World History

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in December 1862, was a major victory for the Confederate Army (the South) under General Robert E. Lee. The Union Army (the North), led by Major General Ambrose Burnside, suffered heavy casualties during futile frontal assaults against entrenched Confederate positions.

Following the Union victory at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, Union forces advanced to lay siege to Corinth, Mississippi. Corinth was a vital rail junction, and capturing it allowed the Union to disrupt Confederate supply lines in the West.

The First Battle of Bull Run, fought in July 1861, resulted in a decisive victory for the Confederate forces. The Union retreat turned into a chaotic rout back to Washington, D.C., shattering hopes of a quick end to the war.

The Rebel yell was a distinctive, high-pitched battle cry used by Confederate soldiers during assaults. This eerie and intimidating sound was designed to terrify Union troops and boost Confederate morale on the battlefield.

During the First Battle of Bull Run, Confederate General Thomas Jackson earned the nickname Stonewall when General Bernard Bee rallied his men by pointing out Jackson standing like a stone wall. This nickname stuck with him for the rest of his life and career.

Before the First Battle of Bull Run, many in the North expected a quick and decisive Union victory that would promptly crush the rebellion. Spectators even rode out from Washington, D.C., with picnic baskets to watch what they assumed would be an easy triumph.

The First Battle of Bull Run, fought on July 21, 1861, was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. While Fort Sumter marked the start of hostilities, Bull Run was the first large-scale clash between opposing armies.

Joan of Arc, a peasant girl who became a military leader, led French forces to several pivotal victories during the Hundred Years' War, helping lift the siege of Orleans. The other options include rulers of Egypt, the Byzantine Empire, and Great Britain, none of whom fought to liberate France from England.

During the suppression of the 1857 Indian Rebellion, British forces executed 40 mutinous sepoys from the 55th Native Infantry by strapping them to cannons and blowing them apart in Peshawar on June 10, 1857. This brutal method was used to deter further rebellion.

During the French and Indian War, Pennsylvania and Virginia were the primary colonies directly bordering the disputed Ohio River Valley. Because of their proximity to the conflict, they had to raise significant taxes to fund local defense and military operations.

The Treaty of Easton (1758) was a peace agreement signed during the French and Indian War. In exchange for British promises to respect Native American land rights west of the Allegheny Mountains, tribes like the Shawnee and Delaware agreed to stop attacking British frontier settlements.

In the context of the mid-Atlantic theater of the French and Indian War, Pennsylvania contributed massive amounts of money and raised thousands of provincial troops to defend its long, exposed frontier. While Massachusetts contributed the most overall in New England, Pennsylvania was the leading contributor among the listed options.

During Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763, Native American warriors successfully captured and destroyed eight British frontier forts. Only Fort Pitt and Fort Detroit successfully withstood the prolonged sieges and remained in British hands.

In late 1758, as British forces approached, the French burned and abandoned Fort Duquesne. The British subsequently constructed a much larger and stronger fortification on the same site, naming it Fort Pitt in honor of William Pitt the Elder.