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Election of 1860
This election was critical to the Civil War because it began the Confederate rebellion. The South did not like Abraham Lincoln ever since his early public debates. The South (confederacy) was upset that Lincoln was the new president. The South wanted their nation and government. They then peacefully succeeded from the Union wanting their own country. We will explore this in the next event. -
Confederate States Form
This was the beginning of the Confederacy. This new country would go on to fight in the Civil War against the federal government of the Union. This new nation only lasted until 1865 but would go on to make a lasting impact on the United States. The Confederacy was all about state's rights and weak central government. They had their own way of living as well compared to the North. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
This is when the Confederate army made its first attack on the Union. This battle included a full attack of the fort. It ended with the surrender of Union forces and a Confederate victory. This gave the momentum to the south for the beginning of the war. They used this momentum for the beginning of the war. It was a battle of only two casualties. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This was one of the first big battles of the Civil War. Confederate troops ended up winning this battle and Union troops retreated. The South gained a lot of momentum from this battle. The Confederates lost 387 men in this battle. The Union lost 460 men. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle helped stop the Confederate invasion northward and proved that the Union could stand against the Confederate army. This battle began to now swing the momentum to the North. This was the beginning of the North's victories. Although, more Union troops died than Confederate. 2,100 Union troops died as opposed to 1,550. -
Inauguration of Jefferson Davis
On this day Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the CSA. This was pivotal to the growing tensions between the North and South. The North was not ok with the South being their own country. They saw this as a threat to the federal government and were going to make sure it did not last long. It would only go on until 1865. This would be a war for the ages. -
Battle of Shiloh
This was a very important battle to the Union's success. Again, the Union won this battle, helping them gain momentum. The Union lost 1,754 men in this battle. Wheres the Confederates lost 1,723 men. They both lost almost an equal amount. This was a lot of loss for both sides. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This was by Abraham Lincoln, president of the USA. This issued that all slaves held in the CSA should be freed. This angered many people in the CSA and the war would not slow down. There would go on to be two more years of this Civil War. Although the North would go onto keep gaining victories and momentum. -
Battle of Vicksburg
This gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the South in half. This was a 47-day siege. The momentum swing here was pivotal to the Civil War. The Union lost 806 soldiers. The Confederacy ended up with 805 soldiers dead. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This was the deadliest battle of the Civil War, a turning point, and a Union victory. This gave the momentum to the Union for the rest of the war. There were between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties. Around 3,100 men from the Union died. Around 3,900 Confederates died. -
Gettysburg Address
This was an address by Abraham Lincoln that stated that all men were created equal and the USA had to stand as one country. This also honored all of the men who gave their lives on the battlefield at Gettysburg. This speech only lasted two minutes. It was also about 272 words. To be such an important speech, it was very short. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
This was total war. Total war means destroying everything in your path, wrecking the enemy's land, cities, etc. This wrecked the CSA. It also helped split up the Sout. This began to ruin any chances of the South Winning. -
13th Amendment
This amendment banned slavery in the United States forever. This is very significant because it not only changed the South but changed the entire U.S. It would go on to be an amendment that changed the course of history. This amendment was ratified on December 6th, 1865. This freed four million slaves. It was the newest amendment of the time. -
Appomattox Courthouse
This is where the war was ended. General Lee surrendered to Grant here at this courthouse in 1865. This would end one of the deadliest wars in American History. Turning a new page for the United States and beginning reconstruction. The South would also begin gravitating away towards an agricultural economy. The Union will also need a new leader named Andrew Jackson. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
This happened towards the end of the civil war. Abraham Lincoln had gone to watch a play, actor John Booth found out and killed him in the theatre. Booth was pursued by federal troops and eventually died. Booth also had plotted to kidnap Abraham Lincoln before the war was over. This took away the Unions happy victory celebration for the moment.