1. The CWSAC (Civil War Sites Advisory Commission) rated the military significance of the battles into four classes, as follows:

2. Class A – Decisive
A general engagement involving field armies in which a commander achieved a vital strategic objective. Such a result might include an indisputable victory on the field or be limited to the success or termination of a campaign offensive. Decisive battles had a direct, observable impact on the direction, duration, conduct, or outcome of the war.

3. Class B – Major
An engagement of magnitude involving field armies or divisions of the armies in which a commander achieved an important strategic objective within the context of an ongoing campaign offensive. Major battles had a direct, observable impact on the direction, duration, conduct, or outcome of the campaign.

4. Class C – Formative
An engagement involving divisions or detachments of the field armies in which a commander accomplished a limited campaign objective of reconnaissance, disruption, defense, or occupation. Formative battles had an observable influence on the direction, duration, or conduct of the campaign

5. Class D – Limited
An engagement, typically involving detachments of the field armies, in which a commander achieved a limited tactical objective of reconnaissance, defense, or occupation. Limited battles maintained contact between the combatants without observable influence on the direction of the campaign.

6. 1. Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania)
July 1-3, 1863
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 71,699 Casualties: 23,231
Union Commander: George Meade
Forces: 93,921 Casualties: 23,055
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 46,286
VICTOR: Union
Designation: A

7. 2. Seven Days Battle (Battle of Oak Grove – Virginia)
June 25-July 1, 1862
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 92,000 Casualties: 23,231
Union Commander: George McClellan
Forces: 93,921 Casualties: 20,204
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 43,435
VICTOR: Inconclusive/Confederate
Designation: D

8. 3. Battle of Chickamauga (Georgia)
September 19-20, 1863
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Forces: 65,000 Casualties: 18,454
Union Commander: William Rosecrans
Forces: 60,000 Casualties: 16,170
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 34,624
VICTOR: Confederate
Designation: A

9. Battle of Spotsylvania (Virginia)
May 8-21, 1864
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 52,000 Casualties: 13,421
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Forces: 100,000 Casualties: 18,399
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 31,820
VICTOR: Inconclusive
Designation: A

10. 5. Battle of Chancellorsville (Virginia)
May 1-4, 1863
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 60,892 Casualties: 13,303
Union Commander: Joseph Hooker
Forces: 133,868 Casualties: 17,197
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 27,500
VICTOR: Confederates
Designation: A

11. 6. Battle of the Wilderness (Virginia)
May 5-7, 1864
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 61,025 Casualties: 11,125
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Forces: 101,025 Casualties: 17,666
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 28,791
VICTOR: Inconclusive
Designation: A

12. 7. Battle of Stones River (Tennessee)
December 31, January 2, 1863
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Forces: 35,000 Casualties: 11,739
Union Commander: William Rosecrans
Forces: 41,400 Casualties: 12,906
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 24,645
VICTOR: Union
Designation: A

13. 8. Battle of Shiloh (Tennessee)
April 6-7, 1862
Confederate Commander: Albert Sidney Johnston; P.G.T. Beauregard
Forces: 44,699 Casualties: 10,699
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Forces: 66,812 Casualties: 13,047
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 23,746
VICTOR: Union
Designation: A

14. Battle of Antietam (Maryland)
September 17, 1862
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 38,000 Casualties: 10,316
Union Commander: George B. McClellan
Forces: 75,500 Casualties: 12,401
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 22,717
VICTOR: Inconclusive/Union
Designation: A

15. 10. Second Battle of Bull Run (Virginia)
August 29-30, 1862
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Forces: 50,000 Casualties: 8,300
Union Commander: John Pope
Forces: 62,000 Casualties: 10,000
TOTAL CASUALTIES: 18,300
VICTOR: Confederate
Designation: A

16. A little perspective between the Civil War and the War in Afghanistan:

17. A Few Stats on the Afghanistan War
By November 2012, we will have been in the war 12+ years.
We are nearing the 2,000 death.
At present, are averaging 1 death a day.
More than 80,000 troops are still in Afghanistan.