Where did the Civil War start?

At Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861.

What was the turning point of the Civil War?

In July 1863 the Union won at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and took Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.

What was the bloodiest single day of the war?

The Battle of Antietam in Maryland, September 17, 1862.

Where did the Civil War end?

Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.

Civil War Battles Map Quiz

Civil War Battles Map

This map quiz helps students in grades 5–12 find the major battles of the Civil War, from the first shots at Fort Sumter in 1861 to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865, plus the two capitals, Washington, D.C. and Richmond. The states are shaded by side: Union, Confederacy and the border states.

Foundations has the 8 places every student should know. Standard adds the big battles of the West and Sherman’s march, and Advanced adds the rest.

26battles and places

1861Fort Sumter, the first shots

1865Appomattox Court House

Quick questions

Where did the Civil War start?: At Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861.
What was the turning point of the Civil War?: In July 1863 the Union won at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and took Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.
What was the bloodiest single day of the war?: The Battle of Antietam in Maryland, September 17, 1862.
Where did the Civil War end?: Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.

Every battle and place on this map

Washington, D.C.
Richmond
Fort Sumter
Bull Run (Manassas)
Antietam
Gettysburg
Vicksburg
Appomattox Court House
Fort Donelson
Shiloh
New Orleans
Hampton Roads
Fredericksburg
Chattanooga
Atlanta
Savannah
Petersburg
Wilson’s Creek
Pea Ridge
Perryville
Stones River
Nashville
Port Hudson
Mobile Bay
Fort Fisher
Bentonville

Sources and simplifications

Battle sites are marked at the battlefield or town they are named for. The states are shaded by side with modern borders, so West Virginia (part of Virginia until 1863) is shaded as a border state. Some battles, like the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, sit too close to others to tap on one map and are left out.

Teachers: run a Class Conquest with your whole class, or see what a Teacher code unlocks.

Standards

This map is aligned with:

C3 Framework D2.Geo.2.6-8: Use maps and other representations to explain how the locations of places and regions relate to each other.
National Geography Standard 1: Use maps and other geographic representations to understand and communicate information.
National Geography Standard 2: Use mental maps to organize information about people, places and environments.
National Geography Standard 5: People create regions to make sense of Earth’s complexity.

Alignment is our own. The groups that write these standards have not reviewed or endorsed Atlas Conquest.

Printable test for this map

Teachers can print the Civil War Battles Map Test with an answer key, with or without a word bank, and in A and B versions so neighbors can’t copy. See the Civil War Battles Map Test or browse all printable map tests.

US History: Civil War Battles