Question: What battles do I need to know about before Gettysburg?  (scroll down for answer)

Answer:

That depends on your teacher. But generally ...

1. Bull Run / Manassas Junction (the latter is the Confederate name) - First big battle, Stonewall Jackson gets his nickname, the Union loses when they can't retreat on a road congested with picnic wagons.

2. Antietam / Sharpsburg - Bloodiest single day in American History with over 23,000 casualties. Lee can't move northward through Maryland. No one wins, but the Union claimed victory and issued the Emancipation Proclamation (discussed later).

3. Shiloh / Pittsburg Landing - Battle in the West. Union wins the second day. Ulysses Grant becomes a leading figure in the army.

4. It's important to note, that in the Eastern theater of the war, the Union loses mostly every battle, including at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

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