-
1861
Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins. -
1861
Lincoln issues a Proclamation calling for 75,000 militiamen, and summoning a special session of Congress for July 4. -
1862
The Confederate Ironclad 'Merrimac' sinks two wooden Union ships then battles the Union Ironclad 'Monitor' to a draw. Naval warfare is now changed forever, making wooden ships useless. -
1862
Robert E. Lee takes command, replacing Johnston. Lee then renames his force the Army of Northern Virginia. McClellan is not impressed, saying Lee is "likely to be timid and irresolute in action." -
1863
Lincoln issues the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army. The war to preserve the Union now becomes a revolutionary struggle for the abolition of slavery. -
1863
Lincoln delivers a two minute Gettysburg Address at a ceremony dedicating the Battlefield as a National Cemetery. -
1864
Union forces miss an opportunity to capture Petersburg and cut off the Confederate rail lines. As a result, a nine month siege of Petersburg begins with Grant's forces surrounding Lee. -
1864
After destroying Atlanta's warehouses and railroad facilities, Sherman and his 62,000 men begin a March to the Sea. President Lincoln on advice from Grant approved the idea. -
1865
The U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states for ratification. -
1865
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is finally ratified. Slavery is abolished.