List of battles with most United States military fatalities

This article contains a list of battles with most United States military fatalities, in terms of American deaths.

Introduction This article lists battles and campaigns in which the number of U.S. soldiers killed was higher than 1,000. The battles and campaigns that reached that number of deaths in the field are so far limited to King William's War, the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, one operation during the War in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and one campaign during the Iraq War (the Anbar campaign from March 20, 2003 to December 7, 2011). The campaign that resulted in the most US military deaths was the Siegfried Line campaign (28 August 1944 to March 21, 1945) in which 50,410 soldiers were killed fighting against Nazi Germany.

The bloodiest single day in the history of the United States military is either June 6, 1944, with 2,500 soldiers killed during the Invasion of Normandy on D-Day, or September 12, 1918, at the start of the Battle of Saint Mihiel, with over 2,500 dead (however, this exact figure is unverifiable because of poor documentation). The third-highest single-day toll was the Battle of Antietam, with 2,108 dead.

The deadliest single-day battle in American history, if all engaged armies are considered, is the Battle of Antietam with 3,675 killed, including both United States and Confederate soldiers (total casualties for both sides were 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing Union and Confederate soldiers September 17, 1862).

The origins of the American soldier (and even some military units) can be traced back to the Provincial troops of British America while the origins of the modern U.S military can be traced back to the Americans' fight for independence from their former colonial power of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The top three bloodiest conflicts in US military history so far have been American Civil War (1861–1865) (Over 1,000,000 dead), World War II (1941–1945 for declared American involvement) (420,000 dead) and World War I (1917-1918 for declared American involvement) (116,516 dead). Other significant conflicts involving the United States ordered by casualties include the War of 1812 (1812-1815) (15,000 dead), the Korean War (1950–1953) (36,574 dead), the Vietnam War (1965–1973 for American ground involvement) (58,281 dead), the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (2,325 US military dead and 3,917 US Military Contractors dead), the Iraq War (2003-2011) (4,508 US military dead and 3,650 US Military Contractors dead) and various other conflicts in the Middle East.

Scope and definitions The definition of "battle" as a concept in military science has varied with the changes in the organization, employment, and technology of military forces. Before the 20th century, "battle" usually meant a military clash over a small area, lasting a few days at most and often just one day—such as the Battle of Waterloo, which began and ended on 18 June 1815 on a field a few kilometers across.

Especially in 20th-century conflicts, "battle" has meant "military campaign"—larger and longer military operations, on the operational or even strategic level—such as the Battle of the Atlantic, fought for several years (1939–1945) over about a fifth of the Earth's surface.

Since both types of "battles" are not usefully comparable in many ways, including casualty comparisons, this article is divided into two sections, one for battle in the older, more restricted sense and one for campaigns, many of which are also called battles.

There are actions at the margins that can be reasonably assigned to either list. For instance, the Battle of Spotsylvania lasted 14 days, but the main part was fought on a small field (less than three kilometers on a side), and in this way being more in the nature of a siege (a military action typically of long duration but in covering a relatively small area). Like the similar Battle of Cold Harbor, also part of the Overland Campaign, it is included in this article on the Battles list. The Battle of Saint-Mihiel, lasting only about four days, but on a larger field (roughly 12 kilometers by 25 kilometers), is also included on the Battles list.

The term casualty in warfare can often be confusing. It often does not refer to those who are killed on the battlefield; rather, it refers to those who can no longer fight. That can include disabled by injuries, disabled by psychological trauma, captured, deserted, or missing. A casualty is only a soldier who is no longer available for the immediate battle or campaign, the major consideration in combat, and the number of casualties is simply the number of members of a unit who are not available for duty. For example, during the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War (June 25 to July 1, 1862) there were 5,228 killed, 23,824 wounded and 7,007 missing or taken prisoners for a total of 36,059 casualties. The word casualty has been used in a military context since at least 1513.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed gives a 1513 reference for military casualty, and an 1844 reference for civilian use In this article the numbers killed refer to those killed in action, killed by disease, missing presumed dead, or someone who died from their wounds.

Battles Battle or siegeConflictDateEstimated number killed Opposing forceReferences Battle of Bataan World War II Japan Siege of Port Hudson American Civil War Confederate States of America Kennedy, pp. 183–184. Battle of Elsenborn Ridge (part of the Battle of the Bulge) World War II Germany “A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge“, p. 410 Battle of Saint-Mihiel World War I Germany Battle of Khe Sanh Vietnam War North Vietnam Viet Cong Pathet Lao Battle of Gettysburg American Civil War Confederate States of America Battle of Saint-Lô World War II Germany Operation Lüttich (Part of the Battle of Normandy) Battle of Monte Cassino Germany Italian Social Republic Battle of Leyte Gulf Japan Battle of Cherbourg Germany https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/d-day12-assault-on-cherbourg/#:~:text=In%20the%20fight%20for%20Cherbourg,killed%2C%20wounded%2C%20and%20missing. Battle of Spotsylvania American Civil War Confederate States of America D-Day (first day of Operation Overlord)World War II Germany Pearl Harbor Attack Japan Battle of the Wilderness American Civil War Confederate States of America Operation Thunderbolt (part of the Chinese Invasion of South Korea) Korean War China North Korea Battle of Peleliu World War II Japan Eggenberger, D. "An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present". Courier Corporation. 2012. Battle of Antietam American Civil War Confederate States of America Battle of Fismes and Fismette World War I Germany A Fismes en 1918, j'étais là avec les Yanks , Tome 1, Cyrille Delozanne (). Ville de Fismes. Service Culturel. www.fismes.fr Battle of Aachen (part of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest) World War II Germany Battle of Cold Harbor American Civil War Confederate States of America Battle of Tarawa World War II Japan Battle of Shiloh American Civil War Confederate States of America Second Battle of Bull Run Seven Days Battles killed Naval Battle of Guadalcanal World War II Japan Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 490; and Lundstrom, Guadalcanal Campaign, p. 523. Battle of Stones River American Civil War Confederate States of America Second Battle of Petersburg Confederate States of America Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XL, Part 1, pages 218-238. Battle of Chickamauga Battle of Chancellorsville UN Counteroffensive from the Pusan Perimeter (including the Inchon Landings and the Second Battle of Seoul) Korean War North Korea Task Force Faith China Battle of Con Thien Vietnam War North Vietnam Second Battle of Naktong Bulge (part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter) Korean War North Korea Battle of Fredericksburg American Civil War Confederate States of America Battle of Quebec (1690) King William's War France Colony of Canada Battle of Taejon Korean War North Korea Operation Avalanche World War II Germany Konstam, Angus (2007). Salerno 1943: The Allied Invasion of Italy. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84415-517-0. p. 157 Battle of Savo Island (part of the Guadalcanal Campaign) World War II Japan Battle of Belleau Wood World War I killed Germany Battle of Masan (part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter) Korean War North Korea Battle of Manila (part of the Battle of Luzon) World War II Japan “The Battle for Manila” p. 195 Battle of Gaines' Mill (part of the Seven Days Battles) American Civil War Confederate States of America Sears, p. 249Burton, p. 136

Campaigns