Most Critical Battles in U.S. History

On July 1, 1863, the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania began, perhaps the most important battle of the US Civil War. Many historians have considered it the battle that the war hinged on, especially as it was the “high water mark” of the Confederate invasion of the North. We list here some of the most important, most critical battles in our nation’s history, battles that the very existence of the country depended on. Since the only wars that our existence hinged on were the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II, by our definition only those wars can be considered. (Note: Although the Battle of Midway was certainly the turning point in the Pacific in 1942, we do not see the Japanese as an actual threat to America’s existence or sovereignty in World War II.)