Animated Battle Maps
From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, watch the battles of the wars of America’s First Century come to life, complete with troop movement animations, narratives, video and more.
Watch the Videos
The Revolutionary War Animated Map: April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783
Witness the Revolutionary War unfold like you have never seen it before. Follow the struggle for American independence, from Lexington Green to the British surrender at Yorktown and beyond. (Runtime 18:44) View or download on Vimeo.
Southern Campaign Animated Map: 1778 - 1781
After years of battles in the Northern and Mid-Atlantic Colonies resulting in a stalemate, the British devised a new Southern Strategy in late 1778, hoping to keep control of the agriculturally prosperous South, in case they had to sue for peace with George Washington in the North. Nearly three years of vicious fighting ensued. As Nathanael Greene once put it, "We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again." The Americans just had to hold out long enough to wear down the British war effort. (Runtime 14:44) View or download on Vimeo.
The Civil War Animated Map: April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865
The Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in American history. Follow the events as they unfold — from the firing on Fort Sumter, to the single bloodiest day at Antietam, to the Confederate surrenders at Appomattox Court House and Bennett Place. (Runtime 27:28) View or download on Vimeo.
Peninsula Campaign Animated Map: March – July 1862
The first grand movement in the Civil War’s Easter Theater, the Peninsula Campaign carried General George McClellan’s Federal army by land, water and battle to the gates of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. The Union offensive failed due to determined Rebel counterattacks and the appointment of a new Confederate commander, General Robert E. Lee. (Runtime 12:06) View or download on Vimeo.
Shiloh Animated Map: April 6-7, 1862
The April 6-7, 1862, Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle to its date in American history. More casualties were sustained by the combatants at Shiloh than in all of America’s prior conflicts combined. The colossal battle led to Union dominance in Western Tennessee the fall of Memphis and the rail center at Corinth, and the realization in North & South that the bloodletting at Shiloh was a harbinger of the cost of war. (Runtime 18:09) View or download on Vimeo.
Antietam Animated Map: September 17, 1862
The first major turning point of the Civil War, the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland, halted Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of Union soil, gave birth to the Emancipation Proclamation, and sadly remains the bloodiest day in American history. (Runtime 15:31) View or download on Vimeo.
Vicksburg Animated Map: May 18 – July 4, 1863
The summer of 1863 marked another turning point in the Civil War. The 48-day siege at Vicksburg, Mississippi, gave the Union Army control of the Mississippi River, cutting the Confederate supply line to the Trans-Mississippi, and led to the rise of Ulysses S. Grant as principal commander of all Union armies. (Runtime 20:31) View or download on Vimeo.
Gettysburg Animated Map: July 1-3, 1863
The Battle of Gettysburg is most famous battle in American history. From July 1-3, 1863, the principal Union and Confederate armies traded blows in South Central Pennsylvania. The Union victory ended Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the north, and coupled with the Union victory at Vicksburg, makes up one of the great turning points of the Civil War. (Runtime 16:50) View or download on Vimeo.
Chickamauga Animated Map: September 19-20, 1863
Often referred to as the “Gettysburg of the West,” the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chickamauga halted a Federal offensive into southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia and ended the string of Federal victories amassed during the summer of 1863. (Runtime 22:14) View or download on Vimeo.
Overland Campaign Animated Map: May 4 – June 24, 1864
The first clash between generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee morphed from a single battle into a grueling seven-week campaign which resulted in some 90,000 casualties and ultimately bottled up Lee’s army in a 292-day siege at Petersburg, Virginia. (Runtime 18:41) View or download on Vimeo.
About Our Maps
The American Battlefield Trust’s Animated Battle Maps are a flagship component of our K-12 education outreach program and classroom curricula, which have been downloaded and utilized in classrooms around the world and viewed by students and history buffs alike more than 1.5 million times.
Developed in conjunction with leading historians, educators, and the National Park Service — and produced by Emmy award winning Wide Awake Films —the Animated Map Collection tells the story of America’s defining conflicts through compelling story telling, state of the art graphics and live action video.
The Animated Map Collection helps to bring the story of America’s past to life, while illustrating the important role that these conflicts and battlefields played from the founding of the United States during the Revolutionary War. To the freeing of 3.5 million slaves because of the Civil War. And how each conflict helped to shape the America of today.
Credits
The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 50,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War.
Wide Awake Films is a creative media group focused on innovative, efficient execution of historical, commercial and corporate video and film production. The production company excels in producing compelling and powerful corporate messages, as well as Emmy award-winning historical content for museums, documentaries and television programming.
