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Civil War Timeline
A sequence of events from the start of the Civil War, and eventually leading to the end of it. -
Jefferson Davis Speaks out to Public
Jefferson Davis, who is the Senator of Mississippi, speaks out to the public on his reasons as to why he thinks that slavery is acceptable and allowed to continue to be apart of their lifestyle in territories of the Southern states. Throughout his efforts to influence everyone to try to keep slavery as a practice of every day life, Jefferson Davis also was trying to defend the slaveholders themselves to prevent people who oppose of slavery to go after them. -
Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address
In this speech that Abraham Lincoln gave, he Incorporated many ideas which mainly led its way back to the main topic during this time of ending slavery. He spoke out to validate the federal government abolishing and banning slavery for good in all territories that still used it as a part of their lifestyle. Many people were influenced by his speech at the time, and it is believed that it was so influential to have even won him the Presidency against Stephen Douglass in the election. -
Efficiency Advancement to the Pony Express
Due to the advancement in technology during this time, the Pony Express was one of those forms of technology that was able to transform into a key use of transporting different supplies and materials across the entire nation. It was now able to travel from Saint Louis, Missouri to Sacramento, California and proved itself to operate in a more timely manner with the increase of stations to having 119. -
Creation of the Constitutional Union Party
During this time, the former candidates who were apart of the Whig political party still felt no need to join either the Republican or Democratic party. In staying independent, they formed a new political party known as the Constitutional Union party in which they elected John Bell as the president of it and Edward Everett as the vice president. -
Abraham Lincoln Receives a Letter from Grace Bedell
An eleven year old girl named Grace Bedell wrote to President Abraham Lincoln, telling him that he should grow a beard to make his face look better since it was so thin. This changed the face of America during this time of what the President looked like and what we look back on in our history today during the Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln Wins Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 against Stephen Douglass. Before he was elected, Southern states warned that they would secede if he won due to his views on abolishing slavery. -
Succession for Southern States Arises
On December 13, 1860, seven senators and twenty three representatives publicize a declaration known as a manifesto to develop the idea of southern states succession. This is influential in the later formation of the Confederacy. -
South Carolina Secedes from the United States
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the United States on December 20, 1860. It was the start of states leaving from the United States and creating their own nation known as the Confederacy. With South Carolina seceding, it sparked the urge for other states to follow suit and also leave in their goal to try to keep slavery as a practice of their everyday lifestyles. -
Issuing of South Carolina's Declaration
This was South Carolina's steps towards their succession from the United States. It was similar to the Declaration of Independence in which they basically became their own nation separate from the rest of the United States. -
The Secretary of War Resigns
The Secretary of War named John Floyd resigned on December 29, 1860 due to his difference in views compared to president Abraham Lincoln. Before John Floyd did resign, he supplied Southern States with guns and many other supplies for the war. -
Kansas Becomes a State
Kansas gets admitted to the United States as the 34th state. Since it was originally supposed to be added to the Union as a slave state, all of the controversy dealing with it led to the eventual switching of Kansas becoming a free state. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
This event is known to have been the official mark to the start of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was a Union fort that was located in Charleston, South Carolina, in which Confederate troops fired and attacked on it on April 12, 1861. Less than thirty four hours after the Confederates initial attack, the Union army was forced to surrender. -
Virginia Secedes from the United States
Virginia follows suit with other Southern States as it secedes from the United States of America. In doing so, this land eventually becomes one of the main battlefields of the entire Civil War. -
Blockade Proclamation for the South
Abraham Lincoln declares under his Blockade Proclamation for the navy of the Union army to shut down all of the Southern States ports to prevent supplies from reaching the South. This was one of the Union's plan under their Anaconda plan. -
Suspension of Habeus Corpus
Abraham Lincoln suspended the right of habeus corpus even though that was against the constitution. The only way he got away with it was because it was necessary for this time of war. By suspending the habeus corpus right, it meant that people could now be placed in prison without being seen by a judge first to see what their crimes were. -
First Battle of Bull Run
Right outside of Manassas, Virginia near a small creak, the Confederates are victorious against the Union Army. This gives the South a boost of pride and hope for the start of the war in which they continued to use to gain a slight winning streak in the beginning. -
Tennessee River being Captured
Under Ulysses S. Grant's authority over the Union army, he was able to capture Paducah, Kentucky safely without any blood being shed. As a result to this, it led to the Union also being successful in gaining control over the Tennessee River. -
George B. McClellan appointed as Union Army Commander
Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army to replace the old commander Winfield Scott. Throughout the war, many believe that this was Abraham Lincoln's worst decision. -
Trent Affair
On November 8, 1861, Union Ship Jacinto stops a traveling United Kingdom mail ship named the Trent from their spotting of two Confederates on it in which they arrested them. This action taken by the Union caused tension between them and Britain who were previously not even involved with the Civil War. -
Judah Benjamin as Secretary of War for Confederates
With Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederacy, he appointed Judah Benjamin as his Secretary of War. In doing so, this put Judah Benjamin in charge of everything involving the Confederate Army. -
Abraham Lincoln's Frustration Towards McClellan Begins
Abraham Lincoln ordered the first General War order, in which he stated for all land and sea army forces to advance on the Confederate army. However, McClellan ignored his order, which sparked Abraham Lincoln's frustration of McClellan holding back and letting the Confederacy get back on their feet. -
Greenbacks Introduced
On February 25, 1862, Abraham Lincoln introduced a new form of paper money known as greenbacks. This money unified the United States and was used by the Union army during this time. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle took place near a small church along the Tennessee River. Through all of the casualties that resulted from this battle, the Union army won against the Confederates who ambushed them by surprise. -
Conscription Act is Passed
The conscription act was passed by Jefferson Davis who was the President of the Confederacy. Under this act, the Confederate army started drafting men from ages 18 to 35 years old. -
Blockade of New Orleans
The Southern port of New Orleans was blockaded by the Naval Commander named David Farragut. This tremendously hurt the already dwindling Southern economy. -
The Internal Revenue Law
This law was passed to give the government revenue to pay for materials and resources for the Civil War. In doing so, this put taxes on money that people were inheriting, it taxed tobacco, and also people's incomes who were making over $600. -
African Americans in the Army
This is when the Union army was allowed to include African Americans as soldiers in their army to fight in the Civil War. This provided more men to support the Union's side against the Confederate army. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam was the bloodies single day battle in the history of the United States. The Union and Confederate armies both did not win, but with the Confederate army retreating this battle after it started, Abraham Lincoln viewed it as a win for the Union. In the end of it all, there was a total of 110 men dead after this battle. -
Plan for Emancipation
This is the spark of Abraham Lincoln starting to spread and plan the idea of Emancipation. Although this was just a blueprint being created during this time for what will come of the Emancipation Proclamation, it was still very impactful because it gave enslaved people in the South hope that they will be free soon. -
Abraham Lincoln Fires McClellan
Abraham Lincoln officially fired General McClellan and replaces him. Due to McClellan being very hesitant throughout the war, Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War could have ended long before now if someone was more eager to get the job done. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
With Abraham Lincoln passing the Emancipation Proclamation, he freed 3.1 million African Americans who were enslaved in the entire nation. It forced Southern territories to free all of the slaves to let them be free and even join the armies to fight in the Civil War. This foreshadowed the eventual passing of the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution. -
The National Banking Act
Abraham Lincoln signs the National Banking act, in which gave someone authority over controlling the currency in the United States. This act passing also led to the future of local banks being created. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Through May 1st to May 4th, the Union and Confederate armies fought to seek victory while thousands of casualty's up roared on the battlefield. At the end of this battle, the Union was victorious, whereas this was the most devastating Confederate loss for General Stonewall Jackson. -
Death of "Stonewall" Jackson
Several days after "Stonewall Jackson's troops shot him from mistakenly thinking he was a Union soldier, he died from the wounds being too severe to fully heal. In the start of the Civil War, General "Stonewall" Jackson was very successful in leading the Confederate army to have many victories against the Union. -
Abraham Lincoln Appoints George Meade
On June 28, 1863, Abraham Lincoln appoints George Meade as the new general to lead the Potomac Army for the Union. He will be the figure who leads the Union troops into the Battle at Gettysburg. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered to be the turning point of the entire Civil War. With the Union's great victory after this three day battle, it forced General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate army to never fight in the North again. -
The Siege of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg took over the span of six weeks until the Union won with Ulysses S. Grant as its General of their army. With the Union's victory, they were able to successfully take control over the Mississippi River, which meant they accomplished part two of the anaconda plan. -
General Robert E. Lee Resigns
After the Battle of Gettysburg results with the Confederate army losing against the Union, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate army loses his hope for being victorious in the entire Civil War. He tries to resign, but President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, rejects his letters and does not allow him to leave. -
Battle of Lawrence
The Battle of Lawrence took place in Lawrence, Kansas where over past events has had many violence encounters over the issue of slavery. On August 8, 1863, during this battle, William Quantrill's raiders killed over 200 men and boys in this Union town. The Northern states then viewed this as one of the most vicious outrage of the war. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln, in which is believed to be one of the most influential and famous speeches in the world. Although it was only two minutes long, it tremendously impacted to people of both sides of the war since he was dedicating the battlefield as a National Cemetery for those who gave their lives in the war. -
Battle of Wilderness
This was the first major battle for Ulysses S. Grant's Overland campaign. Although there were many severe casualties for both sides in this battle, it ended in a draw between them. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
This was the second major battle for General Ulysses S. Grant Overland campaign. This battle resulted in many casualties for both sides for weeks straight at a time, but not once did he stop trying to invade Richmond, Virginia. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
This battle was very disastrous for the Union army, in which general Ulysses S. Grant lost 7,000 men in just twenty minutes of this battle taking place. It prevented Grant from being able to attack on Richmond, Virginia as quick as he had wanted because now he needed to re-evaluate the situation from losing all of those men. -
Arlington National Cemetery
The Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton established a National Cemetery for soldiers who died in giving their lives in the Civil War. It was created using 200 acres of land from Robert E. Lee's home, Arlington House. -
Abraham Lincoln Passes the Conscription Law
In the past, the act of conscription allowed the Confederate and Union armies to draft men from the ages 18 to 35 without giving them a choice of whether or not they even wanted to join. However, with Abraham Lincoln's passing of the Conscription Law, people can pay a fee to avoid being drafted in the Union Army. -
Confederate Spy
Confederate Spy named Belle Boyd was caught by the Union troops in her efforts to try to sneakily see what the North was up to in their plan of what move they were going to make next in the Civil War against the Confederacy. She was then held at the Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C. -
Sherman Captures Atlanta, Georgia
Sherman captures Atlanta, Georgia. This accomplishment for Sherman gives Abraham Lincoln more determination to be re-elected as President for a second term. This then marked the start for Sherman's march to sea. -
Abraham Lincoln is Re-Elected
Abraham is re-elected again as President for his second term in office of the United States. He received many votes by the people in this election, and he was very overwhelmed by how many votes he actually got in comparison to his opposing candidate running against him, George B. McClellan. -
Sherman's March to Sea
In Waynesboro, Georgia, the Union army was able to force and prevent the Confederate troops from interfering with General Sherman's plan to destroy a part of the South to finally make them unable to get back on their feet from huge destruction in their territory. Sherman was trying to march into Savannah, Georgia, and in doing so, the Union suffered three times as many casualties as the Confederacy. -
Sherman Reaches Savannah, Georgia
Sherman finally is successful in marching to the sea by reaching Savannah, Georgia. Along his path, he caused mass destruction including fires, looting, and tearing up railroad tracks. -
Battle of Beverly
On January 11, 1865, about 300 Confederate troops under Thomas L. Rosser's command, attacked the Union Army who was stationed in Beverly, West Virginia. At the end of this battle, the Confederacy was victorious. -
Passing of the Thirteenth Amendment
On January 31, 1865, Congress approved and passed the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This abolishes slavery for good in the entire nation. -
Confederate Army Captures Fort Stedman
The Confederate army captured Fort Stedman from the Union. With this, about 2,900 soldiers from Lee's army were killed and 1,000 of them were captured by the Union troops during the counter attack. -
Richmond, Virginia
The President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis, and all of his cabinet members flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia because the Union Army was very close to reaching them. The next day, this capital was captured by the Union. -
The Surrender at Appottamax
General Lee of the Confederate Army surrenders to General Grant of the Union army on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox, Virginia. This marked the end of the Civil War. -
Lincoln is Shot
Abraham Lincoln is shot during a play at Ford's Theater. This was an attempt to assassinate the President by John Wilkes Booth, in which after Abraham Lincoln was shot, he was immediately moved across the street to be aided upon by doctors. -
Abraham Lincoln Dies
The next morning after Abraham Lincoln was shot the day prior, he died from the bullet on the 15th of April. Right away the Vice President, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as President in the middle of all of the chaos that was unfolding. -
Johnston Surrenders to Sherman
On April 18, 1865, Confederate General Johnston surrendered to Union General Sherman in North Carolina. After this, it shortly followed with General Lee surrendering to Grant and his Union army. -
John Wilkes Booth is Finally Shot
After several days from Abraham Lincoln's death, the people who have been hunting down his assassin was finally found. The officers shot and killed John Wilkes Booth in a barn in Virginia. -
Juneteenth
With General Granger's arrival in Texas, he spread the word about the Emancipation Proclamation. This day is now celebrated as a holiday every year called Juneteenth which takes place on June 19. -
The Liberator
The newspaper's last publication of William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator was sent out throughout the nation on January 1, 1866. After this, the Liberator was not continued since its newspapers were no longer needed with the abolishment of slavery almost a year prior. -
The ASPCA
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded by Henry Bergh. He started out with this organization in New York. -
The Death of Winfield Scott
The former General of the Union army during the Civil War named Winfield Scott, died on May 29, 1866. Although his service in the Civil War was limited due to his health, he was the longest serving General in the United States history. -
14th Amendment to the Constitution
The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution is passed. In doing so, it gave African Americans civil rights and freedoms. -
The Great Fire of Portland
In Portland, Maine, on July 7, 1866, a seemingly endless fire broke out quickly spreading through many people's homes. This forced people out from their houses, creating many problems in the North while the South was still trying to rebuild from all of the destruction from the Civil War. -
Tennessee is Readmitted into the United States
Tennessee is the first state from the states that seceded at the start of the Civil War to be readmitted into the Union. This was the beginning of the Reconstruction process of the United States. -
Passing of the General Army Rank
On July 25, 1866, Congress passed the legislation that the position as General of an Army is officially a rank. The first to hold this rank was General Ulysses S. Grant. -
Invention of the Atlantic Cable
This new invention and establishment of what was called the Atlantic Cable was used for the first time on July 7, 1866. This allowed transatlantic telegraph communication to spread across the entire nation of the United States. -
Legalization of the Metric System
In the United States, Congress finally legalized the use of the metric system. This allowed people to use the metric system for weight and measuring units. -
Train Robbery
On October 6, 1866, the first ever train robbery took place in the United States. The two thefts were the Reno brothers, in which they got away with $13,000. -
African Americans Right to Vote
President Johnson tries to veto the right for African Americans to be able to vote. However, Congress once again overrides his veto and grants that African Americans do have the right to vote. -
The Peabody Education Fund
On February 6, 1867, The Peabody Education Find raised money. This all went to the education for African Americans in the South in hopes of giving them opportunity to be successful in the bright future. -
The First Reconstruction Act
This first original reconstruction act set up five different military districts in the South. All of these military districts were under the control of one commander. -
The Second Reconstruction Act
This second reconstruction act changed all of the five military districts over to the people of the South's control instead of it being in the power of one individual commander. This started to make the people in control of mostly everything in this Southern territory. -
Lincoln Memorial
On March 3, 1867, Congress approves the start of Abraham Lincoln's memorial to be built. They decide on the location of Washington D.C. to commemorate the President's accomplishments. -
"Ride ins" in New Orleans
African Americans in New Orleans start staging rides on street cars. The do this to protest against the segregation that unleashes itself not only in New Orleans, but throughout the nation during this time. -
The Purchase of Alaska
On June 20, 1867, President Andrew Jackson announces the purchase of the Alaska territory. Once the payment goes through, it will make Alaska the second to last state to be added to the United States. -
The Third Reconstruction Act
Johnson tried to veto and get rid of this third reconstruction act in the South so he could become the commander over all of the five military districts instead of the people having authority over it. However, Congress shuts Johnson down and overrides his veto. -
Alaska Officially Becoming a State
Alaska is officially bought by the United States from Russia for $7.2 million. It was now considered the 49th state of the United States. -
Impeachment
With all of the efforts of Reconstruction in the South, President Johnson lacks trying to follow through with it. This leads Congresses actions of looking into trying to impeach President Johnson.
