List of costliest American Civil War land battles facts for kids
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a very tough time in United States history. It was a fight between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy). Many battles were fought, and sadly, a huge number of soldiers were hurt, captured, went missing, or died. These are called casualties.
This article lists the land battles during the American Civil War that had the most casualties. It shows how many soldiers from both sides were affected in these major fights.
The Costliest Battles of the American Civil War
The American Civil War saw many intense battles. Some of these battles resulted in a very high number of casualties, meaning many soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or went missing. These numbers show the huge human cost of the war.
The table below lists the battles with the highest number of casualties. It includes details like the date, location, the number of soldiers involved (called strength), the main commanders, and the total casualties for both the Union and Confederate armies.
Battle | Campaign | Date | Nearest town | ![]() |
![]() |
Total | ![]() Union |
![]() Confederacy |
![]() |
![]() |
Total | ![]() |
![]() |
Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strength | Commander | Casualties | Casualties as % of Strength | |||||||||||
Gettysburg | Gettysburg campaign | July 1–3, 1863 | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | 93,921 | 71,699 | 165,620 | George G. Meade | Robert E. Lee | 23,049 | 28,063 | 51,112 | 24.54% | 39.14% | 30.86% |
Chickamauga | Chickamauga campaign | September 19–20, 1863 | Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia | 60,000 | 65,000 | 125,000 | William Rosecrans | Braxton Bragg | 16,173 | 18,450 | 34,624 | 26.95% | 28.38% | 27.70% |
Spotsylvania Court House | Overland Campaign | May 8–21, 1864 | Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia | 100,000 | 52,000 | 152,000 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 18,399 | 12,687 | 31,086 | 18.40% | 24.40% | 20.45% |
Chancellorsville | Chancellorsville campaign | May 1–4, 1863 | Chancellorsville, Virginia | 133,868 | 60,298 | 194,166 | Joseph Hooker | Robert E. Lee | 17,197 | 13,303 | 30,500 | 12.85% | 22.06% | 15.71% |
The Wilderness | Overland Campaign | May 5–7, 1864 | Locust Grove, Virginia | 101,895 | 61,025 | 162,920 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 17,666 | 11,033 | 28,699 | 17.34% | 18.08% | 17.62% |
Stones River (Murfreesboro) |
Stones River campaign | December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 41,400 | 35,000 | 76,400 | William Rosecrans | Braxton Bragg | 12,906 | 11,739 | 24,645 | 31.17% | 33.54% | 32.26% |
Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) |
Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers | April 6–7, 1862 | Shiloh, Tennessee | 66,812 | 44,699 | 111,511 | Ulysses S. Grant | Albert Sidney Johnston | 13,047 | 10,699 | 23,746 | 19.53% | 23.94% | 21.29% |
Antietam (Sharpsburg) |
Maryland campaign | September 17, 1862 | Sharpsburg, Maryland | 75,500 | 38,000 | 113,500 | George B. McClellan | Robert E. Lee | 12,401 | 10,316 | 22,717 | 16.43% | 27.15% | 20.01% |
2nd Bull Run (2nd Manassas) |
Northern Virginia campaign | August 29–30, 1862 | Manassas, Virginia | 62,000 | 50,000 | 112,000 | John Pope | Robert E. Lee | 10,000 | 8,300 | 18,300 | 16.13% | 16.60% | 16.34% |
Fredericksburg | Fredericksburg campaign | December 11–15, 1862 | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 114,000 | 72,500 | 186,500 | Ambrose Burnside | Robert E. Lee | 12,653 | 5,377 | 18,030 | 11.10% | 7.42% | 9.67% |
Cold Harbor | Overland Campaign | May 31 – June 12, 1864 | Mechanicsville, Virginia | 108,000 | 59,000 | 167,000 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 12,737 | 4,595 | 17,332 | 11.79% | 7.79% | 10.38% |
2nd Petersburg | Richmond–Petersburg campaign | June 15–18, 1864 | Petersburg, Virginia | 62,000 | 38,000 | 100,000 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 11,386 | 4,000 | 15,386 | 18.36% | 10.53% | 15.39% |
Gaines's Mill | Peninsula campaign | June 27, 1862 | Mechanicsville, Virginia | 34,214 | 57,018 | 91,232 | George B. McClellan | Robert E. Lee | 6,837 | 7,993 | 14,830 | 19.98% | 14.02% | 16.26% |
Missionary Ridge | Chattanooga campaign | November 25, 1863 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 56,359 | 44,010 | 100,369 | Ulysses S. Grant | Braxton Bragg | 5,824 | 6,667 | 12,491 | 10.33% | 15.15% | 12.45% |
Atlanta | Atlanta campaign | July 22, 1864 | Atlanta, Georgia | 34,863 | 40,438 | 75,301 | William T. Sherman | John Bell Hood | 3,641 | 8,499 | 12,140 | 10.44% | 21.02% | 16.12% |
Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) |
Peninsula campaign | May 31 – June 1, 1862 | Mechanicsville, Virginia | 34,000 | 39,000 | 73,000 | George B. McClellan | Joseph E. Johnston | 5,031 | 6,134 | 11,165 | 14.80% | 15.73% | 15.29% |
Nashville | Franklin–Nashville campaign | December 15–16, 1864 | Nashville, Tennessee | 55,000 | 30,000 | 85,000 | George H. Thomas | John Bell Hood | 3,061 | 6,000 | 9,061 | 5.57% | 20.00% | 10.66% |
Opequon (3rd Winchester) | Sheridan's Valley campaign | September 19, 1864 | Winchester, Virginia | 40,000 | 15,514 | 55,514 | Philip Sheridan | Jubal Early | 5,020 | 4,015 | 9,035 | 12.55% | 25.88% | 16.28% |
Cedar Creek | Sheridan's Valley campaign | October 19, 1864 | Middletown, Virginia | 31,610 | 21,102 | 52,712 | Philip Sheridan | Jubal Early | 5,764 | 2,910 | 8,674 | 18.23% | 13.79% | 16.46% |
Franklin | Franklin–Nashville campaign | November 30, 1864 | Franklin, Tennessee | 27,000 | 27,000 | 54,000 | John M. Schofield | John Bell Hood | 2,326 | 6,252 | 8,578 | 8.61% | 23.16% | 15.89% |
Malvern Hill | Peninsula campaign | July 1, 1862 | Varina, Virginia | 54,000 | 55,000 | 109,000 | George B. McClellan | Robert E. Lee | 2,100 | 5,650 | 7,750 | 3.89% | 10.27% | 7.11% |
3rd Petersburg | Richmond-Petersburg campaign | April 2, 1865 | Petersburg, Virginia | 76,113 | 58,400 | 134,513 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 3,500 | 4,250 | 7,750 | 4.60% | 7.28% | 5.76% |
Perryville | Kentucky campaign | October 8, 1862 | Perryville, Kentucky | 22,000 | 16,000 | 38,000 | Don Carlos Buell | Braxton Bragg | 4,276 | 3,401 | 7,677 | 19.44% | 21.26% | 20.20% |
Glendale | Peninsula campaign | June 30, 1862 | Varina, Virginia | 40,000 | 45,000 | 85,000 | George B. McClellan | Robert E. Lee | 3,797 | 3,673 | 7,470 | 9.49% | 8.16% | 8.79% |
2nd Corinth | Iuka and Corinth Operations | October 3–4, 1862 | Corinth, Mississippi | 23,000 | 22,000 | 45,000 | William S. Rosecrans | Earl Van Dorn | 2,520 | 4,233 | 6,753 | 10.96% | 19.24% | 15.01% |
Peachtree Creek | Atlanta campaign | July 20, 1864 | Atlanta, Georgia | 21,655 | 20,250 | 41,905 | George H. Thomas | John Bell Hood | 1,710 | 4,796 | 6,506 | 7.90% | 23.68% | 15.53% |
Champion Hill | Vicksburg campaign | May 16, 1863 | Edwards, Mississippi | 32,000 | 22,000 | 54,000 | Ulysses S. Grant | John C. Pemberton | 2,457 | 3,840 | 6,297 | 7.68% | 17.45% | 11.66% |
The Crater | Richmond-Petersburg campaign | July 30, 1864 | Petersburg, Virginia | 8,500 | 6,100 | 14,600 | Ulysses S. Grant | Robert E. Lee | 3,798 | 1,491 | 5,289 | 44.68% | 24.44% | 36.23% |
Fort Stedman | Richmond-Petersburg campaign | March 25, 1865 | Petersburg, Virginia | 14,898 | 10,000 | 24,898 | John G. Parke | John B. Gordon | 1,044 | 4,000 | 5,044 | 7.01% | 40.00% | 20.26% |
South Mountain | Maryland campaign | September 14, 1862 | Boonsboro, Maryland | 28,000 | 18,000 | 46,000 | George B. McClellan | Robert E. Lee | 2,325 | 2,685 | 5,010 | 8.30% | 14.92% | 10.89% |
1st Bull Run (1st Manassas) |
Manassas campaign | July 21, 1861 | Manassas, Virginia | 35,000 | 34,000 | 69,000 | Irvin McDowell | P. G. T. Beauregard | 2,896 | 1,982 | 4,878 | 8.27% | 5.83% | 7.07% |
See also
- List of American Civil War battles
- Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War
- Bibliography of the American Civil War
- Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant