The Ten Costliest Battles of the Civil War(Based on total casualties killed, wounded, missing, and captured) #1 Battle of Gettysburg; July 1-3, 1863 Location: Pennsylvania; CSA Commander: Robert E Lee; Fed. Commander: George G Meade; CSA Forces 75,000; Union Forces 82,289 Winner Union; Casualties 51,112 Union 23,049, Confederate 28,063 #2 Battle of Chickamauga; September 19-20 1863 Location: Georgia CSA Commander: Braxton Bragg Fed. Commander: William Rosecrans CSA Forces 66,326; Union Forces 58,222 Winner Confederacy; Casualties 34,624 Union 16,170, Confederate 18,454 #3 Battle of Chancellorsville; May 1-4 1863 Location: Virginia CSA Commander: Robert E Lee Fed. Commander: Joseph Hooker CSA Forces 60,892; Union Forces 113,868 Winner Confederacy; Casualties 30,999 Union 17,278, Confederate 12,821 #4 Battle of Spotsylvania; May 8-19 1864 Location: Virginia CSA Commander: Robert E Lee Fed. Commander: Ulysses S Grant CSA Forces 50,000; Union Forces 83,000 Winner Confederacy; Casualties 27,399 Union 18,399, Confederate 9,000 #5 Battle of Antietam; September 17 1862 Location: Maryland CSA Commander: Robert E Lee Fed. Commander: George B McClellan CSA Forces 51,844; Union Forces 75,316 Winner Union; Casualties 26,134 Union 12,410; Confederate 13,724 #6 Battle of The Wilderness; May 5-7 1864 Location: Virginia CSA Commander: Robert E Lee Fed. Commander: Ulysses S Grant CSA Forces 61,025; Union Forces 101,895 Winner Inconclusive; Casualties 25,416 Union 17,666; CSA 7,750 #7 Battle of Second Manassas; Aug. 29-30 1862 Location: Virginia CSA Commander: Robert E Lee Fed. Commander: John Pope CSA Forces 48,527; Union Forces 75,696 Winner Confederacy; Casualties 25,251 Union 16,054; CSA 9,197 #8 Battle of Stone's River; December 31 1862 Location: Tennessee CSA Commander: Braxton Bragg Fed. Commander: William S Rosecrans CSA Forces 37,739; Union Forces 41,400 Winner Union; Casualties 24,645 Union 12,906; CSA 11,737 #9 Battle of Shiloh; April 6-7 1862 Location: Tennessee CSA Commanders: Albert Sidney Johnston & P G T Beauregard Union Commander: Ulysses S Grant CSA Forces; 40,335 Union Forces; 62,682 Winner Union; Casualties 23,741 Union13,047; CSA 10,694 #10 Battle of Fort Donelson; Feb. 13-16 1862 Location: Tennessee CSA Commanders: John B Floyd & Simon B Buckner Union Commander: Ulysses S Grant CSA Forces; 21,000 Union Forces; 27,000 Winner Union; Casualties 19,455
The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, June 2002 |