American Civil War (Up to the Emancipation Proclamation)

By kelhein

  • Abraham Lincoln Elected President

    Lincoln was a member of the antislavery Republican Party. As a result of his election, between December 1860 and April 1861, 11 Southern states secede from the Union.

  • Confederate States of America Elect Jefferson Davis as President

    The Confederate States of America (CSA), which included all seceded states, elected Jefferson to represent them as president. This was to ensure the extension of slavery in these states.

  • Confederate attack on Fort Sumter

    This is the first military engagement of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was a federal outpost in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. After 34 hours of battle, the fort surrenders on April 13, and Federal troops evacuate the fort.

  • First Battle of Bull Run

    This battle takes place near Manassas in northern Virginia. This ended with the defeated Confederates disorderly retreat.

  • Battle of Shiloh

    This battle occurred in southwestern Tennessee. The Union forces rally back from a near defeat and drive back the Confederate army. This results in a standstill as both sides are immobilized for the next three weeks due to heavy casualties.

  • Battle of Antietam

    This battle was in Antietam, Maryland. It resulted in a Union Victory. Casualties set a record for the bloodiest single day of the war. The South loses 10,316 troops, and the North suffers casualties of 12,401. In the result of this battle, Lincoln shifts his vision on preserving the Union to freeing enslaved people of the Confederacy.

  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, which states that "all person held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." It also allows black men to serve in the Union Army. The conversion of the struggle into the issues of slavery made European intervention nearly impossible and set the tone for the remainder of the war.