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Abraham Lincoln Elected
Lincoln elected president. Caused the south to secede because they believed that he would put an immediate end to slavery. -
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American Civil War
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Attack on Fort Sumter
Confederate forces opened fire on the Fort on April 12th. On April 13th the Union forces within the fort surrendered. No one was killed during April 12th or 13th, but a few soldiers died when a cannon blew up while the Union was evactuating the fort. -
Battle of Bull Run (First)
The first major land battle of the war. The Union army led by Irvin McDowell marched across Sudley Ford and attacked the Confederate army. The Confederate forces were pushed back to Henry Hill. That afternoon Confederate reinforcement broke through the Union line, the Union soldiers fled quickly. On July 22nd the Union made it safely to Washington. This battle is where Thomas Jackson got his nickname of "Stonewall." -
Battle of Pea Ridge
Confederate general Earl Van Dorn marched his troops to take out the fortification at Little Sugar Creek near Pea Ridge. Instead of marching right up to the fort, Dorn took his army around to the right flank of the fort. When he did his army was accidently split into two and the two parts of his army had to fight the Union without any help. After a few days of fighting the Confederates fled. This battle secured the Union's position in Missouri for 2 years. -
Battle of Shiloh
Early in the morning on April 6th, Confederate troops surprise attacked Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces. The Union troops fought and were pushed all the way to a place known as the Hornet's Nest. Over night the Union got reinforcements. The Confederates, greatly outnumbered, retreated. -
Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks)
General Johnston's troops attacked some Union troops south of the Chickahominy River. The Confederates drove the Union soldiers back for a while, until reinforcements arrived. Both sides went back to fighting after reinforcements swelled both sides' numbers. The fighting went well into the next day. Both sides claimed that they were victorious. -
Seven Days' Battle
The Seven days' battle was actually a campaign of six battles over the course of seven days. The six battles included in this category are Beaver Dam Creek (Mechanicsville), Gaines' Mill, Savage's Station, Glendale, White Oak Swamp, and Malvern Hill. The Confederates won the most battles overall in the campaign, and ensured that the civil war would go on for 3 more years. -
Battle of Antietam
The Union army, under General McClellan, attacked General Lee's forces near Sharpsburg, Maryland. After extremely fierce fighting, the battle ended in a draw. The Confederates retreated, and Lincoln decided that it was the right time to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The first urban combat in the Civil War, and the largest with both sides having a total of 200,000 men involved. Burnside, the General in charge of the Union army, tried several diversions to beat the Confederates. However, these diversions didn't work to his advantage and he lost more men than he expected. Robert E. Lee's forces won the battle and Burnside was removed from command of the Union army six weeks after the battle. -
Battle of Bull Run (Second)
The Confederate army attacked Union troops who were passing by Warrenton Turnpike. The two armies fought to a draw, then the Union General believing that he had the Confederates in a corner attacked. The Confederate troops were soon joined by reinforcements which led to the battle being won quickly. The Union army retreated to Centreville. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Union army led by General Joseph Hooker attacked the weak point of Lee's army. Instead of retreating, Lee fought back while he was protected by nature. After a while he and Stonewall decided to go around the main fighting and attack an exposed flank. The attack was successful at first but it's success ended when Stonewall was mortally wounded. Despite losing Stonewall the Confederates kept on fighting until they won the battle. -
Siege at Vicksburg
The Union army under Ulysses S. Grant after a very long siege, captured the town of Vicksburg. The capture of Vicksburg effectively cut the Confederacy in half. Grant's success in this battle led to him being appointed as the Chief General of the Union army by Lincoln. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Confederate forces concentrated on Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as the Union army was on their way to intercept them. The Confederates pushed the Union to Cemetery Hill. The following day there way intense fighting in the "Devil's Den", and many other sites nearby. The third day of the battle the fighting was concentrated around Culp's Hill. Lee's forces charged and lost many soldiers in what is known as Pickett's Charge. The Confederates soon retreated. -
Battle of Chickamauga
General Rosecrans marched the Union army to force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. He split his army into thirds, each one traveling to Chattanooga through different routes. They drove the Confederates out of Chattanooga, but the Union soldiers were pushed back, and eventually, the Union troops captured Chattanooga. The Confederates didn't retreated however, they stayed in the surrounding hills. -
Battle of Chattanooga
After the Battle of Chickamauga, the Confederate army laid siege to Chattanooga. In October, the supply lines that were previously cut off were replaced along with the General in charge. William T. Sherman arrived mid-november with more troops and the Union started an offensive strategy. The Union won after capturing an "impregnable" Confederate position, forcing them to flee. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
The Battle of Spotsylvania was fought over a time period of two weeks. A Union attack almost cut the Confederate army in half. After intense fighting for 20 straight hours, the Confederates conducted a charge that was beaten back. General Grant disengaged and moved toward capturing Richmond. -
Lincoln Re-elected
Abraham Lincoln was elected to a second term. -
Siege of Petersburg
General George Mead marched his troops to the town of Petersburg after the defeat at Cold Harbor. After crossing the Appomattox River he attacked Petersburg, where he pushed the Confederates back to Harrison Creek. Lee sent reinforcements to aid the 5,400 Confederates. After a while the Confederates made it so the Union army couldn't win without a siege. The Union army started the actual siege on June 17. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
General Sheridan trapped General Lee at the Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered to General Grant. This is the final battle in Virginia. -
Assassination of President Lincoln
While attending a play in Ford's theater, in Washington D.C. Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, an actor who sympathized with the Confederacy. Lincoln died the next day in a house across the street from the theater. The assassination shattered any hope of the nation getting along without bitterness.
