An Overview of the Civil War By STEVO12 1863 Battle of Gettysburg A battle that would define the war, as well as the period after it. 1864 Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation A powerful address given to free the enslaved population. 1865 Reconstruction The dramatic re-build of America, post Civil War. Apr 14, 1865 Lincoln's Assassination The fateful day at Ford's Theater.