Fire-Engine House, Harper's Ferry: Hoping to incite a rebellion among the slave population, John Brown and his followers seized Harper's Ferry on October 16, 1859. Two days later they were captured in this fire-engine house by Federal troops under Colonel Robert E. Lee.

         Charleston Harbor, South Carolina: The heavy guns of Fort Moultrie were among those that fired the first shots of the Civil War. Federal forces in isolated Fort Sumter (visible as a dark shape against the distant shore) surrendered following a 36-hour bombardment.

         Bull Run, Manassas Battlefield: In the first major engagement of the war, Federal troops crossed this sluggish stream and nearly succeeded in outflanking the enemy. Later routed, they would scramble to recross the stream in a mounting stampede.

         Henry House, Manassas Battlefield: A central feature of both First and Second Bull Run, Henry House Hill is seen here dominated by the restored home of 84-year-old Judith Henry, who was killed by shellfire in her bedroom during the first battle.

        Monuments to Jackson and Bee, Manassas Battlefield (First Bull Run): Driven back by the Federal advance on Henry House Hill, General Barnard Bee reportedly called out to his men, "Look! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!"

         Shore Battery, Fort Donelson Battlefield: At the approach of Federal gunboats on the Cumberland River, Confederate defenders opened up with guns ranging to 32-pounders, crippling Flag-Officer Foote's fleet and thwarting Grant's plans for a joint land-sea operation.

        Earthworks, Fort Donelson Battlefield: Situated on high ground and surrounded by a substantial earthen wall and ditch, Fort Donelson was a good deal more defensible than nearby Fort Henry, which fell to the Federals without a fight on February 5, 1862.

         Dover Hotel, Fort Donelson Battlefield: Overlooking the river wharf where Confederate commanders John B. Floyd and Gideon Pillow escaped on the night of February 14, this hotel served alternately as headquarters for both army staffs.

       Shiloh Church, Shiloh Battlefield: Originally constructed of rough-hewn timber, the one-room church on this site was badly damaged during the battle and collapsed soon afterward. The present structure was completed in 1952.

         Peach Orchard, Shiloh Battlefield: Hard-pressed by the advance of Breckinridge's corps, Federal troops fell back across this peach orchard. The view is northwesterly, with the Manse George cabin in the distance and Bloody Pond off-camera to the right.

         Hornet's Nest, Shiloh Battlefield: Seeking to pry the enemy loose from Pittsburg Landing, Rebel attackers made repeated assaults against Federals positioned in this wooded lane immediately east of the Peach Orchard.

         Bloody Pond, Shiloh Battlefield: Seeking respite from the savage fighting along the Federal left, men and horses from both armies made their way to this pond, the waters of which were visibly reddened by the blood of the wounded.

         Johnston Monument, Shiloh Battlefield: While on horseback urging his troops forward against the Federal left, Rebel commander A. S. Johnston was mortally wounded by a minie ball. The well-preserved remains of a tree trunk, visible at right, marks the place where he fell.

         Rebel Right, Shiloh Battlefield: Turning the enemy's flank, Rebel forces swept across these fields on the eastern end of the battlefield and pressed northward, but the Federals would hold Pittsburgh Landing with the help of gunboats in the nearby Tennessee River.

         Miller farm, Antietam Battlefield: Over this ground on the northern end of the battlefield, the men of Hooker's corps advanced against Stonewall Jackson's troops on the morning of the bloodiest single day in American history.

         Dunker Church, Antietam Battlefield: Built by members of an obscure sect of German pacifists, this one-room church was at the center of some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Stonewall Jackson's corps held the position against repeated Federal assaults.

         The Cornfield, Antietam Battlefield: Canister shot and small-arms fire mowed down men and stalks alike as opposing battle lines collided here amid a crop of late-summer corn. The East Wood appears in the distance.

         Bloody Lane, Antietam Battlefield: Following repeated frontal assaults across the fields to the left (north), Federal troops flanked and enfiladed Rebel defenders of this sunken road, which was soon filled with dead and wounded.

         Bloody Lane (northerly), Antietam Battlefield: Viewed from the southeast, Bloody Lane overlooks the northern end of the battlefield, where three Federal corps made their attack. The Cornfield lies along the horizon at right.

        Burnside's Bridge, Antietam Battlefield: While battle raged north of Sharpsburg, General Ambrose Burnside's troops spent much of the day stalled before this bridge, pinned down by Georgians on the hillside at left. The delay would cost the Federals a decisive victory.

         Rebel right, Antietam Battlefield: Across these fields the men of A. P. Hill's division, newly-arrived from Harper's Ferry, rushed into battle to check the advance of Burnside's corps, saving the Confederate army from disaster.

        Sunken Road, Fredericksburg Battlefield: Standing as many as six deep behind this stone wall, Rebel riflemen poured devastating volleys into successive ranks of blue infantry advancing across open fields to the left (east).

        Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg Battlefield: Confederate guns on this hillside (viewed from the sunken road) swept the fields in front of the town, decimating the advancing Federals. The oak tree seen here existed at the time of the battle and sheltered Rebel wounded.

         Sheridan's stand, Stones River Battlefield: A pair of disabled guns litter the rocky ground where Sheridan's division made a stand on the first day of the battle. Limestone outcroppings formed natural rifle pits here and on much of the rest of the battlefield.

         Hazen Monument, Stones River Battlefield: Stationed in a wood known as the Round Forest, William B. Hazen's brigade fought off repeated Rebel assaults, buying the Federals precious time to reform their line. Erected in 1863, the monument is the oldest Civil War memorial.

         Thomas' line, Stones River Battlefield: Their original line bent double by a massive Rebel onslaught, Union forces reformed behind units of Thomas' corps along the Nashville Turnpike. Here well-positioned Federal artillery hammered the attackers to a halt.

        Catherine's Furnace, Chancellorsville Battlefield: Starting down the road at left, the men of Stonewall Jackson's corps began the march that would lead to the successful flank attack of May 2. The remains of an ironworks appear at right.

         Site of the Chancellor House, Chancellorsville Battlefield: Under attack from three directions, Union General Joe Hooker made his headquarters in an inn on this ground. The inn would later be the scene of the triumphant linking of Robert E. Lee's divided forces.

       Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg Battlefield: Monuments to Oliver Howard and Winfield Scott Hancock dominate the crest of the hill where these two Federal commanders organized a defensive line on the first day of the battle.

        The Peach Orchard, Gettysburg Battlefield: Thrust forward in an exposed salient centered on this peach orchard along the Emmitsburg Road, the men of Daniel Sickles corps came under converging fire during Longstreet's attack on the second day of the battle.

        Woods near Plum Run, Gettysburg Battlefield: During the second day's fighting, a regiment of Minnesotans counterattacked an entire Rebel brigade to help fill a gap in the Union position on Cemetery Ridge. Of the 262 men who made the charge, only 47 returned.

        Devil's Den from Little Round Top, Gettysburg Battlefield: From these heights Federal troops of Syke's corps unleashed a storm of cannon and small-arms fire against Rebel attackers in the jumble of rocks immediately below. Seminary Ridge is visible in the distance.

        East Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg Battlefield: The mounted figure of Henry Slocum dominates the crest of the hill his corps defended against Confederate attacks on the evening of the second day of the battle and again the next morning.

        Seminary Ridge from The Angle, Gettysburg Battlefield: Sunset softens the landscape in front of the low stone wall that marked high tide for the South. Rebel attackers reached and crossed the wall only to be driven back in fierce fighting.

        Monument Row and the "copse of trees" viewed from the southeast, Gettysburg Battlefield: Along this shallow slope Union troops sheltered from the massive Confederate bombardment that preceded the assault known as "Pickett's Charge."

         Monument to Winfield Scott Hancock, Gettysburg Battlefield: Assuming field command on the afternoon of the first day's fighting, Hancock was largely responsible for establishing and maintaining the defensive line on Cemetery Ridge.

         Virginia monument, Gettysburg Battlefield: In this view from the base of the monument, bronze figures look out upon the northern end of Cemetery Ridge and the "copse of trees" that would serve as focal point for the climactic attack on the third day of the battle.

        Kelly Field, Chickamauga Battlefield: The men of George Thomas' corps defended this ground against repeated enemy assaults before a massive Rebel break-through on their flank forced them back upon Snodgrass Hill.

        Brotherton Field, Chickamauga Battlefield: Across this field the men of Longstreet's corps advanced in column formation, striking the Union line at a point where only moments before a Federal division (Wood's) had been shifted northward.

       Snodgrass Hill, Chickamauga Battlefield: From this hill west of Kelly Field, Union commander George Thomas orchestrated the successful defense for which he would be known as "The Rock of Chickamauga."

        Chewning Farm, Wilderness Battlefield: This clearing between the Turnpike and Plank Road was the scene of a crucial linking of the battle lines of Ewell's and A. P. Hill's corps during the fighting of May 5, 1864.

        Tapp farm, Wilderness Battlefield: His right wing threatened by a Federal advance along the Brock Road, General Lee met the van of Longstreet's corps in this clearing and prepared to lead an attack. The men responded by ushering him to the rear and going forward.

         Texas monument, Wilderness Battlefield: Thrown forward in an effort to halt Hancock's advance along the Brock Road (middle distance), a Texas division fought the Federals to a stand-still during the fighting of May 6, saving Lee's army at a fearful cost in casualties.

        Sedgwick Monument, Spotsylvania Battlefield: Speaking of Rebel sharpshooters along the distant line of trees, General Sedgwick reportedly scoffed, "[they] couldn't hit an elephant at this distance!" Moments later the popular commander fell dead, shot through the forehead.

        Bloody Angle, Spotsylvania Battlefield: Early morning sunlight gilds the treetops along a section of the "mule shoe," where some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting of the war took place. In a massive infantry assault, Federal troops drove the Rebels out of the salient.

        Rebel trenches, Cold Harbor Battlefield: A series of shallow mounds are all that remain of the trenches from which Confederate defenders repulsed three massive Federal assaults on June 3, 1864, leaving the fields before them strewn with some 7,000 casualties.

        The Crater, Petersburg Battlefield: In an effort to break through the Rebel line, Union coal miners tunneled beneath it and planted four tons of explosives. The resulting blast obliterated an entire Confederate battery and led to the ill-fated Battle of the Crater.

        McLean House, Appomattox: Seeking to escape the ravages of war, Wilbur McLean moved from Manassas, where his house had served as Rebel headquarters, to Appomattox Court House in 1863. Two years later the terms of surrender were signed in his sitting room.

        Signing table, Appomattox: While staff members of both armies looked on, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee signed the terms of surrender at this table in the McLean sitting room, officially bringing an end to the Civil War.

        Surrender Triangle, Appomattox: On this ground the Army of Northern Virginia made its formal surrender, stacking arms in the triangular plot to the left, while on both sides of the road Union troops looked on in respectful silence.

        Lynchburg Road, Appomattox: Following the formal surrender marking the end of four years of war, soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia marched away along this road, returning to civilian life as paroled prisoners.