March- This Month in Civil War History

March Turning Points of the Civil War (1861–1865)

March was often the month where plans turned into action—new leaders took oaths, armies collided in the West and the Shenandoah, and by 1865 the Confederacy was throwing its last punches. Here are eight March events that help explain how the war widened, hardened, and finally closed.

1) March 4, 1861 — Lincoln’s First Inauguration sets a national tone

Abraham Lincoln took the oath as the Union fractured and tensions spiked across the country.
His message leaned hard on preserving the Union while confronting the reality of secession.
It didn’t stop war—but it drew a clear line on what the federal government intended to defend.

2) March 7–8, 1862 — Pea Ridge secures Missouri and shifts the Trans-Mississippi

Union and Confederate forces fought a rugged, two-day battle in northwest Arkansas.
The result helped keep Missouri firmly in the Union camp and blunted Confederate momentum west of the Mississippi.
It proved the western “side theaters” weren’t side shows—they could decide whole regions.

3) March 8–9, 1862 — Hampton Roads: the ironclads change naval warfare forever

The Confederate ironclad Virginia struck Union warships in Hampton Roads, and the next day the Monitor arrived to fight her.
The ironclads battered each other to a standstill, but the world learned the same lesson fast: wooden fleets were obsolete.
From here on out, industry and engineering mattered as much as courage at sea.

4) March 23, 1862 — First Kernstown sparks alarm in Washington

Union forces won the field near Winchester, Virginia—but Confederate aggression created strategic confusion.
Federal leaders believed a larger threat was loose in the Shenandoah Valley and redirected troops accordingly.
Tactically one thing happened; strategically, another—and that’s why this fight mattered.

5) March 26–28, 1862 — Glorieta Pass breaks the Confederate push in the Southwest

In the mountain passes near Santa Fe, Union and Confederate forces clashed during a bold Confederate drive west.
Even when fighting looked mixed, the campaign’s lifeline—supplies—became the deciding factor.
The result helped end Confederate hopes of controlling the Southwest corridor.