1862 Timeline
Text menu at bottom of page
| Battle Index |
|
January 1862 -- Abraham Lincoln Takes Action. On January 27, President Lincoln issued a war order authorizing the Union to launch a unified aggressive action against the Confederacy. General McClellan ignored the order. January 3, 1862 Cockpit Point / Freestone Point January 5-6, 1862 Hancock / Romney Campaign January 8, 1862 Roan's Tan Yard / Silver Creek January 10, 1862 Middle Creek January 19, 1862 Mill Springs / Logan's Cross-Roads / Fishing Creek February 6, 1862 Fort Henry February 11-16, 1862 Fort Donelson February 20-21, 1862 Valverde February 25: Nashville is first Confederate state capital to fall to Union forces February 28-April 8, 1862 New Madrid March 1862 -- McClellan Loses Command. On March 8, President Lincoln -- impatient with General McClellan's inactivity -- issued an order reorganizing the Army of Virginia and relieving McClellan of supreme command. McClellan was given command of the Army of the Potomac, and ordered to attack Richmond. This marked the beginning of the Peninsular Campaign. February 7-8, 1862 Roanoke Island / Fort Huger March 6-8-- Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn set out to outflank the Union position near Pea Ridge, on the night of March 6, dividing his army into two columns. Learning of Van Dorn's approach, the Federals marched north to meet his advance on March 7. This movement-compounded by the killing of two generals, Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and Brig. Gen. James McQueen McIntosh, and the capture of their ranking colonel halted the Rebel attack. Van Dorn led a second column to meet the Federals in the Elkhorn Tavern and Tanyard area. By nightfall, the Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road. The next day, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, having regrouped and consolidated his army, counterattacked near the tavern and, by successfully employing his artillery, slowly forced the Rebels back. Running short of ammunition, Van Dorn abandoned the battlefield. The Union controlled Missouri for the next two years. March 6-8, 1862 Pea Ridge / Elkhorn Tavern March 8-9, 1862 Hampton Roads / Battle of the Ironclads March 1862 -- The "Monitor" and the "Merrimac." In an attempt to reduce the North's great naval advantage, Confederate engineers converted a scuttled Union frigate, the U.S.S. Merrimac, into an iron-sided vessel rechristened the C.S.S. Virginia. On March 9, in the first naval engagement between ironclad ships, the Monitor fought the Virginia to a draw, but not before the Virginia had sunk two wooden Union warships off Norfolk, Virginia. March 14, 1862 New Berne March 23, 1862 Kernstown March 23-April 26, 1862 Fort Macon March 26-28, 1862 Glorieta Pass April 5-May 4, 1862 Yorktown April 6-7, 1862 Shiloh / Pittsburg Landing April 10-11, 1862 Fort Pulaski April 16-28, 1862 Fort Jackson / Fort St. Philip April 19, 1862 South Mills / Camden April 25-May 1, 1862 New Orleans April 29-June 10, 1862 Corinth 
April 1861 -- The Battle of Shiloh. On April 6, Confederate forces attacked Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee. By the end of the day, the federal troops were almost defeated. Yet, during the night, reinforcements arrived, and by the next morning the Union commanded the field. When Confederate forces retreated, the exhausted federal forces did not follow. Casualties were heavy -- 13,000 out of 63,000 Union soldiers died, and 11,000 of 40,000 Confederate troops were killed. April 1862 Fort Pulaski, Georgia -- General Quincy A. Gillmore battered Fort Pulaski, the imposing masonry structure near the mouth of the Savannah River, into submission in less than two days, (April 10-11, 1862). April 1862 -- New Orleans. Flag Officer David Farragut led an assault up the Mississippi River. By April 25, he was in command of New Orleans. April 1862 -- The Peninsular Campaign. In April, General McClellan's troops left northern Virginia to begin the Peninsular Campaign. By May 4, they occupied Yorktown, Virginia. At Williamsburg, Confederate forces prevented McClellan from meeting the main part of the Confederate army, and McClellan halted his troops, awaiting reinforcements. May 1862 -- "Stonewall" Jackson Defeats Union Forces. Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, commanding forces in the Shenandoah Valley, attacked Union forces in late March, forcing them to retreat across the Potomac. As a result, Union troops were rushed to protect Washington, D.C. May 5, 1862 Williamsburg / Fort Magruder May 7, 1862 Eltham's Landing Barhamsville / West Point May 8, 1862 McDowell / Sitlington's Hill May 15, 1862 Drewry's Bluff / Fort Darling / Fort Drewry May 15-17, 1862 Princeton Courthouse / Actions at Wolf Creek May 23, 1862 Front Royal / Guard Hill / Cedarville May 25, 1862 Winchester / Bowers Hill May 27, 1862 Hanover Court House / Slash Church May 31-June 1, 1862 Seven Pines / Fair Oaks Station May 31 -- The Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks). The Confederate army attacked federal forces at Seven Pines, almost defeating them; last-minute reinforcements saved the Union from a serious defeat. Confederate commander Joseph E. Johnston was severely wounded, and command of the Army of Northern Virginia fell to Robert E. Lee. June 5, 1862 Tranter's Creek June 6, 1862 Memphis June 7-8, 1862 Chattanooga June 8, 1862 Cross Keys June 9, 1862 Port Republic June 16 -- Secessionville South Carolina
June 16, 1862 Secessionville / Ft. Lamar / James Island June 17, 1862 Saint Charles June 21, 1862 Simmon's Bluff June 21 -- Simmon's Bluff South Carolina On June 21, troops of the 55th Pennsylvania landed from the gunboat Crusader and transport Planter near Simmon's Bluff on Wadmelaw Sound, surprising and burning an encampment of the 16th South Carolina Infantry. The Confederates scattered, and the Federals returned to their ships. Despite this minor victory, the Federals abandoned their raid on the railroad. June 25, 1862 Oak Grove French's Field / King's School House June 26, 1862 Beaver Dam Creek / Mechanicsville / Ellerson's Mill June 27, 1862 Gaines' Mill / First Cold Harbor June 27-28, 1862 Garnett's Farm / Golding's Farm June 29, 1862 Savage's Station June 30, 1862 White Oak Swamp June 30, 1862 Glendale / Frayser's Farm / Riddell's Shop June 30-July 1, 1862 Tampa June 30 City of Tampa. A Union gunboat came into Tampa Bay, turned her broadside on the town, and opened her ports. The gunboat then dispatched a launch carrying 20 men and a lieutenant under a flag of truce demanding the surrender of Tampa. The Confederates refused, and the gunboat opened fire. The officer then informed the Confederates that shelling would commence at 6:00 pm after allowing time to evacuate non-combatants from the city. Firing continued sporadically into the afternoon of July 1, when the Federal gunboat withdrew. July The Seven Days' Battles. Between June 26 and July 2, Union and Confederate forces fought a series of battles: Mechanicsville (June 26-27), Gaines's Mill (June 27), Savage's Station (June 29), Frayser's Farm (June 30), and Malvern Hill (July 1). On July 2, the Confederates withdrew to Richmond, ending the Peninsular Campaign
On July 11, Major-General Henry Halleck was named general-in-chief of the Union army. July 1, 1862 Malvern Hill / Poindexter's Farm July 13, 1862 Murfreesboro August 5, 1862 Baton Rouge / Magnolia Cemetery August 6-9, 1862 Kirksville August 9, 1862 Cedar Mountain / Slaughter's Mountain / Cedar Run August 11, 1862 Independence August 15-16, 1862 Lone Jack August 20-22, 1862 Fort Ridgely August 22-25, 1862 Rappahannock Station / Waterloo Bridge August 25-27,1862 Manassas Station Operations August 28, 1862 Thoroughfare Gap / Chapman's Mill August 28-30, 1862 Manassas Second / Second Bull Run August 1862 -- Pope's Campaign. Union General John Pope suffered defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 29- 30. General Fitz-John Porter was held responsible for the defeat because he had failed to commit his troops to battle quickly enough; he was forced out of the army by 1863. August 29-30, 1862 Richmond September 4: Army of northern Virginia crosses Potomac river to invade Maryland September 1862 -- Harper's Ferry. Union General McClellan defeated Confederate General Lee at South Mountain and Crampton's Gap in September, but did not move quickly enough to save Harper's Ferry, which fell to Confederate General Jackson on September 15, along with a great number of men and a large body of supplies. September 1, 1862 Chantilly / Ox Hill September 14-17, 1862 Munfordville / Green River Bridge September 14 Crampton's Gap. September 12-15, 1862 Harpers Ferry Sept 14, 1862 South Mountain / Crampton Gap / Turner Gap / Fox Gap September 16-18, 1862 Antietam / Sharpsburg September 19, 1862 Iuka September 19-20, 1862 Shepherdstown / Boteler's Ford
On September 17, Confederate forces under General Lee were caught by General McClellan near Sharpsburg, Maryland. This battle proved to be the bloodiest day of the war; 2,108 Union soldiers were killed and 9,549 wounded -- 2,700 Confederates were killed and 9,029 wounded. The battle had no clear winner, but because General Lee withdrew to Virginia, McClellan was considered the victor. The battle convinced the British and French - - who were contemplating official recognition of the Confederacy - - to reserve action, and gave Lincoln the opportunity to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (September 22), which would free all slaves in areas rebelling against the United States, effective January 1, 1863. September 23, 1862 Wood Lake September 23 -- Sabine Pass. On September 23, 1862, the Union Steamer Kensington, Schooner Rachel Seaman, and Mortar Schooner Henry James appeared off the bar at Sabine Pass. The next morning, the two schooners crossed the bar, took position, and began firing on the Confederate shore battery. The shots from both land and shore fell far short of the targets. The ships then moved nearer until their projectiles began to fall amongst the Confederate guns. The Confederate cannons, however, still could not hit the ships. After dark, the Confederates evacuated, taking as much property as possible with them and spiking the four guns left behind. On the morning of the 25th, the schooners moved up to the battery and destroyed it while Acting Master Frederick Crocker, commander of the expedition, received the surrender of the town. Union control of Sabine Pass made later incursions into the interior possible. September 24-25, 1862 Sabine Pass September 30, 1862 Newtonia October 1-3, 1862 St. John's Bluff October 1-3 --St. John's Bluff Brig. Gen. John Finegan established a battery on St. John' s Bluff near Jacksonville to stop the movement of Federal ships up the St. Johns River. Brig. Gen. John M. Brannan embarked with about 1,500 infantry aboard the transports Boston, Ben DeFord, Cosmopolitan, and Neptune at Hilton Head, South Carolina, on September 30. The flotilla arrived at the mouth of the St. John's River on October 1, where Cdr. Charles Steedman' s gunboats Paul Jones, Cimarron, Uncas, Patroon, Hale, and Water Witch joined them. By midday, the gunboats approached the bluff, while Brannan began landing troops at Mayport Mills. Another infantry force landed at Mount Pleasant Creek, about five miles in the rear of the Confederate battery, and began marching overland on the 2nd. Outmaneuvered, Lt. Col. Charles F. Hopkins abandoned the position after dark. When the gunboats approached the bluff the next day, its guns were silent.
October 4 -- Galveston Texas. At 6:00 am on October 4, 1862, Cdr. W.B. Renshaw, commanding the blockading ships in the Galveston Bay area, sent Harriet Lane into the harbor. October 4, 1862 Galveston October 5, 1862 Hatchie's Bridge / Davis Bridge / Matamora October 8, 1862 Perryville October 22, 1862 Old Fort Wayne / Beaty's Prairie October 27, 1862 Georgia Landing / Labadieville / Texana November 7, 1862 Clark's Mill / Vera Cruz November 28, 1862 Cane Hill / Boston Mountains December 7, 1862 Hartsville December 14, 1862 Kinston December 16, 1862 White Hall / Whitehall / White Hall Ferry December 17, 1862 Goldsborough Bridge December 19, 1862 Jackson December 26-29, 1862 Chickasaw Bayou / Walnut Hills December 31, 1862 Parker's Cross Roads Dec 31, 1862-Jan 2, 1863 Stones River / Murfreesboro December 29 -- Murfreesboro Stones River Campaign December 1862 -- The Battle of Fredericksburg. General McClellan's slow movements, combined with General Lee's escape, and continued raiding by Confederate cavalry, dismayed many in the North. On November 7, Lincoln replaced McClellan with Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside. Burnside's forces were defeated in a series of attacks against entrenched Confederate forces at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Burnside was replaced with General Joseph Hooker. December 7, 1862 Prairie Grove / Fayetteville December 11-15, 1862 Fredericksburg I / Marye's Heights |
| Index | Generals | Admirals | Leaders | Units | Battles |
| Women | Flags | Names | Trivia | Songs | Magazines |
| Assorted | Parks | Organizations | Museums | Timeline | Overview |
