The Ten Costliest Battles of the Civil War

(Based on total casualties killed, wounded, missing, and captured)

#1
Battle of Gettysburg; July 1-3, 1863
Location: Pennsylvania;
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee;
Fed. Commander: George G Meade;
CSA Forces 75,000; Union Forces 82,289
Winner Union; Casualties 51,112
Union 23,049, Confederate 28,063

#2
Battle of Chickamauga; September 19-20 1863
Location: Georgia
CSA Commander: Braxton Bragg
Fed. Commander: William Rosecrans
CSA Forces 66,326; Union Forces 58,222
Winner Confederacy; Casualties 34,624
Union 16,170, Confederate 18,454

#3
Battle of Chancellorsville; May 1-4 1863
Location: Virginia
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee
Fed. Commander: Joseph Hooker
CSA Forces 60,892; Union Forces 113,868
Winner Confederacy; Casualties 30,999
Union 17,278, Confederate 12,821

#4
Battle of Spotsylvania; May 8-19 1864
Location: Virginia
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee
Fed. Commander: Ulysses S Grant
CSA Forces 50,000; Union Forces 83,000
Winner Confederacy; Casualties 27,399
Union 18,399, Confederate 9,000

#5
Battle of Antietam; September 17 1862
Location: Maryland
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee
Fed. Commander: George B McClellan
CSA Forces 51,844; Union Forces 75,316
Winner Union; Casualties 26,134
Union 12,410; Confederate 13,724

#6
Battle of The Wilderness; May 5-7 1864
Location: Virginia
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee
Fed. Commander: Ulysses S Grant
CSA Forces 61,025; Union Forces 101,895
Winner Inconclusive; Casualties 25,416
Union 17,666; CSA 7,750

#7
Battle of Second Manassas; Aug. 29-30 1862
Location: Virginia
CSA Commander: Robert E Lee
Fed. Commander: John Pope
CSA Forces 48,527; Union Forces 75,696
Winner Confederacy; Casualties 25,251
Union 16,054; CSA 9,197

#8
Battle of Stone's River; December 31 1862
Location: Tennessee
CSA Commander: Braxton Bragg
Fed. Commander: William S Rosecrans
CSA Forces 37,739; Union Forces 41,400
Winner Union; Casualties 24,645
Union 12,906; CSA 11,737

#9
Battle of Shiloh; April 6-7 1862
Location: Tennessee
CSA Commanders: Albert Sidney Johnston & P G T Beauregard
Union Commander: Ulysses S Grant
CSA Forces; 40,335
Union Forces; 62,682
Winner Union; Casualties 23,741
Union13,047; CSA 10,694

#10
Battle of Fort Donelson; Feb. 13-16 1862
Location: Tennessee
CSA Commanders: John B Floyd & Simon B Buckner
Union Commander: Ulysses S Grant
CSA Forces; 21,000
Union Forces; 27,000
Winner Union; Casualties 19,455

The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, June 2002