THE SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX; BASED UPON THE LITHOGRAPH CALLED "THE DAWN OF PEACE." BY PERMISSION OF W. H. STELLE.
Pennsylvania Avenue—host to the Armies of Grant and Sherman during the
Grand Review.
The last reunion of Blue and Gray at Gettysburg. The victories and the defeats ... they have become a common property and a
common responsibility of the American people.
Losses in Killed, Wounded, and Missing in Engagements, Etc.,
Where the Total was Five Hundred or more on the side of the Union Troops.
Confederate Losses given are generally based on Estimates.
| Union Loss. | Confederate Loss. |
| No. | Date. | Name. | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total. | Total. |
| 1861. | | | | | | |
| 1 | July 21 | Bull Run, Va. | 481 | 1,011 | 1,460 | 2,952 | 1,752 |
| 2 | August 10 | Wilson's Creek, Mo. | 223 | 721 | 291 | 1,235 | 1,095 |
| 3 | September 12 to 20 | Lexington, Mo. | 42 | 108 | 1,624 | 1,774 | 100 |
| 4 | October 21 | Ball's Bluff, Va. | 223 | 226 | 445 | 894 | 302 |
| 5 | November 7 | Belmont, Mo. | 90 | 173 | 235 | 498 | 966 |
| 1862. | | | | | | |
| 6 | February 14 to 16 | Fort Donelson, Tenn. | 446 | 1,735 | 150 | 2,331 | 15,067 |
| 7 | March 6 to 8 | Pea Ridge, Ark. | 203 | 972 | 174 | 1,349 | 5,200 |
| 8 | March 14 | New-Berne, N. C. | 91 | 466 | — | 557 | 583 |
| 9 | March 23 | Winchester, Va. | 103 | 440 | 24 | 567 | 691 |
| 10 | April 6 and 7 | Shiloh, Tenn. | 1,735 | 7,882 | 3,956 | 13,573 | 10,699 |
| 11 | May 5 | Williamsburg, Va. | 456 | 1,400 | 372 | 2,228 | 1,000 |
| 12 | May 23 | Front Royal, Va. | 32 | 122 | 750 | 904 | — |
| 13 | May 25 | Winchester, Va. | 38 | 155 | 711 | 904 | — |
| 14 | May 31 to June 1 | Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, Va. | 890 | 3,627 | 1,222 | 5,739 | 7,997 |
| 15 | June 8 | Cross Keys, Va. | 125 | 500 | — | 625 | 287 |
| 16 | June 9 | Fort Republic, Va. | 67 | 361 | 574 | 1,002 | 657 |
| 17 | June 16 | Secessionville, James Island, S. C. | 85 | 472 | 128 | 685 | 204 |
| 18 | June 25 | Oak Grove, Va. | 51 | 401 | 64 | 516 | 541 |
| 19 | June 26 to July 1 | Seven days' retreat; includes Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mills, Chickahominy, Peach Orchard, Savage Station, Charles City Cross Roads, and Malvern Hill | 1,582 | 7,709 | 5,958 | 15,249 | 17,583 |
| 20 | July 13 | Murfreesboro', Tenn. | 33 | 62 | 800 | 895 | 150 |
| 21 | August 8 | Cedar Mountain, Va. | 450 | 660 | 290 | 1,400 | 1,307 |
| 22 | July 20 to September 20 | Guerrilla campaign in Missouri; includes Porter's and Poindexter's Guerrillas | 77 | 156 | 347 | 580 | 2,866 |
| 23 | August 28 and 29 | Groveton and Gainesville, Va. | — | — | — | 7,000 | 7,000 |
| 24 | August 30 | Bull Run, Va. (2d) | 800 | 4,000 | 3,000 | 7,800 | 3,700 |
| 25 | August 30 | Richmond Ky. | 200 | 700 | 4,000 | 4,900 | 750 |
| 26 | September 1 | Chantilly, Va. | — | — | — | 1,300 | 800 |
| 27 | September 12 to 15 | Harper's Ferry, Va. | 80 | 120 | 11,583 | 11,783 | 500 |
| 28 | September 14 | Turner's and Crampton's Gaps, South Mountain, Md. | 443 | 1,806 | 76 | 2,325 | 4,343 |
| 29 | September 14 to 16 | Munfordsville Ky. | 50 | — | 3,566 | 3,616 | 714 |
| 30 | September 17 | Antietam, Md. | 2,010 | 9,416 | 1,043 | 12,469 | 25,899 |
| 31 | September 19 to 20 | Iuka, Miss. | 144 | 598 | 40 | 782 | 1,516 |
| 32 | October 3 and 4 | Corinth, Miss. | 315 | 1,812 | 232 | 2,359 | 14,221 |
| 33 | October 5 | Big Hatchie River, Miss. | — | — | — | 500 | 400 |
| 34 | October 8 | Perryville, Ky. | 916 | 2,943 | 489 | 4,348 | 7,000 |
| 35 | December 7 | Prairie Grove, Ark. | 167 | 798 | 183 | 1,148 | 1,500 |
| 36 | December 7 | Hartsville, Tenn. | 55 | — | 1,800 | 1,855 | 149 |
| 37 | December 12 to 18 | Foster's expedition to Goldsboro', N.C. | 90 | 478 | 9 | 577 | 739 |
| 38 | December 13 | Fredericksburg, Va. | 1,180 | 9,028 | 2,145 | 12,353 | 4,576 |
| 39 | December 20 | Holly Springs, Miss. | — | — | 1,000 | 1,000 | — |
| 40 | December 27 | Elizabethtown, Ky. | — | — | 500 | 500 | — |
| 41 | December 28 and 29 | Chickasaw Bayou, Vicksburg, Miss. | 191 | 982 | 756 | 1,929 | 207 |
| 42 | Dec. 31, 1862, to Jan. 2, 1863 | Stone's River, Tenn. | 1,533 | 7,245 | 2,800 | 11,578 | 25,560 |
| 1863. | | | | | | |
| 43 | January 1 | Galveston, Texas | — | — | 600 | 600 | 50 |
| 44 | January 11 | Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, Ark. | 129 | 831 | 17 | 977 | 5,500 |
| 45 | March 4 and 5 | Thompson's Station, Tenn. | 100 | 300 | 1,306 | 1,706 | 600 |
| 46 | April 27 to May 3 | Streight's raid from Tuscumbia, Ala., to Rome, Ga. | 12 | 69 | 1,466 | 1,547 | — |
| 47 | May 1 | Port Gibson, Miss. | 130 | 718 | 5 | 853 | 1,650 |
| 48 | May 1 to 4 | Chancellorsville, Va. | 1,512 | 9,518 | 5,000 | 16,030 | 12,281 |
| 49 | May 16 | Champion Mills, Miss. | 426 | 1,842 | 189 | 2,457 | 4,300 |
| 50 | May 18 to July 4 | Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. | 545 | 3,688 | 303 | 4,536 | 31,277 |
| 51 | May 27 to July 9 | Siege of Port Hudson, La. | 500 | 2,500 | — | 3,000 | 7,208 |
| 52 | June 6 to 8 | Milliken's Bend, La. | 154 | 223 | 115 | 492 | 725 |
| 53 | June 9 | Beverly Ford and Brandy Station, Va. | — | — | — | 500 | 700 |
| 54 | June 13 to 15 | Winchester, Va. | — | — | 3,000 | 3,000 | 850 |
| 55 | June 23 to 30 | Rosecrans' campaign from Murfreesboro' to Tullahoma, Tenn. | 85 | 462 | 13 | 560 | 1,634 |
| 56 | July 1 to 3 | Gettysburg, Pa. | 2,834 | 13,709 | 6,643 | 23,186 | 31,621 |
| 57 | July 9 to 16 | Jackson, Miss. | 100 | 800 | 100 | 1,000 | 1,339 |
| 58 | July 18 | Second assault on Fort Wagner, S. C | — | — | — | 1,500 | 174 |
| 59 | September 19 to 20 | Chickamauga, Ga. | 1,644 | 9,262 | 4,945 | 15,851 | 17,804 |
| 60 | November 3 | Grand Coteau, La. | 26 | 124 | 576 | 726 | 445 |
| 61 | November 6 | Rogersville, Tenn. | 5 | 12 | 650 | 667 | 30 |
| 62 | November 23 to 25 | Chattanooga, Tenn.; includes Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. | 757 | 4,529 | 330 | 5,616 | 8,684 |
| 63 | November 26 to 28 | Operations at Mine Run, Va. | 100 | 400 | — | 500 | 500 |
| 64 | December 14 | Bean's Station, Tenn. | — | — | — | 700 | 900 |
| 1864. | | | | | | |
| 65 | February 20 | Olustee, Fla. | 193 | 1,175 | 460 | 1,828 | 500 |
| 66 | April 8 | Sabine Cross Roads, La. | 200 | 900 | 1,800 | 2,900 | 1,500 |
| 67 | April 9 | Pleasant Hills, La. | 100 | 700 | 300 | 1,100 | 2,000 |
| 68 | April 12 | Fort Pillow, Tenn. | 350 | 60 | 164 | 574 | 80 |
| 69 | April 17 to 20 | Plymouth, N. C. | 20 | 80 | 1,500 | 1,600 | 500 |
| 70 | April 30 | Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, Ark. | 200 | 955 | — | 1,155 | 1,100 |
| 71 | May 5 to 7 | Wilderness, Va. | 5,597 | 21,463 | 10,677 | 37,737 | 11,400 |
| 72 | May 5 to 9 | Rocky Face Ridge, Ga.; includes Tunnel Hill, Mill Creek Gap, Buzzard Roost, Snake Creek Gap, and near Dalton | 200 | 637 | — | 837 | 600 |
| 73 | May 8 to 18 | Spottsylvania Court House, Va.; includes engagements on the Fredericksburg Road, Laurel Hill, and Nye River | 4,177 | 19,687 | 2,577 | 26,461 | 9,000 |
| 74 | May 9 to 10 | Swift Creek, Va. | 90 | 400 | — | 490 | 500 |
| 75 | May 9 to 10 | Cloyd's Mountain and New River Bridge, Va. | 126 | 585 | 34 | 745 | 900 |
| 76 | May 12 to 16 | Fort Darling, Drewry's Bluff, Va. | 422 | 2,380 | 210 | 3,012 | 2,500 |
| 77 | May 13 to 16 | Resaca, Ga. | 600 | 2,147 | — | 2,747 | 2,800 |
| 78 | May 15 | New Market, Va. | 120 | 560 | 240 | 920 | 405 |
| 79 | May 16 to 30 | Bermuda Hundred, Va. | 200 | 1,000 | — | 1,200 | 3,000 |
| 80 | May 23 to 27 | North Anna River, Va. | 223 | 1,460 | 290 | 1,973 | 2,000 |
| 81 | May 25 to June 4 | Dallas, Ga. | — | — | — | 2,400 | 3,000 |
| 82 | June 1 to 12 | Cold Harbor, Va. | 1,905 | 10,570 | 2,456 | 14,931 | 1,700 |
| 83 | June 5 | Piedmont, Va. | 130 | 650 | — | 780 | 2,970 |
| 84 | June 9 to 30 | Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.; includes Pine Mountain, Pine Knob, Golgotha, Culp's House, general assault, June 27th: McAfee's Cross Roads, Lattemore's Mills and Powder Springs | 1,370 | 6,500 | 800 | 8,670 | 4,600 |
| 85 | June 10 | Brice's Cross Roads, near Guntown, Miss. | 223 | 394 | 1,623 | 2,240 | 606 |
| 86 | June 10 | Kellar's Bridge, Licking River, Ky. | 13 | 54 | 700 | 767 | — |
| 87 | June 11 and 12 | Trevellian Station, Central Railroad, Va. | 85 | 490 | 160 | 735 | 370 |
| 88 | June 15 to 19 | Petersburg, Va.; includes Baylor's Farm, Walthal, and Weir Bottom Church | 1,298 | 7,474 | 1,814 | 10,586 | — |
| 89 | June 17 and 18 | Lynchburg, Va. | 100 | 500 | 400 | 700 | 200 |
| 90 | June 20 to 30 | Trenches in front of Petersburg, Va. | 112 | 506 | 800 | 1,418 | — |
| 91 | June 22 to 30 | Wilson's raid on the Weldon Railroad, Va. | 76 | 265 | 700 | 1,041 | 300 |
| 92 | June 22 and 23 | Weldon Railroad, Va. | 604 | 2,494 | 2,217 | 5,315 | 500 |
| 93 | June 27 | Kenesaw Mountain, general assault. See No. 2,345 | — | — | — | 3,000 | 608 |
| 94 | July 1 to 31 | Front of Petersburg, Va.; losses at the Crater and Deep Bottom not included | 419 | 2,076 | 1,200 | 3,695 | — |
| 95 | July 6 to 10 | Chattahoochee River, Ga. | 80 | 450 | 200 | 730 | 600 |
| 96 | July 9 | Monocacy, Md. | 90 | 579 | 1,290 | 1,959 | 400 |
| 97 | July 13 to 15 | Tupelo, Miss.; includes Harrisburg and Old Town Creek | 85 | 563 | — | 648 | 700 |
| 98 | July 20 | Peach Tree Creek, Ga. | 300 | 1,410 | — | 1,710 | 4,796 |
| 99 | July 22 | Atlanta, Ga.; Hood's first sortie | 500 | 2,141 | 1,000 | 3,641 | 8,499 |
| 100 | July 24 | Winchester, Va. | — | — | — | 1,200 | 600 |
| 101 | July 26 to 31 | Stoneman's raid to Macon, Ga. | — | 100 | 900 | 1,000 | — |
| 102 | July 26 to 31 | McCook's raid to Lovejoy Station, Ga. | — | 100 | 500 | 600 | — |
| 103 | July 28 | Ezra Chapel, Atlanta, Ga.; second sortie. | 100 | 600 | — | 700 | 4,642 |
| 104 | July 30 | Mine explosion at Petersburg, Va. | 419 | 1,679 | 1,910 | 4,008 | 1,200 |
| 105 | August 1 to 31 | Trenches before Petersburg, Va. | 87 | 484 | — | 571 | — |
| 106 | August 14 to 18 | Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom Run, Va. | 400 | 1,755 | 1,400 | 3,555 | 1,100 |
| 107 | August 18, 19 & 21 | Six Mile House, Weldon Railroad, Va. | 212 | 1,155 | 3,176 | 4,543 | 4,000 |
| 108 | August 21 | Summit Point, Va. | — | — | — | 600 | 400 |
| 109 | August 25 | Ream's Station, Va. | 127 | 546 | 1,769 | 2,442 | 1,500 |
| 110 | August 31 to September 1 | Jonesboro', Ga. | — | 1,149 | — | 1,149 | 2,000 |
| 111 | May 5 to September 8 | Campaign in Northern Georgia, from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Atlanta, Ga. | 5,284 | 26,129 | 5,786 | 37,199 | — |
| 112 | September 1 to October 30 | Trenches before Petersburg, Va. | 170 | 822 | 812 | 1,804 | 1,000 |
| 113 | September 19 | Opequan, Winchester, Va. | 653 | 3,719 | 618 | 4,990 | 5,500 |
| 114 | September 23 | Athens, Ala. | — | — | 950 | 950 | 30 |
| 115 | September 24 to October 28 | Price's invasion of Missouri; includes a number of engagements | 170 | 336 | — | 506 | — |
| 116 | September 28 to 30 | New Market Heights, Va. | 400 | 2,029 | — | 2,429 | 2,000 |
| 117 | September 30 to October 1 | Preble's Farm, Poplar Springs Church, Va. | 141 | 788 | 1,756 | 2,685 | 900 |
| 118 | October 5 | Allatoona, Ga. | 142 | 352 | 212 | 706 | 1,142 |
| 119 | October 19 | Cedar Creek, Va. | 588 | 3,516 | 1,891 | 5,995 | 4,200 |
| 120 | October 27 | Hatcher's Run, South Side Railroad, Va. | 156 | 1,047 | 699 | 1,902 | 1,000 |
| 121 | October 27 and 28 | Fair Oaks, near Richmond, Va. | 120 | 783 | 400 | 1,303 | 451 |
| 122 | November 28 | Fort Kelly, New Creek, West Va. | — | — | 700 | 700 | 5 |
| 123 | November 30 | Franklin, Tenn. | 189 | 1,033 | 1,104 | 2,326 | 6,252 |
| 124 | November 30 | Honey Hill, Broad River, S. C. | 66 | 645 | — | 711 | — |
| 125 | December 6 to 9 | Deveaux's Neck, S. C. | 39 | 390 | 200 | 629 | 400 |
| 126 | December 15 & 16 | Nashville, Tenn. | 400 | 1,740 | — | 2,140 | 15,000 |
| 1865. | | | | | | |
| 127 | January 11 | Beverly, West Va. | 5 | 20 | 583 | 608 | — |
| 128 | January 13 to 15 | Fort Fisher, N. C. | 184 | 749 | 22 | 955 | 2,483 |
| 129 | February 5 to 7 | Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, Va. | 232 | 1,062 | 186 | 1,480 | 1,200 |
| 130 | March 8 to 10 | Wilcox's Bridge, Wise's Fork, N. C. | 80 | 421 | 600 | 1,101 | 1,500 |
| 131 | March 16 | Averysboro', N. C. | 77 | 477 | — | 554 | 865 |
| 132 | March 19 to 21 | Bentonville, N. C. | 191 | 1,168 | 287 | 1,646 | 2,825 |
| 133 | March 25 | Fort Steedman, in front of Petersburg, VA. | 68 | 337 | 506 | 911 | 2,681 |
| 134 | March 25 | Petersburg, Va. | 103 | 864 | 209 | 1,176 | 834 |
| 135 | March 26 to April 8 | Spanish Fort, Ala. | 100 | 695 | — | 795 | 552 |
| 136 | March 22 to April 24 | Wilson's raid from Chickasaw, Ala., to Macon, Ga.; includes a number of engagements | 99 | 598 | 28 | 725 | 8,020 |
| 137 | March 31 | Boydton and White Oak Roads, Va. | 177 | 1,134 | 556 | 1,867 | 1,235 |
| 138 | April 1 | Five Forks, Va. | 124 | 706 | 54 | 884 | 8,500 |
| 139 | April 2 | Fall of Petersburg, Va. | 296 | 2,565 | 500 | 3,361 | 3,000 |
| 140 | April 6 | Sailor's Creek, Va. | 166 | 1,014 | — | 1,180 | 7,000 |
| 141 | April 6 | High Bridge, Appomattox River, Va. | 10 | 31 | 1,000 | 1,041 | — |
| 142 | April 7 | Farmville, Va. | — | — | — | 655 | — |
| 143 | April 9 | Fort Blakely, Ala. | 113 | 516 | — | 629 | 2,900 |
| 144 | April 9 | Surrender of Lee | — | — | — | — | 26,000 |
| 145 | April 26 | Johnston surrendered | — | — | — | — | 29,924 |
| 146 | May 4 | Taylor surrendered | — | — | — | — | 10,000 |
| 147 | May 10 | Sam Jones surrendered | — | — | — | — | 8,000 |
| 148 | May 11 | Jeff Thompson surrendered | — | — | — | — | 7,454 |
| 149 | May 26 | Kirby Smith surrendered | — | — | — | — | 20,000 |
Statement of the Number of Engagements
In the several States and Territories during each Year of the War.
| States and Territories | 1861 | 1862 | 1863 | 1864 | 1865 | Total |
| New York | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | 9 |
| Maryland | 3 | 9 | 10 | 8 | — | 30 |
| Dist. of Columbia | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| West Virginia | 29 | 114 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 80 |
| Virginia | 30 | 40 | 116 | 205 | 28 | 519 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 27 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 85 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 10 | 17 | 9 | 22 | 60 |
| Georgia | — | 2 | 8 | 92 | 6 | 108 |
| Florida | 3 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 32 |
| Alabama | — | 10 | 12 | 32 | 24 | 78 |
| Mississippi | — | 42 | 76 | 67 | 1 | 186 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 11 | 54 | 50 | 2 | 118 |
| Texas | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 42 | 40 | 78 | 6 | 167 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 82 | 124 | 89 | 1 | 298 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 59 | 30 | 31 | 4 | 138 |
| Ohio | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| Indiana | — | — | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| Illinois | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Missouri | 65 | 95 | 43 | 41 | — | 244 |
| Minnesota | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 6 |
| California | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 6 |
| Kansas | — | — | 2 | 5 | — | 7 |
| Oregon | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Nevada | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Washington Ter. | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Utah | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | — | 19 |
| Nebraska | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| Colorado | — | — | — | 4 | — | 4 |
| Indian Territory | — | 2 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| Dakota | — | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | 11 |
| Arizona | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Idaho | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 156 | 564 | 627 | 779 | 135 | 2,261 |
BATTLE FIELDS OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR
Battles are indicated by stars *
Recommended Reading
Civil War in the Making: 1815-1860—Avery O. Craven
The Coming of the Civil War—Avery O. Craven
The Irrepressible Conflict—Arthur C. Cole
West Point Atlas of American Wars, 2 vols.—Vincent J. Esposito
The Story of the Confederacy—Robert Selph Henry
Storm Over the Land: A Profile of the Civil War—Carl Sandburg
The Confederate States of America—E. Merton Coulter
The Compact History of the Civil War—R. Ernest and Trevor N. Dupuy
The Civil War and Reconstruction—James G. Randall
The Blue and the Gray—Henry Steele Commager
The Common Soldier in the Civil War—Bell Irvin Wiley
They Fought for the Union—Francis A. Lord
Spies for the Blue and Gray—Harnett Kane
Battles and Leaders, 4 vols.—Robert Johnson and Clarence Buel, ed.
The Civil War at Sea—Virgil Carrington Jones
Lee's Lieutenants, 3 vols.—Douglas Southall Freeman
R.E. Lee, 4 vols.—Douglas Southall Freeman
Mr. Lincoln's Army—Bruce Catton
Glory Road—Bruce Catton
Stillness at Appomattox—Bruce Catton
This Hallowed Ground—Bruce Catton
The Generalship of U.S. Grant—J.F.C. Fuller
Sherman—Soldier, Realist, American—B.H. Lidell Hart
Stonewall Jackson: A Study in Command—G.F.R. Henderson
The Civil War: A Soldier's View—Jay Luvaas, ed.
As They Saw Forrest—Robert Selph Henry, ed.
The Army of the Tennessee—Stanley Horne
Lincoln's Plan for Reconstruction—William B. Hesseltine
Lincoln's War Cabinet—Burton J. Hendrick
Organization and Administration of the Union Army, 2 vols.—Frederick A. Shannon
War Department 1861—Alfred H. Meneely
Rebel Brass: The Confederate Command System—Frank E. Vandiver
Jefferson Davis—Hudson Strode
Photographic History of the Civil War, 10 vols.—Francis T. Miller and Robert Lanier, ed.
American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War—Bruce Catton, ed.
Divided We Fought—Hirst Milhollen, Milton Kaplan, Hulen Stuart
Notes on U.S. Ordnance, 2 vols.—James E. Hicks
U.S. Muskets, Rifles, and Carbines—Arcadi Gluckman
Firearms of the Confederacy—Claud Fuller and Richard Stuart
CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL PROCLAMATION
No. 3882
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The years 1961-1965 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the American
Civil War.
That war was America's most tragic experience. But like all truly great tragedies,
it carries with it an enduring lesson and a profound inspiration. It was a demonstration of
heroism and sacrifice by men and women of both sides, who valued principle above life itself
and whose devotion to duty is a proud part of our national inheritance.
Both sections of our magnificently reunited country sent into their armies men who
became soldiers as good as any who ever fought under any flag. Military history records
nothing finer than the courage and spirit displayed at such battles as Chickamauga, Antietam,
Kenesaw Mountain and Gettysburg. That America could produce men so valiant and
so enduring is a matter for deep and abiding pride.
The same spirit on the part of the people back home supported those soldiers through
four years of great trial. That a Nation which contained hardly more than 30 million people,
North and South together, could sustain 600,000 deaths without faltering is a lasting testimonial
to something unconquerable in the American spirit. And that a transcending sense
of unity and larger common purpose could, in the end, cause the men and women who had
suffered so greatly to close ranks once the contest ended and to go on together to build a
greater, freer and happier America must be a source of inspiration as long as our country
may last.
By a joint resolution approved on September 7, 1957, the Congress established the
Civil War Centennial Commission to coordinate the nationwide observances of the one hundredth
anniversary of the Civil War. This resolution authorized and requested the President
to issue proclamations inviting the people of the United States to participate in those observances.
NOW THEREFORE, I, DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, President of the United States
of America, do hereby invite all of the people of our country to take a direct and active part
in the Centennial of the Civil War.
I request all units and agencies of government, Federal, State and local, and their
officials, to encourage, foster and participate in Centennial observances. And I especially
urge our Nation's schools and colleges, its libraries and museums, its churches and religious
bodies, its civic, service and patriotic organizations, its learned and professional
societies, its arts, sciences and industries, and its informational media, to plan and carry
out their own appropriate Centennial observances during the years 1961 to 1965; all to
the end of enriching our knowledge and appreciation of this great chapter in our Nation's
history and of making this memorable period truly a Centennial for all Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the
United States of America to be affixed.
DONE at the City of Washington this 6th day of December
in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty, and of the Independence
of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-fourth.
By the President:
Dwight D. Eisenhower
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William H. Price is a pursuer of the lesser-known, but important, facts about the Civil War; an interest
that is reflected throughout this unique handbook. Living in Northern Virginia, he has been over many square
miles of the battlefields on foot and, often with a surveyor's transit, has plotted key sites and troop positions
left obscure in the records of the armies. He specializes in the smaller, yet significant battles fought
in Virginia—First Manassas, Cedar Mountain, Brandy Station—and in the operations of the signals services
and topographical engineers. Modern data-processing techniques were applied to the Civil War for the first
time when he devised a new method of cataloguing the war's battles, skirmishes, and engagements; this compilation,
prepared by International Business Machines Corporation, is being used by the National and State
Commissions in planning the numerous Civil War Centennial events.
Virgil Carrington Jones, biographer of Ranger Mosby and author of "The Civil War at Sea", has best and
most accurately described Mr. Price as "a walking encyclopedia of Civil War lore".
A native of North Carolina, he has served on the staff of the American Military Institute and is a member
of the Civil War Centennial Commission of the District of Columbia.
Transcriber's Notes:
Research indicates that the copyright was not renewed.
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
This text uses both ironclad and iron-clad. Remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will appear.