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Start of Civil War
The American Civil War was al war that was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. As a result of the long-standing controversy over slavery, war broke out in April 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. The nationalists of the Union proclaimed loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States, who advocated for states' rights to expand slavery. -
Battle of Bull Run
During this battle, Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in the first major land battle of the American Civil War. . After being on the defensive for most of the day, the rebels rallied and broke the Union right flank, sending them into retreat back to Washington. The victory gave the South confidence and shocked the North, who realised the war would not be won as easily as they had hoped. -
Battle of Drywood Creek
The Battle of Dry Wood Creek (also known as the Battle of Big Dry Wood Creek or the Battle of the Mules) was fought in Vernon County, Missouri during the American Civil War. The Missouri State Guard troops were successful in their campaign to force the Union Army to abandon southwestern Missouri and to concentrate on holding the Missouri Valley. -
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Battle of Shiloh
Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, the Battle of Shiloh was one of the major early engagements of the American Civil War. The battle began when the Confederates launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant, in southwestern Tennessee. After initial successes, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced back, resulting in a Union victory. -
Emmancipation Proclamtion Speech
On this date, President Lincoln issued a preliminary warning that he would order the emancipation of all slaves in any state that did not end its rebellion against the Union by January 1, 1863. The Proclamation made freeing the slaves an explicit goal of the Union war effort. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, was fought at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. It involved the Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of North Virginia against Union General George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac and was the climax of Lee’s attempt to invade the north. The battle’s outcome would be vital to shaping America’s future, and it remains the bloodiest one-day battle in American military history. -
Emmancipation Proclamation Implementation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of the civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
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Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered to be the most important engagement of the American Civil War. After a great victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee marched his Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania in late June 1863. On July 1, the advancing Confederates ran into the Union’s Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G. Meade, at the crossroads town of Gettysburg. -
Gettysburg Address
On this date, Lincoln was invited to deliver a speech, which later became known as the Gettysburg Address, at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War. Though he was not the featured speaker that day, Lincoln’s 273-word address would be remembered as one of the most important speeches in American history. -
Battle of Peachtree Creek
As William T. Sherman’s Union forces came ever nearer the city in Georgia, the Confederates of Tennessee replaced its general, from Joseph E. Johnston to John Bell Hood. This decision stunned and Confederate troops just when Hood was compelled to take the offensive against the approaching Federals. In the end, the Unions achieved a remarkable defensive victory. -
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was fought just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman, wanting to neutralise the important rail and supply hub, defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John B. Hood. After ordering the evacuation of the city, Sherman burned most of the buildings in the city, military or not. After taking the city, Sherman headed south toward Savannah, beginning his Sherman’s March To The Sea. -
End of Civil War
In an event that is generally regarded as marking the end of the Civil War, Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signs the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. With Smith’s surrender, the last Confederate army ceased to exist, bringing a formal end to the bloodiest four years in U.S. history.