confederates gained an initial advantage over one portion of the Union army but was forced to retreat when the rest of the army arrived. When he received news of Lee's surrender, Johnston also surrendered both his Army of Tennessee and the remaining Confederate forces in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida at the Bennett Place, North Carolina on April 26.[2]

In the Western Theater, Major General James Wilson lead his cavalry corps in a raid through Alabama and Georgia, destroying Confederate manufacturing plants and defeating Nathan Bedford Forrest at the Battle of Selma.[3] Around Mobile, Alabama (the last port still held by the Confederates), Major General Edward R.S. Canby started siege operations against the forts protecting the city on March 31, first capturing Spanish Fort on April 8 and Fort Blakely the following day. The Confederates evacuated the city of Mobile without a fight on April 11.[4] The capture of Mobile freed additional troops to assist Wilson's cavalry to the north. Both this and word of the Confederate surrenders in Virginia and North Carolina convinced Richard Taylor, commander of the Cofederate Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, to surrender to Canby at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4. Forrest followed with the surrender of his command on May 9.[5]

Due to slow communications, Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater didn't receive word of the Confederate surrenders in the east for several weeks. The last organized engagement of the war was fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas on May 13 and 14. Confederate Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, surrendered his forces at Shreveport, Louisiana on June 2, while Confederate forces in the Indian Territorysurrendered on June 23 at Doaksville, Indian Territory.[6] The Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah, which had been in the Pacific Ocean during the months of April and May, only received word of the end of the war on August 2. Fearing execution as pirates if it surrendered to Union forces, the ship instead sailed to Liverpool, United Kingdom, and surrendered to British authorities on November 6.[7]

Contents

January

13th to 15th
Fort Fisher II, N.C.

February

2nd to 3rd
Rivers Bridge, S.C.
  • Military units: Union Grand Army of the West and Confederate Military Division of the West
  • Losses: Union 92 killed and wounded Confederate 170 killed and wounded[9]
5th to 7th
Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia
19th to 20th
Town Creek, N.C.
  • Military units: Union Third Division, XXIII Corps and Confederate infantry brigade, Cape Fear District, Department of North Carolina
  • Losses: Union unknown Confederate 395[11]
20th
Forks Road, N.C.
  • Military units: Union Terry's Provisional Corps, Department of North Carolina and Confederate Cape Fear District, Department of North Carolina
  • Losses: Union 53 Confederate unknown[12]

March

2nd
Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia
6th
Battle of Natural Bridge, Fl.
  • Military units: Union and Confederate volunteers
  • Losses: Union 148 Confederate 25[14]
7th to 10th
Wyse Fork, N.C.
  • Military units: Union Grand Army of the West and Confederate Department of North Carolina
  • Losses: Union 1,300 Confederate 1,500[15]
10th
Monroe's Cross Roads, N.C.
  • Military units: Union 3rd Cavalry Division, Grand Army of the West and Confederate Hampton's Cavalry command, Army of the South
  • Losses: Union 183, Confederate 86[16]
16th
Battle of Averasborogh, N.C.
  • Military units: Union Grand Army of the West and Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
  • Losses: Union 683 Confederate 865[17]
19th to 21st
Battle of Bentonville, N.C.
  • Military units: Union Grand Army of the West and Confederate Army of the South
  • Losses: Union 1,527 Confederate 2,606[18]
25th
Battle of Fort Stedman, Virginia
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 1,017 Confederate 2,681[19]
27th to April 8th
Battle of Spanish Fort, Ala.
  • Military units: Union Department of the Gulf and Confederate Department of East Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
  • Losses: Union 657 Confederate 741[20]
29th
Battle of Lewis's Farm, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 381 Confederate 371[21]
31st
Dinwiddle Court House, Va
  • Military units: Union Army of the Shenendoah and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 354 Confederate 760[22]
31st
White Oak Road, Va
  • Military units: Union V Corps and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 1,781 Confederate 900 to 1,235[23]
31st
Johnson County, Tenn.
  • Military units: Union and Confederate irregulars
  • Losses: Union one Confederate 15[24]

April

1st
Battle of Five Forks, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Shenandoah and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 830 Confederate 3,000[25]
2nd to 9th
Battle of Fort Blakely, Ala.
  • Military units: Union Department of the Gulf and Confederate Department of East Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
  • Losses: Union 775 Confederate 3,700[26]
2nd
Battle of Selma, Ala.
  • Military units: Union and Confederate
  • Losses: Union 359 Confederate 2,700[27]
Petersburg III, Va.
  • Military units: Union Armies of the Potomac, the Shenandoah, and the James and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 3,894 Confederate 4,852[28]
Sutherland Station, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 366, Confederate 600[29]
3rd
Namozine Church, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 81 Confederate unknown[30]
5th
Amelia Springs, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 158 Confederate unknown[31]
6th
Sayler's Creek, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 1,148 Confederate 7,700[32]
Rice's Station, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 66 Confederate unknown[33]
6th to 7th
High Bridge, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 847 Confederate 100[34]
7th
Cumberland Church, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 571 Confederate unknown[35]
8th
Appomattox Station, Va.
  • Military units: Union Army of the Potomac and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 48 Confederate 1,000 captured unknown killed and wounded[36]
9th
Dingle's Mill, S.C.
  • Military units: Union expedition, Department of the South and Confederate militia and regulars
  • Losses: Union unknown Confederate unknown[37]
Battle of Appomattox Court House, Va.
  • Military units: Union Armies of the Potomac, the James, and the Shenandoah and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
  • Losses: Union 164 Confederate 500[38]
16th
West Point, Georgia
  • Military units: Union Wilson's Cavalry Corps and Confederate militia and artillerymen
  • Losses: Union 36 Confederate 264[39]
18th
Boykin's Mill, S.C.
  • Military units: Union expedition, Department of the South and Confederate militia
  • Losses: Union two Confederate unknown[40]

May

12th to 13th
Battle of Palmito Ranch, Tex.
  • Military units: Union and Confederate Department of the Trans-Mississippi, Subdistrict of the Rio Grande
  • Losses: Union 30, Confederate 118[41]
26th
Sea of Okhotsk, near Russia
  • Military units: CSS Shenadoah
  • Losses: Capture of Union whaling ship[42]

June

22nd to 23rd
Bering Sea, near the coast of Alaska
  • Military units: CSS Shenadoah
  • Losses: Capture of seven U.S. whaling ships[43]
23rd
Doaksville, Oklahoma
  • Military units: Union and Confederate irregulars
  • Losses: none (Confederate surrender)[44]
26th
Bering Sea, near the coast of Alaska
  • Military units: CSS Shenandoah
  • Losses: Capture of six U.S. whaling ships.[45]
28th
East Cape Bay, Alaska
  • Military units: CSS Shenandoah
  • Losses: Capture of eleven U.S. whaling ships[46]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Trudeau, pp. 70, 142–144.
  2. ^ Trudeau, pp. 238–241.
  3. ^ Trudeau, pp. 258-259.
  4. ^ Trudeau, pp. 6, 178–179, 184.
  5. ^ Trudeau, p. 259–261
  6. ^ Trudeau, 340-341, 360.
  7. ^ Trudeau, pp. 369–370.
  8. ^ Gragg, p. 235
  9. ^ Kennedy, p. 406
  10. ^ Kennedy, p. 373
  11. ^ Fonvielle, p. 411
  12. ^ Fonvielle, pp. 419-420.
  13. ^ Kennedy, p. 324
  14. ^ Kennedy, p. 454
  15. ^ Kennedy, p. 406
  16. ^ Kennedy, p. 407
  17. ^ Kennedy, p. 407
  18. ^ Kennedy, p. 411
  19. ^ Kennedy, p. 373
  20. ^ Kennedy, p. 455
  21. ^ Kennedy, p. 414
  22. ^ Kennedy, p. 413
  23. ^ Kennedy, p. 417
  24. ^ Trudeau, p. 4
  25. ^ Kennedy, p. 419
  26. ^ Kennedy, p. 455
  27. ^ Kennedy, p. 436
  28. ^ Kennedy, p. 423
  29. ^ Kennedy, p. 423
  30. ^ Kennedy, p. 424
  31. ^ Kennedy, p. 424
  32. ^ Kennedy, p. 427
  33. ^ Kennedy, p. 427
  34. ^ Kennedy, p. 428
  35. ^ Kennedy, p. 428
  36. ^ Kennedy, p. 429
  37. ^ Trudeua, p. 249
  38. ^ Kennedy, p. 452
  39. ^ Trudeau, pp. 252–254
  40. ^ Trudeau, p. 250
  41. ^ Kennedy, p. 438
  42. ^ Trudeau, p. 367.
  43. ^ Trudeau, p. 367.
  44. ^ Trudeau, p. 289
  45. ^ Trudeau, p. 368
  46. ^ Trudeau, p. 368.

Sources