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Lincoln vs. Douglas
Lincoln, in these very heated debates, creates controversy when he declares his intent to end slavery -
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Civil War timelin Bender
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Lincoln gets nomination
On May 18th, 1860, Abraham Lincoln gets the Republican Nomination to run for president. -
1860 US Cenus
The US Census of 1860 determined that there were 31,443,321, a 35.4% increase from the 1850 census. However, 12.7% of the population, or 3.953,761 was determined to be slaves -
Lincoln wins Presidential election
On November 6th, 1860, the votes for America's next president were tallied, and Lincoln had won the election. A little more than a month later, South Carolina would secede. -
South Carolina secedes
The First state to secede, South Carolina voted to leave the Union. Many states followed and started the Civil war. -
Mississippi secedes
Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union after South Carolina. -
Lincoln is inagurated
Lincoln is inagurated on March 4th to become president, further angering the South. -
Fort Sumter is Attacked
Fort Sumter is shelled by the South, beginning the Civil War. -
Union Blockades the South
Abraham Lincoln announces the commencement of the blockade of the South. -
First Battle of Bull Run
In the first real battle of the Civil War, the Confederacy handily defeats the Union Army. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Union is attacked by the Confederates, but push them back the next day in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. -
Halleck is put in command
Henry Halleck is named the new General in Chief of ALL Union Armies. However, he works in Washington. -
Second Bull Run
Once again, the Union suffers a massive defeat at the same battlefield that started the war. -
Battle of Antietam
This is the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. It was a tactical draw for both sides, but ended in a Confederate retreat. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
The Union charge straight across an open field and lose thousands in defeat to the Confederates. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This document was ordered to release all slaves immediately (including in the South), although it never took affect in the South until after the war because they weren't part of the Union -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
In a very risky move, General Lee decides to split his Confederate army into two and attack the Union. This strategy succeeds and he wins the battle, but he lost his right hand man, Stonewall Jackson, who was gunned down my his own men. -
Siege of Vicksburg
It started on May 18th, 1863, and ended the same day the Confederates were decisively defeated at Gettysburg, this victory gave the Union the Mississippi and effectively split the Confederacy in half. The commander of the Union forces was Ulysses S. Grant. -
West Virginia Admitted to the Union
West Virginia broke away from Virginia when they seceded, not wishing to go with Virginia to the Confederacy, and was admitted as a state on this day. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
Lasting three days from July 1st, 1863 to July 3rd, the Confederates were handed bloody defeat at the hands of the Union. This is considered the Turning Point in the American Civil War. -
The Battle of the Wilderness
This was a very big part of the Civil War, as this began the "Overland Campaign." By this time General Ulysses Grant becomes the commander of all armies, replacing Halleck. It is his first battle at the head of all armies. The result in inconclusive, but ends with a Confederate retreat. -
The Battle at Spotsylvania Court House
Lasting about two weeks, it is another inconclusive battle, but the morale for the Confederacy drops as it begins to realize that Grant is different from the other Union Generals. Even if he loses a lot of men, he will not run back to the North. He will continue to push forward. Also, this battle is highly noted for it's trench warfare. -
The Battle of Cold Harbor
This battle lasted for a long time, but the majority of the death happened at 4:30 A.M.on June 3rd, when Grant sent his men forward and lost 7,000 men in 20 minutes. This was Lee's last decisive victory. -
The Siege of Petersburg
This siege would go on for nine months and would be one of the final major engagements of the war. The Union choked the Confederates out by cutting their supply lines so badly that Lee would retreat and surrender not too long later. The city was a crucial supply line for Lee's army, and Grant did the Union a major favor when he took it, as he contiued to starve Lee's army. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
It began with the capture of Atlanta, which he proceeded to burn to the ground. Until December 21st, 1864, he would take his army through enemy territory and burn and destroy everything in his path. This march essentially destroyed the Confederacy's ability to fight, as some of their biggest cities were destroyed. Also, the Confederacy's infracstructure was also completely demolished by this march. -
The Carolinas Campaign
Sherman marches from Savannah, Georgia up through the Carolinas and defeats General Joe Johnston at the Battle of Bentonville. -
Fall of Richmond
Richmond, the Capitol of the Confederacy, falls to the Union after General Lee retreats from the Siege of Petersburg. It was burned to the ground by its own citizens before they evacuated the town so the Union couldn't use anything they might have found in Richmond. -
Lee Surrenders
General Robert E. Lee is trapped at Appomatox and is given no choice but to surrender. -
Lincoln is assasinated
5 days after the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln is shot and killed in Fords Theatre by actor John Wilkes Boothe. -
Jefferson Davis is Captured
After trying to outrun the Union and it's army, he is captured in Georgia and faces trial for treason.
