1861 P. G. T. Beauregard orders all transports to Fort Sumter cut off. This ended the fort's supply of fresh food

April 7, 1862

Battle of Shiloh concludes
Two days of heavy fighting conclude near Pittsburgh Landing in western Tennessee. The Battle of Shiloh became a Union victory after the Confederate attack stalled on April 6, and fresh Yankee troops drove the Confederates from the field on April 7.

Shiloh began when Union General Ulysses S. Grant brought his army down the Tennessee River to Pittsburgh landing in an effort to move on Corinth, Mississippi, 20 miles to the southwest. Union occupation of Corinth, a major rail center, would allow the Yankees to control nearly all of western Tennessee. At Corinth, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston did not wait for Grant to attack. He moved his army toward Grant, striking on the morning of April 6. Throughout the day, the Confederates drove the Yankees back but could not break the Union lines before darkness halted the advance. Johnston was killed during the first day, so General Pierre G. T. Beauregard assumed command of the Confederate force.

Now, Grant was joined by the vanguard of Buell's army. With an advantage in terms of troop numbers, Grant counterattacked on April 7. The tired Confederates slowly retreated, but they inflicted frightful casualties on the Yankees. By nightfall, the Union had driven the Confederates back to Shiloh Church, recapturing such grisly reminders of the previous days' battle such as the Hornets' Nest, the Peach Orchard, and Bloody Pond. The Confederates finally limped back to Corinth, thus giving a major victory to Grant.

The cost of the victory was high. Grant's and Buell's forces totaled about 62,000, of which 1,754 were killed, 8,408 were wounded, and 2,885 were captured or missing for a total of 13,047 casualties. Of 45,000 Confederates engaged, 1,723 were killed, 8,012 wounded, and 959 missing for a total of 10,694 casualties. The 23,741 casualties were five times the number at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, and they were more than all of the war's major battles (Bull Run, Wilson's Creek, Fort Donelson, and Pea Ridge) to that date combined. It was a sobering reminder to all in the Union and the Confederacy that the war would be long and costly.

Skirmshes at Foy's Plantation and near Newport, North Carolina

Affair at Saint Andrews Bay, Florida

Skirmish at Columbia Furnace, Virginia


1863:  
Naval engagement in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina

Confederate Joe Wheeler begins his cavalry raid into Tennessee

Skirmish at Going's Ford, West Virginia

Skirmish at Liberty Tennessee


1864:  
Skirmish at Woodall’s Bridge, Alabama

Skirmishes at Osceola and Prairie Grove, Arkansas

Skirmish at the foot of Sierra Bonita in Texas

Skirmish at Bushy Creek, Kentucky


1865:  
Engagements at Farmville and High Bridge, Virginia; Skirmish at Prince Edward Court House, Virginia

Skirmish at Fike’s Ferry, Alabama


Primary sources:
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion ; by Frederick Dyer;
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865 by E. B. Long with Barbara Long;
National Archives Guide Index