The Civil War in Virginia - A Timeline
The Civil War is still very much alive in Virginia, the place where more major Civil War battles were fought than any other state.
April 1861: With Virginia's secession from the Union, Richmond in Central Virginia was named the Capitol of the Confederacy.
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Museum
and White House of the Confederacy
Richmond
National Battlefield Park
The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
Enjoy the Getaway to Historic Richmond — Civil War Capital and Richmond Getaway — Where History Meets Hollywood and see where popular Civil War-themed movies were filmed.
Re-enactors at Manassas National Battlefield Park
July 1861: First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas in Northern Virginia resulted in a Southern victory.
Manassas National Battlefield ParkConfederate Winter Quarters 1861: Manassas, Centreville, Fairfax Court House & Falls Church in Northern Virginia.
March 1862:At Hampton Roads in the first naval battle between ironclad warships, the USS Monitor fought the CSS Virginia to a draw. The CSS Virginia was built from the hull of the captured USS Merrimac and had earlier sunk two wooden Union warships in Hampton Roads.
U.S.S. Monitor
See the U.S.S. Monitor's revolutionary turret and steam engine,
and peer into conservation tanks filled with artifacts from her engine room
being restored at the Mariners'
Museum in Newport
News.
Fort
Monroe dubbed "Freedom's Fort" for runaway slaves in Hampton.
Enjoy the history and heritage Getaway
to Newport News.
May 1862: General McClellan's troops invaded Yorktown and awaited more troops in Williamsburg in Hampton Roads.
May 1862: Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson defeats Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley, forcing them to retreat across the Potomac.
Stonewall Jackson House in Lexington
Stonewall Jackson House
Virginia Military Institute in Lexington
Enjoy the Getaway
to the Heart of the Shenandoah Valley and
Getaway
to Historic Lexington where Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson
both lived.
June 1862: The Battle of Seven
Pines (Fair Oaks), when the Confederate army attacked federal forces. Last-minute
reinforcements saved the Union from a serious defeat. Command of the Army
of Northern
Virginia fell to Robert E. Lee.
Stratford Hall - Robert E. Lee's Birthplace
Lee Chapel at Washington & Lee University
Civil War Life — The Soldier's Museum
Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site
July 1862: The Seven Days' Battles, between June 26 and July 2. Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mill, Savage's Station, Frayser's Farm and Malvern Hill. On July 2, the Confederates withdrew to Richmond, ending the Peninsula Campaign.
August 1862: The Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas resulted in a Southern victory.
December 1862: The Battle
of Fredericksburg resulted in a Southern victory.
May 1863: The Battle of Chancellorsville resulted in more casualties than any other engagement ever fought on Virginia soil. But it also has been called General Lee's greatest victory.
June 1863: The Gettysburg Campaign. Confederate General Lee decided to take the war to the enemy. On June 13, he defeated Union forces at Winchester.
Battlefield at Pamplin Historical Park
May 1864: The Overland Campaign. Beginning with the Battle of the Wilderness, Lee and Grant locked horns in a remorseless and bloody struggle that included the battles of Spotsylvania Court House and North Anna and ended with the Battle of Cold Harbor. Lee inflicted more than 60,000 Union casualties – more men than he had in his own army – but Grant could replace his losses and Lee could not.
May 1864: The Battle
of Spotsylvania
June 1864: The Battle
of Cold Harbor. The Union lost 7,000 men in near-suicidal attacks ordered by Grant. Lee was unable to prevent Grant from crossing the James River and investing the city of Petersburg in a siege.
June 1864: The Siege of Petersburg lasted 10 months. Visit the Pamplin Historical Park & National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.
January 1865: The Fall of the Confederacy
The Mclean home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia was used on April 9th 1865 for the surrender meeting between General Robert E. Lee, C.S.A. and Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant, U.S.A.
Enjoy the Getaway to Appomattox.
Order your very own Virginia Civil War Trails Guide, which includes all the Virginia Civil War Trail sites, a calendar of Civil War-related events and a map!
Civil War Trails | The National Battlefields
- Sign up for our eNewsletter
- Great Getaways
- Virginia Green
- Online Travel Guide
- 40 Trips in 40 Weeks Sweepstakes
Related Links
Order a Civil War Trails Map
More Civil War Sites
Heritage Events
Related Articles
The Civil War Trails
Bugles Along Virginia's Shenandoah Valley
Gods and Generals Filmed in Virginia
Virginia Battle Reenactments
Civil War National Battlefield Parks
Fan, Follow, Friend
Official Tourism Website of the Commonwealth of Virginia
© 2009 Virginia Tourism Corporation, 901 E. Byrd St., Richmond, VA 23219
For Virginia citizen and business services visit www.Virginia.gov.
Virginia Economic Development Partnership visit www.YesVirginia.org.