Military action Explanation of importance
8 = very important
First Bull Run The battle was important as it had showed the
early failures of the Union due to McClellan’s
campaign and his perception on the
Confederate army, as he believed the forces
were much larger than him. It was important
to the Confederates as Jackson’s
outnumbered army showed how much power
they had, especially Jackson’s tactics helping
the Confederate army, therefore it was
important for the Confederates to advance
towards the Union.
McClellan’s campaign 1862 The campaign may have been important,
especially towards the Union due to the
failures it had endured, but it was also
important for the Confederates due to the
numerous victories won by General E. Lee, as
it further showed the power the Confederates
had, but it was down to the Union being naïve
and heavily cautious on the tactics, leading to
McClellan being ousted by Lincoln.
Shiloh The battle may have been important as the
Confederate army gained territory along the
Mississippi river and despite the Union loss,
General Grant was able to hold his position
due to support from Lincoln. Furthermore,
the Union did have an advantage, and that
General Johnston of the Confederacy was
killed in battle, however this was important
for the Confederates due to the victory
Antietam The battle was particularly important based
on the consequences of the battle, as it led to
the emancipation of slavery across America
and that France or Britain cannot recognise
the South. It was especially important for the
Union as they declared victory, however both
sides experienced losses and casualties. Also,
Mark out of 8: Explanation of score
1 = little importance
This has importance as it determined to what
1
dominated America during the war and how
Lincoln would respond to the failure of the
battle, although it may not have been a
turning point for the Confederates, it may
have showed how much power the army had
towards the Union. Furthermore, the Union
may have morale lowered but this was during
the early stages of the war.
This had moderate importance, as the
3
numerous Confederate victories within the
campaign, it shows how much continued
power the Confederacy has over the United
States, as it also showed the improvements
the Union had to be made in order to show
more stronger will against the Confederates,
especially towards the generals E. Lee and
Jackson.
Overall, this battle may have had little
2
importance due to the attention being heavily
focused more towards Washington and how
Lincoln was more concerned over the
Confederacy, and how morale was low due to
poor discipline and limited plans, therefore
uncertainty across the Union force led to the
defeat.
This was very important, as it could have been
5
one of the turning points of the civil war and
showed how much morale the Union had and
was able to fight off the Confederacy, while
also showing the improvements the
Confederates may need.
 the arrogance of the Confederacy invading
into Union territory, as Lee wanted to
demonstrate the South’s ability to invade
Union territory
Vicksburg The battle of Vicksburg proved much
7
importance along the Mississippi River as
though Vicksburg was placed under siege, the
Union was able to take control of the city,
which may have largely been down to morale,
especially towards the Confederacy, as the
extent of the siege may have exhausted them
and had low morale when the Union took
over the city
Gettysburg Gettysburg was highly essential and
8
important, as it may have proved the main
turning point of the American Civil War, as it
was down to Lee’s ambition to take the state
of Pennsylvania, and the lack of foreign
intervention, as Europe feared it would
antagonise the Union. However, Lee was still
able to win battles afterwards, but it proved
to be the turning point of the civil war
Sherman’s March to the Sea The march towards Georgia proved to be
6
negatively impacting, as the South’s resources
were destroyed, and Confederate numbers
were outnumbered, as only 13,000
Confederates were assigned, compared to the
Union’s 62,000. Furthermore, the destruction
of the railway and destroyed property may
have lowered Confederate morale even more
due to the lack of resources being delivered to
the front line. Therefore, the March to the Sea
was very important for the Union, as it
destroyed internal aspects within the South
The Wilderness The Wilderness campaign was important as it
4
proved to be successful for the Union, as
Grant’s army was able to outnumber Lee’s
army, which therefore led to the surrender of
the Confederacy. The addition of Sherman’s
army destroying the South may have led to
The battle of Vicksburg was highly important
as it proved to how loyal and supportive the
Union was towards battling against the
Confederates, therefore high morale may
have helped the Union and hindered the
Confederate’s strategies.
The battle of Gettysburg was highly important
and essential, as it proved to how the Union
had high morale, and it is usually seen as
overall Union victory in the civil war due to
the battle, therefore the battle was very
important based on Lee’s strategy and the
General Meade’s counter-strategy.
The March to the Sea was particularly
important as the destruction of railways and
properties delivered psychological and
physical damage to the South, which may
have lowered morale for the Confederacy.
Furthermore, it may have helped the Union
advance more into the South as they gained
territory far away from the front lines.
The Wilderness campaign may have proved to
have been the last days of the civil war, but
the Union was largely helped by Grant’s army,
who was positioned along the Mississippi
River for the majority of the war, however, it
did prove that the Union was able to defeat
the Confederacy surrendering. Therefore, the the Confederates, therefore it is important in
Wilderness campaign may have been ending the conflict.
important based on the outcome of the
campaign