Civil War

By TiffanyBuddy

  • Lincoln Wins Close Race

    Lincoln Wins Close Race
    Abraham Lincoln wins a four-way race for President of the United States. Although he does not win a popular majority and is not even on the ballot in nine southern states, he earns enough electoral votes to beat all other opponents.

  • South Caroline First to Secede

    South Carolina officially secedes from the Union, becoming the first state to do so.

  • Mississippi Secedes

    Mississippi secedes from the Union.

  • Florida Secedes

    Florida secedes from the Union.

  • Tennessee Secedes

    Tennessee secedes from the Union.

  • North Carolina Secedes

    North Carolina secedes from the Union, the eleventh and last state to do so.

  • Merrimac vs. Monitor

    The Confederate ironclad USS Merrimac battles the Union ironclad USS Monitor in Chesapeake Bay. The battle is a draw but it makes wooden ships obsolete and ushers in the era of steel warships, changing naval warfare forever.

  • Shiloh

    Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces are surprised at the town of Shiloh in Tennessee. The ensuing battle results in 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate casualties, more than in all previous American wars combined.

  • Second Battle of Bull Run

    The Second Battle of Bull Run is a resounding victory for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Union General John Pope is blamed for the loss and is relieved of his duties after the battle.

  • Antietam

    The Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest day in United States history. Over 26,000 men are killed, wounded or missing in action on both sides. Though officially a draw, the battle stops General Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland and he retreats back to Virginia.

  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery.

  • First Draft Enacted

    Congress enacts the first draft in American history, requiring every man to serve in the army unless he can furnish a substitute or pay the government $300. These escape provisions are wildly unpopular with workers and recent immigrants, and lead to draft riots in New York and other northern cities.

  • Chancellorsville

    Chancellorsville
    Over the course of three days, General Robert E. Lee divides his army in the face of a larger enemy, and manages to defeat the Union Army led by "Fighting" Joe Hooker. The North suffers 17,000 casualties, the South 13,000.

  • Gettysburg

    Gettysburg
    From July 1 to July 4, the Union Army under General Meade defeats Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, Gettysburg is a turning point, and marks the farthest advance of the Confederate Army into northern territory.

  • Lincoln Appoints Grant

    Lincoln Appoints Grant
    Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies, ending his long search for a decent general to command northern forces. General William T. Sherman takes over as commander in the West.

  • Virginia Campaign

    Virginia Campaign
    Beginning a drive aimed at ending the war, Ulysses S. Grant and 120,000 troops march south towards Richmond, the Confederate capital. Over the course of the next six weeks, a brutal war of attrition results in the deaths of nearly 50,000 Union soldiers.June 15, 1864

  • Battle of Cold Harbor

    Battle of Cold Harbor
    The bloody battle of Cold Harbor is a disaster for the Union. General Ulysses S. Grant makes a series of tactical mistakes that result in the deaths of 7,000 Union in twenty minutes.

  • Siege of Petersburg Begins

    Siege of Petersburg Begins
    With the beginning of the Siege of Petersburg, south of Richmond, the mobile war of the past month ends, replaced by a nine-month siege.

  • Thirteenth Amendment Ends Slavery

    Thirteenth Amendment Ends Slavery
    The United States Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which will abolish slavery.

  • Lincoln Second Term

    Lincoln Second Term
    Lincoln is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States.

  • Lee Surrenders

    Lee Surrenders
    General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The war is over.

  • South Surrenders

    General Joe Johnston, leading the largest Confederate Army still in existence, surrenders in North Carolina.