From Warriors of the Rebellion
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Welcome to the WotrWiki!
This wiki is a database of soldiers who fought in the Civil War that spanned the entire continental United States from 1861-1865. Using wiki software and digitized sources published during the time period (which often refer to the conflict as the War of the Rebellion), it is our mission to use modern technology to solve problems of historical organization.
FEATURES OF THE WotRWiki INCLUDE:
- Profiles of 8,313 Union soldiers who served in 3,660 Union units
- Profiles of 4,432 Confederate soldiers who served in 1,522 Confederate units
- Information on 808 battles and skirmishes fought in 310 campaigns and sub-operations
- Check out the most recent site-wide status updates on our Project Status page!
- See it for yourself: check out our SOURCES HOMEPAGE to learn about the sources used in compiling this wiki!
- Got feedback? EMAIL THE WEBMASTER and let us know what you think!
- As of April 27. 2024, there are over 24,929 total articles on this wiki - use the SEARCH feature or check below for day-by-day information!
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What Happened Today in the Civil War?
1861
"A People's Contest"
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In the early months of 1861, every southern state secedes from the Union. Throughout the summer, Union forces enter the border states of Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and the westernmost mountainous portions of Virginia. These incursions are initially successful, but months of confused skirmishing and unexpected Confederate victories force Union troops to a standstill in Virginia and a retreat in the west. Even farther west, Confederates occupy frontier forts in Texas and New Mexico in hopes of extending the south into recently acquired territory from Mexico. By December, the Union regains most of what it had lost over the summer, but the Confederacy remains intact.
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- John Henry Winder is appointed Brigadier General in the Confederate Army
- At the direction of President Lincoln Lieutenant General Winfield Scott announces the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
- Major General Robert Patterson, commanding the Pennsylvania Militia, is assigned to the command of the Department of Pennsylvania
- Brigadier General Benjamin Butler, commanding the Massachusetts Militia, is assigned to the command of the Department of Annapolis
- Colonel Thomas Jackson, commanding Confederate Virginia volunteers, is assigned to the command of the Virginia State Troops at and about Harper's Ferry, Virginia
- The Virginia State Convention offers Richmond to the Confederacy as its capital, in lieu of Montgomery, Alabama, which is strategically too distant from the events of the day
- Colonel Joseph Mansfield is assigned to the command of the Department of Washington, D.C.
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1862
The Conflict Escalates
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Inconclusive skirmishing breaks out along the borders of the occupied states. The Confederacy sees success in its frontier campaign, taking large portions of modern-day Arizona and northern New Mexico. Union forces press along the entire line, meeting stiff resistance in Tennessee and northern Arkansas, and near-disaster several times in Virginia. Union forces begin landing in Louisiana and moving up the Mississippi River to cut the Confederacy in half. Even as the Union re-occupies the frontier states and ends the Confederacy's hopes of westward expansion, the emboldened Confederacy pushes into Kentucky and Maryland. Though initially successful, these are both beaten back. By December, the Union holds New Mexico, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, southeastern Louisiana, and the easternmost counties of Virginia and North Carolina.
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- Skirmish at Bridgeport, Alabama
- Fort Livingston, Louisiana captured by Union Forces
- Fort Pike, Louisiana captured by Union Forces
- Fort Wood, Louisiana captured by Union Forces
- Confederate troops abandon Fort Quitman, Louisiana
- Skirmish near Haughton's Mill(/Horton's Mills/Pollocksville Road), North Carolina
- Skirmish at Pea Ridge, Tennessee
- Skirmish at McGaheysville, Virginia
- Skirmish at Swift Run Bridge, Virginia
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1863
The Turning Point
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The Union pushes farther into Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. A still hopeful Confederacy launches a second invasion into Maryland and Pennsylvania, and is pushed back into Virginia. The Union gains control of the entire Mississippi River, cutting the Confederacy in two halves. Major activity begins to erupt in the northern counties of the deep south states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. By December, the Union controls all of the original border states, as well as a large portion of Arkansas and most of Tennessee.
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- Skirmish at Town Creek, Alabama
- Skirmish at Barboursville, Kentucky
- Skirmish at Negro Head Cut, Kentucky
- Skirmish at Jackson, Missouri
- Skirmish near White Water Bridge, Missouri
- Union Expedition from New Berne, North Carolina toward Kinston, North Carolina (continues to May 1, 1863)
- Affair at Murray's Inlet, South Carolina
- Confederate Major General Simon Buckner relieves Major General Dabney Herndon Maury as the commander of the Department of East Tennessee. Maury is then ordered to assume command of the District of the Gulf
- Skirmish on the Carter Creek Pike, Tennesee
- Union Major General Joseph Hooker begins moving the Army of the Potomac from Falmouth, Virginia toward Chancellorsville, Virginia, commencing the Chancellorsville Campaign (continues to May 6, 1863)
- Union Expedition from Yorktown, Virginia beyond Hickory Forks, Virginia
- Affair at Independence, West Virginia
- Affair at Morgantown, West Virginia
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1864
Total War
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Chaos erupts in the west as Union forces push further into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Confederate forces push back. In the east, Union troops fight campaigns through the northern and coastal counties of Virginia, cutting off access to the Atlantic and arriving at the brink of the Confederate capital. In between, a late Union campaign through Georgia cuts the larger half of the Confederacy in half, creating three distinct Confederate zones of control.
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- Edward Hatch is appointed Brigadier General in the Union Army
- Lewis Addison Grant is appointed Brigadier General in the Union Army
- Edward Moody McCook is appointed Brigadier General in the Union Army
- Skirmish near Decatur, Alabama
- The Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama destroys the Union merchant vessel Tycoon off the coast of Salvador, Brazil
- Confederate cavalry attack Union pickets on Taylor's Ridge, near Ringgold Georgia
- Skirmish on Troublesome Creek, in Breathitt County, Kentucky
- Skirmish at Dayton, Missouri
- Affair at Masonborough Inlet, North Carolina between the Union Steamer Niphon and Confederate shore batteries (continues to April 29, 1864)
- Union expedition from Williamsburg, Virginia (continues to April 29, 1864)
- Skirmish at Twelve-Mile Ordinary, Virginia
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1865
"A New Birth of Freedom"
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Another Union campaign in South and North Carolina solidifies Union control along the Atlantic seaboard. The Confederate capital finally succumbs to Union pressure and the armies of Virginia surrender in early April. The Union pushes into Alabama, and within weeks, the Confederate armies in each theater surrender. Action continues in Oklahoma for another month, and unorganized pockets of resistance harass Union garrisons during a long and difficult reunification and reconstruction of the country.
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- Union Brigadier General James Veatch is assigned to command the Post and the District of Mobile, Alabama
- Union Colonel William H. Dickey assumes the command of the District of Mississippi
- Affair near James Creek, Missouri
- A boiler explodes on the Confederate Steamer Sultana, killing between 1,200 and 1,900 Union prisoners of war being returned to the north
- President Lincoln's funeral train passes through Rochester and Buffalo, New York
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