The South began the Civil War with their attack on Fort Sumter. The south, as was to be expected, took the fort relatively easily, but they lost lots of popular opinion because they attacked a relatively unfortified fort to start the fighting. Photograph via https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/A-Country-at-War-Ft-Sumter. Photograph from US National Archives.
At the Battle of First Bull Run, or Manassas as it is called in the south, the confederacy won a brilliant victory over the north. However, while on the surface it seemed to be a good outcome for the south, the battle made the confederate soldiers overconfident and created a more full-scale northern war effort. Photograph via http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/08/henry_house_ruins.jpg. Photograph from unknown.
General Robert E. Lee was a brilliant general for the Confederacy throughout the entirety of the Civil War. His most famous battles include Manassas and Chancellorsville. Photograph via http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/robert-e-lee-pictures/picture-robert-e-lee.jpg. Photograph from Mathew Brady.
The Battle of Antietam was a turning point in the Civil War for both sides. While it proved huge positive boosts for the north, it severely hindered the southern cause, as it allowed the north to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and it ensured that no foreign powers would join in on the southern side. Photograph via http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Bodies_on_the_battlefield_at_antietam.jpg. Photograph from Alexander Gardner.
"Stonewall" Jackson was the key general under Robert E. Lee for the south and is remembered for his brilliant use of flanking movements. Unfortunately for the confederacy, Jackson was killed by friendly fire at the battle of Chancellorsville, which is why the battle is a pyrrhic victory for the south. Photograph via http://www.fold3.com/image/270979440/. Photograph from unknown.
At Gettysburg the south were dealt a huge blow both in terms of soldiers and spirits. In the last battle of the war that was a southern attack, Gettysburg saw thousands of deaths on both sides and likely ended the confederate's hopes in the north. Photograph via http://college.cengage.com/history/us/resources/shared/primary/source/images/gettysburg2.jpg. Photograph from Alexander Gardner.
While Gettysburg was the devastating blow in the north for the confederacy, Vicksburg was the devastating blow in the west. Vicksburg was supposed to be unbreakable, but after several months, northern forces were finally victorious and confederate hopes seemed very bleak on all fronts. Photograph via https://civilwarinvirginia.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/vicksburg2.jpg. Photograph from unknown.
The last real hope for the south was the election of 1864, where Abraham Lincoln ran against George McLellan. If McLellan won, the confederacy though they might still have a chance, but morales drooped again in the south when Lincoln was eventually elected to his second straight term. Photograph via http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/mcclellans-1864-election.jpg. Photograph from unknown.
In the final acts of the Civil War, William Tecumseh Sherman was charged with breaking the back of the deep south with his march to the sea. Sherman was ruthless, destroying countless towns and cities in an effort to completely remake the southern United States. Photograph via http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/cwar-pix/railroad.jpg. Photograph from unknown.
At the Appomattox courthouse, Robert E. Lee formally surrendered to Ulysses Grant. After the meeting of the two, Lee would return to his troops and tell them all to go home to their families, for the war was over. Photograph via http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/AppomattoxCourtHouse.jpg. Photograph from unknown.