List of American Civil War battles


Battles of the American Civil War were fought between April 12, 1861 and May 12–13, 1865 in 24 states, the District of Columbia, as well as the following territories: Arizona Territory, Colorado Territory, Dakota Territory, Indian Territory, New Mexico Territory, and Washington Territory, and naval engagements. These battles would change the standing and historical memory of the United States. While the origins of the war are complex, principal among them were the issue of slavery, and the interpretations of the Constitution and the rules, rights, and qualifications that it embodied.
For lists of battles organized by campaign and theater, see:
Some battles have more than one name; e.g., 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, whereas the South named battles after nearby towns.

Battles rated by CWSAC

The American Battlefield Protection Program was established within the United States National Park Service to classify the preservation status of historic battlefield land. In 1993, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission reported to Congress and the ABPP on their extensive analysis of significant battles and battlefields. Of the estimated 8,000 occasions in which hostilities occurred in the American Civil War, this table and related articles describe the 384 battles that were classified in CWSAC's Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields. In addition to the status of battlefield land preservation CWSAC rated the military significance of the battles into four classes, as follows:

Other USA/CSA battles

Other non-Indian wars battles and skirmishes not rated by CWSAC.

Other battles in the American Indian Wars

Other battles and skirmishes, not rated by CWSAC, of the American Indian Wars between either USA or CSA forces and the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Dakota, Kiowa, Navajo, and Shoshone which occurred during the American Civil War – including: the Apache Wars, Colorado War, Dakota War of 1862, Navajo Wars, and Texas–Indian wars.
DateBattleStateOutcome
Siege of TubacArizona
Apache victory. Confederate militia and townspeople flee to Tucson.
First Battle of Dragoon SpringsArizona
Apache victory. Westernmost Confederate battle fatalities.
Second Battle of Dragoon SpringsArizona
Confederate victory. Livestock recaptured.
–16, 1862Battle of Apache PassArizona
Apache Wars: Union soldiers fight with Apache warriors.
and 23, 1862Battles of New UlmMinnesotaDakota War of 1862: Two battles in the Dakota War of 1862.
Battle of Birch CouleeMinnesotaDakota War of 1862: Worst defeat of Union forces during the Dakota War of 1862.
Battle of Bear RiverIdaho
Also known as the Bear River Massacre. Resulted in the scattering of several Shoshoni bands and ended Shoshoni control of northern Utah Territory.
–14, 1864Battle of Canyon de ChellyArizona
US victory
First Battle of Adobe WallsTexasTexas–Indian wars: Kit Carson fights Kiowa forces to a draw, but manages to destroy their settlement.
Battle of Dove CreekTexasKickapoo victory: Texas State Militia and CS troops are defeated by Kickapoo Indians.
Battle of Fort BuchananArizona
Apache victory. Fort Buchanan destroyed.

Troop engagements

This is a chronological summary and record of every engagement between the troops of the Union and of the Confederacy, showing the total losses and casualties in each engagement. It was collated and compiled from the Official Records of the War Department.
This summary has been divided by year: