Confederate infantry advanced upon the center of the Union line at Gettysburg on this day in 1863. Known to history as Pickett’s Charge, the Rebel attack proceeded over nearly a mile of open ground before reaching its objective—and being repulsed. Shown here: This Edwin Forbes painting shows the charge from the Union perspective; Confederates are depicted breaching the Union line at the copse of trees, pictured at center-left.
This Alfred Waud sketch shows the attack of the Louisiana Tigers against elements of the Army of the Potomac's XI Corps on East Cemetery Hill on the evening of July 2, 1863—163 years ago today. High casualties marked the fighting, which was hand-to-hand in places.
The Battle of Gaines' Mill—the third of the so-called Seven Days Battles—was fought on this day in 1862. The Confederate victory convinced George McClellan to abandon his campaign to take Richmond and pull his Army of the Potomac back to the James River.
Abner Doubleday was born on this day in 1819. The West Point grad was among the defenders of Fort Sumter when it was bombarded in 1861 and rose to the rank of major general by war's end. The claim that he invented the game of baseball—made years after his death—has been debunked.
Winfield Scott—the influential army commander known as "Old Fuss and Feathers"—was born in Virginia on this day in 1786. As general-in-chief of the U.S. Army in 1861, he formulated the Anaconda Plan, which called for a blockade of southern ports and control of the Mississippi River.
William Quantrill, an Ohio-born schoolteacher who led the notorious pro-Confederate partisan ranger outfit responsible for the Lawrence Massacre, died on this day in 1865 of wounds he received on May 10 in a fight with Union troops in Kentucky, one of the war's final clashes. He was 27.
Wishing all a safe and peaceful Memorial Day, a holiday with its roots in honoring those who died during the Civil War. Shown here is a Harper's Weekly illustration from 1864 depicting Union officers toasting their fallen comrades.
Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, 24, was the first Union officer killed during the Civil War on this day in 1861 when he was shot by the proprietor of the Marshall House in Alexandria, VA, after removing the Confederate flag that had flown from the establishment's roof.
Ambrose E. Burnside was born on this day in 1824. A West Point grad and creator (in 1855) of a breech-loading carbine that bears his name, he began the Civil War as commander of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry and ended it as a major general.
Confederate general Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson died on this day in 1863 from pneumonia, eight days after he was accidentally shot by Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Chancellorsville, a wound that resulted in the amputation of his left arm. He was 39.
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House began on this day in 1864 when Union troops tried but failed to dislodge Confederates blocking their path to the vital crossroads. By the time the battle ended on May 21, the opposing armies had suffered over 30,000 combined casualties.
In the latest episode of our podcast "Civil War Curious," historian Gary W. Gallagher discusses the Battle of Chancellorsville, including how Union commander Joseph Hooker squandered multiple chances for victory. Sponsored by u/AmericanBattlefields. Listen here: https://www.civilwarmonitor.com/podcast/episode-16-chancellorsville/
Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on this day in 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. A West Point graduate and Mexican War veteran, he reentered the army at the start of the Civil War as commander of the 21st Illinois Infantry. He'd end the war as commander of all Union armies. Grant is shown here in 1861 shortly after his promotion to brigadier general.