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Across Five Aprils Civil War Timeline
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Fort Sumter
Confederate guns had opened fire around the harbor on Fort Sumter. Fighting for almost 32 hours, Major Robert Anderson, garrison commander, surrendered the fort and evacuated. This was the spark that caused the Civil War that lasted 4 years and cost the lives of over 620,000 Americans. This war caused Jethro’s brothers to go leave to fight for each side they stood by. Which gave him more of the family responsibilities to put on his shoulders, causing him to grow up quickly. -
Wilson Creek
On August 9th, both sides had formulated an attack on each other. On the evening of the 10th, the Confederates striked first on the Confederates 12 miles southwest of Springfield, where they had camped out. The strike had pushed them back but they had stabilized The Confederates had counterattacked three times and could not break through the Union line.Gen Sturgis had ordered a retreat because his men were tired and they were running low on ammunition. The Conf. were to disorganized to pursue. -
Pea Ridge
The night before the 7th, Conf. Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn and his 16,000 men, set out to counterattack the Union near Pea Ridge. The Union learned of this attack and some 10,000 men marched to meet the other force in advance. The forces met 3 miles south of the Missouri border. Curtis consolidated his force through the night, and then counterattacked, slowly pushing the Rebels back. Confederates running low on ammunition and no supply support, forced them to retreat, leaving Union with a win. -
Battle of Shiloh
Other known as Pittsburg Landing, this battle occurred when the Confederate army had pulled through with plans for a surprise attack under General Ulysses Grant in Tennessee.They were unable to hold their positions, forcing them back which caused the Union win. There were more than 23,000 casualties, one of those casualties being Tom, Jethro’s brother. -
Battle of Antietam
Gen. McClellan ordered a series of attacks against Gen. Lee’s forces. Counter Attacks were going back and forth with each other. Gen Stonewall Jacksons brigades were being pushed in and out of the woods. The Union had capitalized on their breakthrough the Confederate’s line. Causing the final part of the fight, where Gen. Hill and his men from Harpers Ferry came to drive them back one last time. This was the Union victory President Lincoln was looking for. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862. This would give all slaves and men of color from the Confederate states freedom on the first of January, 1863. This vanished slavery in the Confederate states but many poeple still had illegal slaves and were going against laws. Some slaves had nowhere to go so they stayed with the people they were working for. There was still illegal slavery present and it fire up more riots. -
Fredericksburg
On Nov. 17, Burnside reached Stafford Heights on the river opposite from Fredericksburg. A week later, Burnside failed to adjust his plan with enemies entrenched behind the town. With the guns firing during the building of the bridge, it had slowed them down. Burnside ordered a series of mounted assaults with many caused deaths. The counterattacks by Lee had slowed Burnside down forcing him to move back over the bridge, ending the battle. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Conf. made a decision to attack a force 2x larger than them. The Confederates 60,000 went up against the Union’s 115,000 men. Lee split his army in half to flank from both sides. Gen. Hooker tried for a retreat to Washington D.C. but had lost 17,000 men to Lee’s 12,000. This had left the rebels in a position of power. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Union soldiers under the lead of Gen, Pemberton, were perched on a 200-foot high cliff overhanging the Mississippi. The Mississippi was crucial in this war so the Union arched forces around the city of Vicksburg 8 miles away. Grant had the city surrounded by May 18 and launched assaults on the 19th and 22nd and was repulsed with many deaths. So they had decided to wait until the city ran out of supplies and reinforcements. This process took 7 weeks leaving the city with surrender on June 4th. -
Lookout Mountain
Union troops capture lookout Mountain, as they start to destroy the Conf. siege. For almost two months, the Union had been pinned in the city of Chickamauga from the south and east. In late Oct., the Union began to start an offensive. On the 27th of Oct., the Union attacked Brown’s Ferry, opening up a route for much needed supplies. Fog had overcome, masking the Union.The hill was so steep that the men climbing it could not be seen until they got to the peak. They went forward to break the line. -
Cold Harbour
After a couple days of fighting to no end, both forces turned their focus on the crossroads of Cold Harbour. This helped reinforcements and supplies get to the Union army so the Confederates goal was to prevent this. On May 31, Gen. Sheridan’s cavalry had captured Cold Harbour which had caused fighting for 3 days of ground being gained and lost back and forth. Both armies remained in place for a week until Grant decided to disengage on Lee’s army. -
Union Army Sacks Columbia, South Carolina
Union General Sherman’s army ransack Colombia, South Carolina. Sherman cutaway from his line of supply and caused destruction over every city he came across on his way to Savannah. His army lived off the land and destroyed railroads, warehouses, and plantations in his path. Thought that the war would end more quickly if the destruction they caused, caused personal destruction internally to the Southern citizens. -
Five Forks
After the previous battle being a Union victory, if the Confederates had lost five forks, they would’ve lost their whole west line. The defensive line guarding Five Forks was not well constructed, most men were posted where it was difficult to maneuver. In the afternoon, Gen. Warren overwhelmed the left flank, taking many prisoners. The last part of the line to collapse was the center at the road junction. This lost threatened Lee’s supply line. -
Surrender at Appomattox
The battle was fought near the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, and led to Conf. Gen. Lee’s surrender. His goal was to rally the remnants of his beleaguered troops, meet the Conf. reinforcements in North Carolina to resume fighting.The resulting fighting only lasted a couple of hours, and brought the 4 year war to an end. -
Lincoln's Assassination
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln had been attacked at Ford’s Theatre by a famous actor and a Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth. The attack had come less than a week after the surrender of Conf. Gen. Lee ending the civil war. Lincoln had been enjoying his night at the theatre when a man broke in his presidential booth and shot him. He was taken across the street to a little house where he lived his last day, slowly dying. Both of these buildings still stand today. -
Works Cited
Hubert, Heather. “Across Five Aprils Choice Project Resources - Battles Information.jpg.” Google Drive, Google, 2020, drive.google.com/file/d/1GLsVwrUXiR32txpsbO82giqJ9qHMeC4t/view.
Hubert, Heather. “Across Five Aprils Choice Project Resources - Timeline.jpg.” Google Drive, Google, 2020, drive.google.com/file/d/1Zh6-ZQBG2RIfg82ypTI798qR33R9gRg9/view.
“Battle of Fort Sumter Facts & Summary.” American Battlefield Trust, 14 Feb. 2020, www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter. -
Works Cited
Hubert, Heather. “Across Five Aprils Choice Project Resources - Battles Information.jpg.” Google Drive, Google, 2020, drive.google.com/file/d/1GLsVwrUXiR32txpsbO82giqJ9qHMeC4t/view.
Hubert, Heather. “Across Five Aprils Choice Project Resources - Timeline.jpg.” Google Drive, Google, 2020, drive.google.com/file/d/1Zh6-ZQBG2RIfg82ypTI798qR33R9gRg9/view.
“Home.” American Battlefield Trust, www.battlefields.org/.
