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Secession Convention
The Secession Convention was a convention in which the people of Texas met in Austin and voted to secede from the Union. When it became apparent that Abraham Lincoln would be elected as president, pressure to call a convention on the topic of secession began in October 1860. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, that started the American Civil War. -
The Civil War Begins
The Civil War started because of differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in territories that had not yet become states. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter Ends
The battle that started the American Civil War was a battle fought in one day. It lasted from April 12th to April 13th in 1861. -
Union Blockade
In the American Civil War, the Union Blockade was a naval strategy used by the United States in an effort to prevent the Confederacy from trading. -
Exploits of Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls worked as an enslaved man on the CSS Planter with three other enslaved workers. On May 13th, 1862, Smalls and the other three men gathered their families on the Planter after the white crew had gone ashore for the evening. They were embarking on a daring voyage by heading out of the Charleston Harbor. He made it past five Confederate gun batteries by using the correct signals when passing. By dawn, Smalls surrendered the CSS Planter to the Union forces. Freedom was finally theirs. -
Hunley Submarine
The H.L. Hunley Submarine was a submarine of the Confederate states. This submarine demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. The Hunley was launched in July of 1863. It was the first combat submarine to sink a warship. Unfortunately for the Hunley, it was lost along with it's crew before being able to return to base following the successful attack. -
Sherman's March
General William T. Sherman's purpose was to frighten Georgia's civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. His soldiers didn't destroy towns , but they did steal food and livestock and burned the farms and houses of people who tried to fight back. In January, 1865, Sherman and his men left Savannah and pillaged and burned their way through South Carolina to Charleston. -
Civil War Ends
After Sherman and his men pillaged and burned their way into South Carolina to Charleston, the Confederacy surrendered in April and the war was over.
