Ten Deadliest Civil War Battles

Ten Bloodiest, Deadliest, Costliest Battles of the American Civil War
(killed, wounded, missing, and captured)

Ten Deadliest Battles of the American Civil War: The Battle Casualties

#1
Battle of Gettysburg

Date: July 1-3, 1863

Campaign: Gettysburg Campaign*

Location: Pennsylvania
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: George G. Meade
Confederate Forces Engaged: 75,054
Union Forces Engaged: 83,289
Winner: Union
Casualties: 51,000 (23,000 Union and 28,000 Confederate)**

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#2
Battle of Chickamauga*
Date: September 18-20, 1863

Campaign: Chickamauga Campaign

Location: Georgia
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Union Commander: William Rosecrans
Confederate Forces Engaged: 66,326
Union Forces Engaged: 58,222 
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 34,624 (16,170 Union and 18,454 Confederate)**

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#3

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House*
Date: May 8-21, 1864

Campaign Overland Campaign

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 52,000
Union Forces Engaged: 100,000
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 30,000 (18,000 Union and 12,000 Confederate)**

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#4
Battle of the Wilderness
Date: May 5-7, 1864

Campaign Overland Campaign*

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 61,025
Union Forces Engaged: 101,895
Winner: Inconclusive
Casualties: 29,800 (18,400 Union and 11,400 Confederate)**
Note: Casualty sources vary greatly for Wilderness                 

 

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#5

Battle of Chancellorsville*
Date: April 30 - May 6, 1863

Campaign: Chancellorsville Campaign

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Joseph Hooker
Confederate Forces Engaged: 57,352
Union Forces Engaged: 97,382
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 24,000 (14,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate)**

Note: Total casualties exclude Marye's Heights and Salem Church

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#6

Battle of Shiloh
Date: April 6-7, 1862

Campaign: Shiloh Campaign*

Location: Tennessee
Confederate Commander: Albert Sidney Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 44,968
Union Forces Engaged: 65,085
Winner: Union
Casualties: 23,746 (13,047 Union and 10,699 Confederate)**

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#7
Battle of Stones River*
Date: December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863

Campaign: Stones River Campaign

Location: Tennessee
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Union Commander: William S. Rosecrans
Confederate Forces Engaged: 37,739
Union Forces Engaged: 41,400
Winner: Union
Casualties: 23,515 (13,249 Union and 10,266 Confederate)**

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#8

Battle of Antietam (aka Battle of Sharpsburg)
Date: September 16-18, 1862

Campaign: Antietam Campaign, aka Maryland Campaign*

Location: Maryland
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: George B. McClellan
Confederate Forces Engaged: 51,844
Union Forces Engaged: 75,316
Winner: Inconclusive
Casualties: 23,100 (12,400 Union and 10,700 Confederate)**

Note: Total casualties exclude the Battle of South Mountain. Many, however, include the Battle of South Mountain which would add an additional 4,500 casualties

 

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#9
Second Battle of Manassas (aka Second Battle of Bull Run)
Date: August 28-30, 1862

Campaign: Manassas Campaign, aka Northern Virginia Campaign*

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: John Pope
Confederate Forces Engaged: 48,527
Union Forces Engaged: 75,696
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 22,180 (13,830 Union and 8,350 Confederate)**

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#10
Battle of Vicksburg (aka Siege of Vicksburg)*
Date: May 18 - July 4, 1863

Campaign: Vicksburg Campaign

Location: Mississippi
Confederate Commander: John C. Pemberton
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: Army of Vicksburg
Union Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee
Winner: Union
Casualties: 19,233 (10,142 Union and 9,091 Confederate)**

Note: Total casualties exclude Confederate parolees

 

*A skirmish is considered a brisk or minor encounter between small bodies of troops, especially advanced or outlying detachments of opposing armies. Example: There were several skirmishes prior to the Battle of Gettysburg.
A battle or engagement is a prolonged and general conflict pursued to a definite decision between large, organized armed forces. Example: Battle of Chancellorsville.
An action can be a battle or a skirmish. Example: There were several actions or battles during the Gettysburg Campaign.
The term siege is the besetting of a fortified place by an army to compel surrender. A continued attempt to gain possession. Example: Battle of Vicksburg was actually a siege with the objective to compel the Confederate army to surrender.
The term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. Example: Overland Campaign.

 

**Figures only include total battle casualties and exclude total casualties for the respective campaign. Individuals should note that campaigns often involved several battles over prolonged periods. All casualty figures are courtesy National Park Service.