1. Battle of Shiloh
2. Battle of Gettysburg

Both of these battles were extremely costly, involving over 20,000 deaths. But at Gettysburg, Lee lost around a third of his army. In the wake of the crushing defeat, the famous Confederate general attempted to resign, but President Jefferson Davis rejected it.

1. First Battle of the Marne
2. Battle of Verdun

Both of these battles in France ended in allied victories, and while both had substantial human costs, Verdun caused the loss of over one million lives across both sides. To this day, it's considered one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

1. Battle of Berlin
2. Battle of Budapest

Greater than 2 million soldiers fought for Berlin, and close to 200,000 were killed, including the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who committed suicide about a week before the city officially surrendered to the Soviets.

1. Battle of Hamburger Hill
2. Battle of Khe Sanh

Khe Sanh lasted for over six months, and although only a few hundred U.S. Marines lost their lives, approximately 10,000 communist forces were killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

1. Battle of Taiyuan
2. Battle of Shanghai

Although Chinese forces were outgunned by superior Japanese war technology, their heart and stubbornness surprised the Japanese and demoralized the island nation. Around a quarter million troops perished over the three months of the assault on Shanghai.

1. Battle of Greece
2. Second Battle of Kharkov

While the Greek campaign lasted much longer, Kharkov was bloodier, in large part due to advanced German artillery and devastating airstrikes.

1. Battle of Inchon
2. Battle of Kapyong

The victory at Inchon, also known as "Operation Chromite," helped lead to the end of the war and cement Douglas MacArthur's place as a highly-respected military mind.

1. Battle of the Somme
2. Battle of Asiago

Nearly 30,000 died at Asiago, but that was a mere drop in the bucket compared to Somme, where around a million were killed or wounded.

1. Battle of Baltimore
2. Battle of Queenston Heights

While the Americans won at Baltimore, the combination of the Niagara River plus Mohawk forces allied with the British led to a U.S. loss in Canada at Queenston, which cost the lives of several hundred American soldiers.

1. Battle of Lundy's Lane
2. Battle of New Orleans

The British had the Americans outnumbered by more than 2,000 troops, yet General Andrew Jackson successfully defended the major American city, killing or wounding nearly 2,000 English soldiers in just a few hours.

1. Battle of Waterloo
2. Battle of Ligny

After the French defeat at Waterloo, which cost the lives of around 50,000 across both sides, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where he would die six years later.

1. Battle of Stalingrad
2. Battle of Moscow

Both of these victories saw Russian victories, but at Stalingrad, Russia alone lost over 478,000 men — over 2 million were killed, wounded or captured across both sides.

1. Battle of Monmouth
2. Battle of Eutaw Springs

In the small battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, both sides claimed victory. While Monmouth wasn't very decisive either, its larger scale meant that more people died as a result.

1. Battle of Gallipoli
2. Battle of the Somme

While Gallipoli was a major confrontation of the Middle Eastern theatre and actually lasted longer, Somme involved over three million troops and killed more than one million.

1. Siegfried Line Campaign
2. Battle of Leyte Gulf

During the Siegfried Line campaign, the allied advance into the Rhineland helped lead to the end of WWII. This major offensive came at a high cost, killing nearly 100,000 and wounding hundreds of thousands of more across both sides.

1. Battle of Lutzen
2. First Battle of Breitenfeld

Besides the loss of roughly 20,000 men on both sides, Lutzen also led to the death of Gustavus Adolphus, the Swedish King who transformed Sweden into a significant player in European affairs during the Middle Ages.

1. Battle of Walaja
2. Battle of Saniyy

At Walaja, the Christians and Persians lost around 20,000 people thanks to the tactical prowess of Khalid, who emulated a maneuver that Hannibal also used to defeat the Romans.

1. Battle of Caporetto
2. Battle of Cambrai

Nearly 100,000 died at Cambrai, a war that was fought largely with the British Mark IV tanks.

1. Battle of Ullais
2. Battle of Muzzayah

Khalid ibn al-Walid, general under the famous Muslim leader Abu Bakr, won both of these battles — but at Ullais, 70,000 Persians alone were killed, making it one of the deadliest conflicts of the ancient world.

1. The Battle of Camden
2. The Battle of Bunker Hill

Camden isn't as well-known as conflicts like Yorktown or Bunker Hill, but it involved the most casualties of the war — over 1000 Americans and more than 300 British were killed.

1. Battle of Gaugamela
2. Battle of the Hydaspes

Gaugamela took place in what is now Iraq. Despite a Persian force of hundreds of thousands of men compared to Alexander's army of just under 50,000, the Macedonian victory led to the fall of the Persian Empire.

1. Pingjin Campaign
2. Huaihai Campaign

At Huaihai, around half a million Nationalist troops were killed, compared to just over 130,000 Communist fighters. It's still considered one of the most significant victories in the history of Communist China.

1. Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse
2. Battle of Stones River

Around 3,000 died at Stones River, but more than 4,000 perished at Spotyslvania, despite the latter being a more inconclusive fight than the Union victory at Stones River.

1. Battle of Tannenberg
2. First Battle of Ypres

After over a month of warfare, the result of Ypres was still indecisive, although nearly a hundred thousand were wounded, killed or missing in action.

1. Battle of Cannae
2. Battle of the Metaurus

Of a massive force of over 86,000 troops between Rome and its allies, only about 15,000 survived. Cannae was considered one of the best tactical victories in history and cemented Hannibal's reputation as one of the most skilled generals to ever lead troops in a war.

1. Battle of Mohi
2. Battle of Legnica

The Hungarians faced a decisive defeat to the Mongols, allowing the expansion of the 13th century Mongol Empire, a progression that would continue well into the 14th century.

1. Battle of Zorndorf
2. Battle of Leuthen

Prussian leader Frederick the Great was considered one of the most excellent military commanders in history, but at Zorndorf, Prussia lost over 3,600 men, while Russia may have lost as many as 22,000.

1. Battle of South Shanxi
2. Battle of Dunkirk

Over 100,000 were killed during the major battle of South Shanxi, compared to just over 25,000 at Dunkirk. A feature film was produced about the battle in 2017.

1. Battle of Okinawa
2. Battle of the Bulge

Okinawa was essential for setting up a Japanese invasion that never came, but the Battle of the Bulge cost over 100,000 total lives, several times more than the number of men who died at Okinawa.

1. Battle of Antietam
2. Battle of Chickamauga

Part of the difference in the amount of bloodshed can be explained by the duration of these battles. Chickamauga in Tennessee was fought over multiple days, while Antietam, the more famous battle, took place on just a single afternoon.

1. First Battle of Kiev
2. Battle of Changde

It took over a month, but after the death of over 600,000 Red Army soldiers, the Germans won a decisive victory and occupied the major Ukrainian city.

1. Battle of Thermopylae
2. Battle of Marathon

Even though Marathon involved a much larger force of fighters, Thermopylae was actually deadlier. Before the entire regiment of Spartans was slain, Leonidas and his men managed to kill nearly 20,000 Persians.

1. Battle of Monte Cassino
2. Battle of Narva

While somewhere around 75,000 lost their lives at Monte Cassino, modern historians estimate that Soviet casualties were well into the six figure range.

1. The Battle of Chancellorsville
2. The Battle of Fredericksburg

Despite being massively outnumbered, Lee used smart maneuvering of his troops to win a decisive victory for the Confederacy. The engagement was known as Lee's "perfect battle" as a result.

1. Tet Offensive
2. Easter Offensive

Occurring after the Tet Offensive, the Easter Offensive was more intense and cost more life — close to 100,000 on both sides, compared to just over 80,000 deaths in the Tet Offensive.