Battles of the American Civil War were fought between April 12, 1861, and May 12–13, 1865 in 19 states, mostly Confederate (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia[A]), the District of Columbia, and six territories (Arizona Territory (also Confederate Arizona)[B], Colorado Territory, Dakota Territory, Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), New Mexico Territory, and Washington Territory), as well as naval engagements. Virginia in particular was the site of many major and decisive battles. These battles would change the standing and historical memory of the United States.
For lists of battles organized by campaign and theater, see:
- Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
- Western Theater of the American Civil War
- Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
- Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War
- Lower Seaboard Theater of the American Civil War
- Category:Battles of the American Civil War
Some battles have more than one name. For instance, the battles known in the North as Battle of Antietam and Second Battle of Bull Run were referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg and the Battle of Manassas, respectively, by the South. This was because the North tended to name battles after landmarks (often rivers or bodies of water), whereas the South named battles after nearby towns.
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