Epic Battles of the Civil War Comic Books

First Battle of Bull Run: This was the first major battle of the Civil War. The Union army marched from Washington, DC with the expectation that following this battle they would proceed to Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, and end the war. Instead, the Union army was defeated, the South had a new military hero, General T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and the divided nation prepared for a prolonged and devastating war.

Shiloh: The Confederate army began their battle for control of the Western front with an early morning surprise attack. Union General Ulysses S. Grant was caught off guard, and pulled back his troops to Pittsburgh Landing on the Tennessee River. On the second day, Grant ordered a counter-attack, and the Union army, aided by reinforcements, drove a battered Confederate army to retreat. An estimated 100,000 men fought in this, the largest battle ever fought in America up to that time. It was also the costliest. Almost one out of every four soldiers died or were wounded; 13,000 Union and 10,700 Confederate.

Antietam: Antietam proved to be a major turning point in the war. It ended the Confederate invasion of the North, and with it the possibility of England and France recognizing an independent Confederacy. The Union Victory also provided President Lincoln with the political opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam was not only strategically important. It has the distinction of being the single bloodiest day not only in the Civil War, but in all the United States history. The Union army had over 12,300 dead, wounded or missing, and the Confederate Army over 10,300.

Gettysburg: The most remembered battle of the Civil War. The South needed a major victory, especially one on Union soil. After three days of bitter fighting, however, the Confederate army was forced to retreat, never again to mount a major offensive. The human cost of Gettysburg was astounding. More than 51,000 men- 23 for the Union, 28,000 for the Confederates, almost one third of the men involved-were killed, wounded or missing.