The Deadliest Battles in U.S. History

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The table below lists the battles in which the U.S. suffered the most fatalities. See U.S. Casualties and Veterans for a list of casualties in all of America's Wars.

Battle (war)DatesNumber of fatalities
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (World War I)Sep. 26, – Nov. 11, 191826,277
Battle of the Bulge (World War II)Dec. 16, 1944 – Jan. 25, 194519,276
Battle of Okinawa (World War II)April 1, – June 21, 194512,513
Battle of Hurtgen Forest (World War II)Sep. 19, 1944 – Feb. 10, 19458,157
Battle of Gettysburg (Civil War)June 3, – July 24, 18637,863 (3,155 Union troops; and 4,708 Confederate)
Battle of Guadalcanal (World War II)Aug. 7, 1942 – Feb. 9, 19437,099
Battle of Iwo Jima (World War II) Feb. 19, – March 26, 19456,821
The Battle of Pusan Perimeter (Korean War)Aug. 7, – Sep. 19504,599
Battle of Spotsylvania (Civil War)May 8–21, 18644,192 (2,725 Union troops; and 1,467 Confederate)
Battle of Chickamauga (Civil War)Sep. 1–20, 18633,969 killed (1,657 Union troops; 2,312 Confederate)
Sources Department of Defense and Veterans Administration, the National Park Service, and history.com.

See also Post-Vietnam Combat Casualties.


Fighting Words: An Iraq War Glossary American Wars Casualties in World War I
American Wars
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