Civil War Annotated Timeline

Fort Sumter

Apr 12, 1861

nps.govLocated in Charleston, South Carolina. Major Robert Anderson of the Union and General Beauregard of the Confederates. On April 12, Confederate troops opened fire on the fort. Then on April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter and evacuated the next day. This battle was a Confederate victory. The Battle of Fort Sumter was the starting battle of the Civil War. The battle ended on April 14, 1861.

Battle of Bull Run(1st)

Jul 21, 1861

nps.govThe Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle in the Civil War. The commanders were General Irvin McDowell of the Union and General Joseph E. Johnston and General Beauregard of the Confederates. Located in Manassas, Virginia. The battle was a Confederate victory.

Battle of Hampton Roads

Mar 8, 1862

nps.govAlso known as Monitor vs. Virginia and Battle of the Ironclads. This battle ended on March 9, 1862. The commanders were Lt. John Worden for the Union, and Captain Franklin Buchanan and Lt. Catesby R. Jones for the Confederates. The Confederates and The Union ships fought each other to a standstill, the victor was inconclusive.

Battle of Shiloh

Apr 6, 1862

[nps.gov](<a href='http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn003.htm)' >nps.gov</a>This battle is also known as Pittsburg Landing. Located in the state of Tennessee. The commanding officers were General Ulysses S. Grant for the Union, and General Albert Sidney Johnston for the Confederates. This battle ended on April 7, 1862. The death of Johnston happened during this battle. The Union took control of the Tennessee River. The victor was the Union.

Battle of Bull Run(2nd)

Aug 28, 1862

civilwarhome.comOn August 28th, Jackson commanded an attack on a Federal column that was passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike. On August 29, Pope launched a series of assaults on Jackson's troops. The battle ended on August 30, 1862. The commanders were Major General John Pope for the Union and General Robert E. Lee and Major General Thomas J. Jackson of the Confederacy. It was a Confederate victory.

Battle of Antietam

Sep 17, 1862

americanhistory.about.comIn Sharpsburg, Maryland, Hooker's army mounted an assault on Lee's left plank causing the bloodiest day in American military history. The confederates invaded Virginia and caused this 12 hour battle that killed thousands. The commanders were Major General George B. McClellan of the Union and General Robert E. Lee for the Confederates. It was an inconclusive victory.

Emancipation Proclamation

Sep 22, 1862

pbs.orgLincoln threatened that the Confederate states had to surrender by January 1, 1863, or their slaves would be freed. The Emancipation Proclamation proposed to emancipate (free) the slaves in all rebel areas on January 1, 1863. Some people were in protest of only freeing some slaves. Because Lincoln only freed slaves in rebel areas, the Union still held one million slaves. After the proclamation was passed the army started officially accepting blacks into their ranks.

Battle of Fredericksburg

Dec 11, 1862

nps.govnps.govThis battle is also known as Marye’s Heights. It took place in Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, VA. The battle ended on December 15, 1862. It was also a Confederate victory. General Ambrose E. Burnside and General Robert E. Lee were the commanding officers.

Battle of Chancellorsville

Apr 30, 1863

nps.govOn April 27th, Hooker led his troops on Lee's army at Spotsylvania County, VA. This battle ended on May 6, 1863. This was a Confederate victory. It was also considered Lee's greatest victory. The generals were Major General Joseph Hooker of the Union and General Robert E. Lee and Major General Thomas J. Jackson of the Confederates.

SIege of Vicksburg

May 18, 1863

nps.govLocated in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The commanders were Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union and Lt. General John C. Pemberton of the Confederates. Grant's armies converged on Vicksburg trapping Pemberton's troops inside. This was one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. The Confederacy was effectively split in half. The Confederacy lost their hold on the Mississippi River. This battle ended on July 4, 1863. Also, this was a union victory.

Battle of Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

nps.govTook place in Adams County, PA. The officers were General George G. Meade and General Robert E. Lee. The battle was a Union victory. The battle ended on July 3, 1863.

Siege of Atlanta

Jul 22, 1864

nps.govLocated in Atlanta, Georgia. Major General William T. Sherman of the Union and General John Bell Hood of the Confederates. General Hood led his army to the inner lines of Atlanta. Hood miscalculated the time it would take for the rest of his army to get there, and they couldn't make it until noon. Sherman's army was already at the battlefield and ready to fight. The Union troops held up, but Hood suffered a lot of casualties. It was an Union victory.

Ratification of the 13th Amendment

Jan 31, 1865

loc.govThe 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, and it was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and later on ratified by the states.

Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

Apr 9, 1865

eyewitnesstohistory.comThe Conferderate army led by Rober E. Lee was surrounded by the Union army of General Grant. After talking between the two Generals the agreed to meet at a house in the village of Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. The meeting lasted about two and a half hours and it concluded to be the bloodliest conflict in the nation's history.

Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Apr 14, 1865

rogerjnorton.comOn April 14, 1865, Lincoln was sitting in the State Box at Ford's Theatre when John Booth came in and shot him in the back of the head.