Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1864 facts for kids

The year 1864 was a very important time during the American Civil War. The Union armies, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, started many attacks across different parts of the country. Their goal was to stop the Confederate forces from moving their soldiers from one army to another. This made it harder for the Confederates to defend themselves.

Key Events of 1864

Grant's Big Plan

In March 1864, Ulysses S. Grant became the top general of all the Union armies. He decided on a new plan: attack the Confederates at the same time in the East, West, and Trans-Mississippi areas. This was meant to wear down the Confederate armies until they could no longer fight.

Grant himself traveled with the Army of the Potomac, led by General George G. Meade. He also had the IX Corps, led by General Ambrose Burnside, with him. Grant wanted to make sure these two forces worked together. He also wanted to avoid political problems in Washington, D.C.

Battles in the East

In the Eastern part of the war, Grant's forces fought against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. These battles were called the Overland Campaign. They happened from May to June.

Even though the Union army lost many soldiers, Grant caused even more losses for Lee's army. He also forced Lee to retreat closer to Richmond, the Confederate capital. After the Battle of Cold Harbor, Grant moved his army across the James River. He then attacked Petersburg, a city important for Lee's supplies.

Union attacks on Petersburg in early June did not work. So, Grant started a nine-month siege around the city. During this time, he kept moving west to cut off Lee's supply lines.

Other Eastern Campaigns

Grant also planned two other campaigns in the East. General Benjamin Butler's Army of the James landed near Petersburg. Their job was to cut the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad and stop more soldiers from reaching Lee. Butler built defenses and tried to attack the railroad several times. But each time, he went back to his forts after short fights.

After the Battle of Ware Bottom Church, the Confederates built their own forts. This trapped Butler's army. It also allowed the Confederates to send soldiers to help Lee.

In the Shenandoah Valley, another Union force, led by General Franz Sigel, moved south. On May 15, they met a smaller Confederate force at the Battle of New Market. The Confederates won this battle.

General David Hunter replaced Sigel. Hunter won a battle at Piedemont on June 5. This made Lee send his Second Corps, led by General Jubal Early, to the Valley. Early defeated Hunter at Lynchburg. Hunter then retreated, which allowed Early to move north.

Early then tried to attack Washington, D.C. But a delay at the Battle of Monocacy meant Union soldiers arrived first. This made a successful attack impossible. Early then went back to the Shenandoah Valley. He launched more small attacks from there.

To stop these attacks, Grant put all the Union forces in the Valley under General Philip H. Sheridan. Sheridan fought for three months. He successfully destroyed the Confederate fighting power and their supplies in the Shenandoah Valley.

Battles in the West

In the Western part of the war, Union forces were led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. His orders were to capture Atlanta. During the three-month Atlanta Campaign, Sherman outsmarted General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee. He kept moving around Johnston's army, forcing them to retreat.

Eventually, the two armies reached Atlanta. Confederate President Jefferson Davis worried Johnston would give up the city without a fight. So, he replaced Johnston with General John Bell Hood. Hood attacked Sherman's armies many times. But each attack failed, and the Confederates lost many soldiers.

When Sherman cut the Montgomery & Atlanta Railroad in September, Atlanta's supplies were cut off. Hood had to leave the city. For the next two months, Hood and Sherman fought small battles. Hood tried to cut Sherman's supply lines. But Sherman eventually stopped chasing Hood. Instead, he started his march to Savannah.

Hood moved north into Tennessee, hoping to capture Nashville. He lost many soldiers in a direct attack at the Battle of Franklin on November 30. Over 7,000 Confederates were killed, wounded, or captured. This left him with too few men to attack Nashville.

So, Hood built forts a few miles south of Nashville. He tried to get the Union commander, General George Henry Thomas, to attack him. On December 15–16, Thomas did attack. He defeated most of the Confederate army and captured many cannons and prisoners. Hood retreated to Alabama, and his army was much smaller.

Battles in the Trans-Mississippi Area

In the Trans-Mississippi part of the war, General Nathaniel P. Banks led his Army of the Gulf up the Red River in Louisiana. He wanted to invade eastern Texas and take cotton for factories in New England.

The Confederate commander, General Richard Taylor, slowly retreated. On April 7, near Mansfield, Taylor attacked and defeated Banks' force. Another battle happened the next day near Pleasant Hill, but the Confederates lost. Banks kept retreating along the river.

A separate Union attack from northern Arkansas was planned to meet Banks' force. But it had to turn back because they ran out of supplies.

Important Battles of 1864

Here is a list of some of the battles that happened in 1864. You can see the dates, where they happened, which armies fought, and how many soldiers were lost.

Images for kids

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  19th century illustration of the Battle of the Wilderness

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  Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of the Union armies