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Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as President of the United States. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina became the first southern state to secede from the Union. This ushers in a wave of secession that ultimately culminate in the creation of the Confederacy. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Confederate general Thomas Jonathan Jackson earns his nickname, Stonewall Jackson. -
Surrender of Fort Donelson
General Ulysses S. Grant earns his nickname: Unconditional Surrender after his first major victory. -
First Ironclad Battle
The first ever modern naval battle occurs between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. -
Confederate Inauguration
Jefferson Davis is sworn in as President of the Confederate States of America. -
First Battle of Winchester
General Stonewall Jackson drives Union forces from Winchester, completing his 1862 Valley Campaign. -
7 Days' Battles
General Robert E. Lee attacks McClellan's Army of the Potomac in a series of inconclusive battles. -
The Emancipation Proclomation
President Lincoln issues a proclamation freeing all Southern slaves, but not Northern ones. A major step forward in ending slavery in the US. -
Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
Lee wins his greatest victory but it is dampened by the mortal wounding and later the death of Stonewall Jackson. -
Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
This battle concludes with crushing Lee's hopes of a successful invasion of the North and ends the South's hopes of ever invading the North again. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg ends in a Union victory after general Ulysses Grant takes the city and thereby cuts the Confederacy in two. -
Battle for Chattanooga
Union forces break a siege and released their surrounded army which sends the Confederate Army south into Georgia. -
Proclomation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
President Lincoln makes a speech promising a pardon for those who are taking part in the rebellion. -
Capture of Meridian
The Union captures Meridian Mississippi, William T. Sherman leads the attack and this severely hampers supply and distribution for the Southern armies. -
Ulysses Grant Appointment to Lieutenant-General
Ulysses S. Grant is appointed to be Lieutenant-General of the Union, and therefore has command over all Union armies. -
Atlanta Campaign
General Sherman begins his advance into Georgia to take Atlanta and then march to Savannah. -
Battle of the Crater
This was a massive explosion that opened the Confederate lines but due to poor coordination one of the best opportunities of the war was missed. -
Sherman Completes his March
General Sherman arrives in Savannah and takes Fort McAllister, severing the Carolinas from the rest of the Confederacy. -
Fall of Richmond
General Lee retreats from the Confederate capital of Richmond, taken by Union troops. He would formally surrender one week later, beginning the peace negotiations.