Lee's Civil War Battle Summaries
The following are summaries of Civil War battles where Robert E. Lee was the commanding officer:
| Battle | Date | Result | Opponent | Confederate troop strength | Union troop strength | Confederate casualties | Union casualties | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheat Mountain | September 11–13, 1861 | Union victory | Reynolds | 15,000 | 2,000 | 100 | 21 | Lee's first battle of the Civil War. Lee was severely criticized for the defeat and nicknamed "Granny Lee". Lee was sent to South Carolina to supervise fortifications. |
| Seven Days | June 25 – July 1, 1862 | Decisive Strategic Confederate Victory
|
McClellan | 95,000 | 91,000 | 20,614 | 15,849 | |
| Second Manassas | August 28–30, 1862 | Confederate victory | Pope | 49,000 | 76,000 | 9,197 | 16,054 | |
| South Mountain | September 14, 1862 | Union victory | McClellan | 18,000 | 28,000 | 2,685 | 1,813 | |
| Antietam | September 16–18, 1862 | Inconclusive (strategic Union victory) | McClellan | 52,000 | 75,000 | 13,724 | 12,410 | |
| Fredericksburg | December 11, 1862 | Confederate victory (Lee's troops and supplies depleted) | Burnside | 72,000 | 114,000 | 5,309 | 12,653 | |
| Chancellorsville | May 1, 1863 | Confederate victory | Hooker | 57,000 | 105,000 | 12,764 | 16,792 | |
| Gettysburg | July 1, 1863 | Union victory | Meade | 75,000 | 83,000 | 23,231–28,063 | 23,049 | The Confederate army that returned from the fight at Gettysburg was physically and spiritually exhausted. Lee would never again attempt an offensive operation of such monumental proportions. Meade, who had forced Lee to retreat, was criticized for not immediately pursuing Lee's army. This battle become known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. Lee would never personally invade the North again after this battle. Rather he was determined to defend Richmond and eventually Petersburg at all costs. |
| Wilderness | May 5, 1864 | Inconclusive (Lee's tactical victory, yet Grant continued his offensive) | Grant | 61,000 | 102,000 | 11,400 | 18,400 | |
| Spotsylvania | May 12, 1864 | Inconclusive (although beaten and unable to take Lee's staunch line defenses, Grant continued the Union offensive) | Grant | 52,000 | 100,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | |
| Cold Harbor | June 1, 1864 | Inconclusive (tactically, Lee was the victor, but Grant continued the strategic offensive) | Grant | 62,000 | 108,000 | 2,500 | 12,000 | |
| Deep Bottom | August 14, 1864 | Confederate victory | Hancock | 20,000 | 28,000 | 1,700 | 2,901 | Union attempt to attack Richmond, the Confederate capital |
| Appomattox (campaign) | March 29, 1865 | Union victory, Confederate surrender | Grant | 50,000 | 113,000 | no record available | 10,780 | General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant. Casualties on Confederate side are enormous. After the surrender Grant gave Lee's army much-needed food rations, made them lay down their arms and return to their homes, never to take up arms against the Union again. |
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—John Lee Mahin (1902–1984)
“A mechanism of some kind stands between us and almost every act of our lives.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 3, ch. 2 (1962)
“There is the guilt all soldiers feel for having broken the taboo against killing, a guilt as old as war itself. Add to this the soldier’s sense of shame for having fought in actions that resulted, indirectly or directly, in the deaths of civilians. Then pile on top of that an attitude of social opprobrium, an attitude that made the fighting man feel personally morally responsible for the war, and you get your proverbial walking time bomb.”
—Philip Caputo (b. 1941)
“Much have I seen and known—cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
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I am a part of all that I have met;”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)