Which of the serious defeats for the Union came first in the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga or the Battle of Fredericksburg?
Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863 between Union and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia — the Chickamauga Campaign. It was the first major battle of the war fought in Georgia, the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater, and involved the second-highest number of casualties after the Battle of Gettysburg.
Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862) (also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern) was a battle of the American Civil War. It was fought at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Leetown. Union forces, led by Brigadier-General Samuel R. Curtis, moved south from central Missouri, driving Confederate forces into northwestern Arkansas. Major-General Earl Van Dorn launched a Confederate counter-offensive, hoping to recapture northern Arkansas and Missouri. Curtis held off the Confederate attack on the first day and drove Van Dorn's force off the field on the second. This Civil War battle, one of the few in which a Confederate army outnumbered its opponent, essentially established Union control of most of Missouri and northern Arkansas.