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The Civil War
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Election of !860
The main causes of the civil war were state's rights, slavery, and the fact that the North and the South were just different. The issue of slavery led to compromises, such as the Missouri compromise and the Compromise of 1850, and to the Kansas-Nebraska act, which in turn led to Bleeding Kansas. The issue of state's rights led to the nullification crisis, where South Carolina believe any state should be able to nullify any federal law if it violates any right. -
Fort Sumter
The shots that initiated the Civil war were shot here. Union Major Robert Anderson was in command and refused to surrender the fort to the South. On April 12, 1861, the Confederate opened fire on the fort for 34 hours. On April 13, the Union surrendered the fort and it was evacuated. No Union soldier was killed during battle. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederate States of America. He served as president for its entire existance from 1861-1865. -
Robert E. Lee
He is best known for being the Commander of the Confederate Army of North Virginia. President Lincoln offered Lee to be commander of the entire Union army, but Lee declined because Virginia was his home state. -
Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
Winfield Scott was the Union Commander in Chief, but was unable to battle due to his age and weight. On this day, he sent his final outline of his "Anaconda Plan" to the government. The plan was to blockade all Confederate ports and to surround them. The outline looked like a snake, so they called it the Anaconda Plan. -
Battle Of Bull Run
The first major land battle of the Civil war. Union General Irvin McDowell marched across Bull Run towards Richmond, Virginia where he was met by Confederate General Beauregard. They battled until Confederate reinforcements arrived and defeated the Union forces. -
George McClellan
On this day, Scott retired as Union General in chief and the job was appointed to George McClellan. McClellan was great at training troops, but lacked skills on the battlefield. In 1862, he was stripped from position as general in chief and was in command of the Army of the Potomac, which he organized. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was a Union General who is famous for his attack on Fort Henry. At the end of the war, he fought against Lee's army and beat him, forcing Lee to surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse. -
Monitor and Merrimac
The iron-clad ships Monitor (Union ship) and the Merrimac (Confederate ship) fought a 5 hour duel near Hampton Roads, Virginia. The battle ended in a draw. It revolutionized the future of navaltime warfare due to better ships. -
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
He was a Confederate General during Civil War. He earned his nickname "Stonewall" in the First Battle of Bull Run. He is very famous due to his Valley Campaign during 1862 where his men marched for 48 days, winning minor battles. He survived accidentally being shot by Confederate pickets, but died days later by pneumonia. -
Battle of Antietam
Union forces intercepted Confederate soldiers at Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Known as the bloodiest day of the enitre war because over 22,000 men were either wounded or killed. Lee's army retreated at the end. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
A large Union army under General Burnside attacked Lee's army in Fredericksburg, Virginia and suffered imense losses. The battle showed that there was no clear prospect of military victory for either side. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln declared that all slaves would be perminantly freed in all areas of the Confederacy that had not already returned to federal control by 1863. Saves were not freed immediately, but were gradually freed during the course of the war. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederate army surprised the Union at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lee's assault on Union lines on the second and third days proved to be futile and was forced to retreat. This battle became the most crucial and bloodiest battle, with over 50,000 casualties. It became the turning point of the war in favor of the Union. -
Battle of Vicksburg
General Grant and his army held a siege and bombarded the very fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Running low on supplies, the Confederate forces in Vicksburg surrendered the city to the Union. The result of the battle was that the Union now controlled the Mississippi river, a key point in the Civil war. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg address is one of the most famous speeches given by Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in dedication to the soldier's who fought and died for the Union. It raised the Union's moral and it reminded the Union of the reason they were fighting for. -
Sherman's March
Union general WIlliam Tecumseh Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia and marched eastward, captured Savannah in December, then ended by setting fire to Columbia, South Carolina. He used the tactics of total war. The march demoralized the Confederate and it destroyed many of their supplies. -
Appomattox Courthouse
This is where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in one of the last battles of the Civil War. Lee signed the surrender documents, disbanding the Army of North Virginia and officially ending the war in Virginia -
Lincoln's Assassination
President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. Booth was part of a larger conspiracy to rally the remaining Confederate troops, but the rallying did not occur. Lincoln died the following day.
