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Period: to
Civil war
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Jefferson Davis and the senate
Mississippi state senator, Jefferson Davis, says to the Senate that the federal government must protect the slaveholders. -
Abraham Lincoln speaks at cooper institute
After being photographed by Matthew Brady, Abraham Lincoln speaks at the Cooper Institute in New York City. -
democrat convention
the democrats hold their annual convention in charleston,SC. When their pro-slavery platform is rejected, 8 southern state senators leave in anger. -
Republican convention
Republican Convention is held in Chicago, Illinois. -
baltimore democrats select a nominee
On June 23rd the Convention nominates Stephen Douglas and Herschal V. Johnson -
southern democrats select a nominee
Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President -
new commander at west point
Lieutenant Colonel William Hardee is replaced by Major John F. Reynolds as commander of cadets at West Point -
Lincoln Elected
abraham lincoln is elected as the 16th president of the U.S. becoming the first republican elected. Lincoln won over John Breckinridge, John Bell and Stephen Douglas. -
first southerner to resign from the senate
James Chesnut becomes the first Southerner to resign from the Senate. He is quickly followed by James H. Hammond -
Robert Toombs resgins from senate
At the end of a fiery, pro-secession speech, Robert Toombs announces his resignation from the U. S. Senate at the end of his term. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860. This started the first of many secessions by southern states. -
"Star of the West" attacked
Artillery fires on the Star of the West from Morris Island as it crosses into the main entrance channel to Charleston Harbor. As the ship comes about, Fort Moultrie opens fire, also with cannon shot. A mile and a half from Fort Sumter, the ship withdraws. -
confederates adopt constitution
The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution forming the Confederate States of America -
Jefferson Davis Elected
After privately considering William Yancey, Howell Cobb, Robert Toombs, Alexander Stephens, and Robert Barnwell Rhett for President of the Confederate States of America, the Convention settles on Jefferson Davis. They select Alexander Stephens, both pro-Union and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, as vice-president -
Abe lincoln sworn in
Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as 16th President of the United States of America. -
attack on fort sumter
Confederate batteries along the shore of Charleston Harbor fire on Fort Sumter under the command of Major Robert Anderson. Anderson arranges a surrender with Texas Senator Louis Wigfall on the morning of the 13th. -
Abe lincoln summons men
President Lincoln issues a Proclamation calling for 75,000 militiamen, and summoning a special session of Congress for July 4. -
Battle of philippi
First land engagement of the Civil War between American and Confederate forces -
first bull run
About 25 miles southwest of Washington the first major battle of the Civil War pits Irvin McDowell [US] against P. G. T. Beauregard [CS] and Joe Johnston [CS]. -
winfield scott removed
Winfield Scott relieved from duty as Supreme Comander of the United States. -
confederate boat halted
British mail packet Trent, carrying James M. Mason and John Slidell, Confederate commissioners to London and Paris, is halted in the Bahama Channel by the U.S. warship San Jacinto. -
battle of fort donelson
General Ulysses S. Grant demands the unconditional surrender of the garrison from an old friend, Simon Bolivar Buckner -
Battle of Hampton Roads
The duel of the ironclads, The Monitor and The Merrimac (CSS Virginia). First use of a turreted gun. -
battle of shiloh
Ulysses S. Grant [US] defeats Albert Sidney Johnston [CS] in southwest Tennessee. P. G. T. Beauregard assumed command following Johnston's death -
battle of new orleans
After a duel with Confederate ships at English Turn, Commadore Farragut's fleet weighs anchor at New Orleans and demands the surrender of the largest city and most important port in the South. By the time Farragut arrives the city was partially on fire. -
jefferson Davis promotes commander robert e lee
Jefferson Davis replaces wounded Army of Northern Virginia commander Joseph E. Johnston with Robert E. Lee -
battle of gaines mill
John Bell Hood and George Pickett breakthrough Fitz John Porter's line, forcing Union troops south of the Chickahominy River and severing McClellan's supply line to Eltham's Landing -
Battle of Malvern Hill
Robert E. Lee attacked George B. McClellan, whose men made a gallant stand in front of the James River. Lee called off his attack after failing to break the Union line. -
Second battle of Bull Run
General John Pope lost to General Robert E. Lee. General James Longstreet's 28,000 man assault on August 30 was the largest simultaneous assault of the war in this Confederate victory. -
Battle of Antietam
Army of the Potomac under McClellan defeats the Army of Northern Virginia under Lee, resulting in the bloodiest day in American history. -
General McClellan replaced
Ambrose E. Burnside assumes command of the Army of the Potomac, relieving George B. McClellan -
Emancipation proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect, freeing all slaves. -
General Burnside replaced
Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside from command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
General "Fighting Joe" Hooker's Army of the Potomac is defeated by Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as it crosses the Rappahannock on the way to Richmond -
Battle of Gettysburg
General Robert E. Lee [CS] advances into Pennsylvania where he meets George Meade. First battling north of the city, by the second day Union forces had retreated south, forming a strong line as men arrived almost continuously. On the third day, the infamous Pickett's Charge marked the end of the Confederates hope for a victory -
Second Battle of Winchester
The Second Battle of Winchester was fought between June 13 and June 15, 1863 in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia as part of the Gettysburg Campaign. -
West Virginia enters U.S
West Virginia becomes the 35th state to enter the United States, but the first to enter where the terms slave and free no longer mattered -
Unconditional surrender at vicksburg
John Pemberton, commander of Confederate forces at Vicksburg asks Ulysses S. Grant for terms. Grant demands an unconditional surrender. Pemberton refuses. Late in the evening, Grant offers excellent terms and Pemberton accepts. -
Battle of Chickamauga
General Braxton Bragg tries to split General William Rosecrans forces as they try to return to the safety of Chattanooga. A second day breakthrough at the Brotherton Cabin forces the federals into a retreat, halted only by the Rock of Chickamauga, General George Thomas on Snodgrass Hill -
Gettysburg Address
At the dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg President Lincoln delivers a two-minute speech. Immediately following the speech he calls it a "flat failure." The speech is known today as the Gettysburg Address -
Battle of Chatanooga
Three Union armies attacked the Army of Tennessee atop Missionary Ridge, east of downtown Chattanooga. -
Union prisoners escape
109 Union officers led by Colonel Thomas Rose escape from Libby Prison on the banks of the James River in Richmond. 59 reach Union lines -
Ulysses S. Grant appointed general
Ulysses S. Grant is appointed lieutenant general, a rank revived at the request of President Lincoln. Grant assumes command of all Union Armies in the field the following day. -
Battle of Sabine Crossroads
the first major battle of the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. -
Battle of the wilderness
Ulysses S. Grant is badly beaten on the field by Robert E. Lee but rather than retreat, Grant advances to Spotsylvania Court House. -
General Butlers army arrives
Army of the James under General Benjamin Butler lands at Bermuda Hundred and City Point, east of Petersburg. The Army is comprised of two corps totaling nearly 40,000 men. -
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
In an inconclusive battle, General Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee battle for days southwest of Fredericksburg -
Battle of Picketts Mill
The Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought on May 27, 1864, in Paulding County, Georgia, during the American Civil War between Union and Confederate forces. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
Robert E. Lee [CS] defeats General Ulysses S. Grant [US] and General George Meade [US] -
Battle of Mobile Bay
18 Union ships sail past the entrance to Mobile Bay. The C. S. S. Tennessee, prize ironclad of the Confederate Navy awaited the attack. As the U. S. S. Tecumseh sinks Admiral David Farragut orders "Damn the torpedoes, go ahead." His flag vessel Hartford took the lead. The ships destroyed the Confederate fleet -
Battle of Nashville
a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee -
capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
Union occupation of this fort at the mouth of the Cape Fear River closes access to Wilmington, the last southern seaport on the east coast that was open to blockade runners and commercial shipping. -
US leaders discuss peace
On the River Queen five men, US President Abraham Lincoln, US Secretary of State William Seward, CS Vice-president Alexander Stephens, along with John Campbell and RMT Hunter discuss peace terms at the Hampton Roads Conference near Fort Monroe. The conference was a failure -
Lincoln outlines his second term
Lincoln, talking directly to the Confederate people "...with malice toward none; with charity for all..." -
Battle of Fort Stedman
General John B. Gordon captured Fort Stedman, a Union outpost on the line around besieged Petersburg, eventually punching a hole 3/4 of mile wide. -
Battle of Five Forks
George Pickett could not withstand the federal envelopment move around Petersburg that began here. -
The Fall of Petersburg and Richmond
General Lee abandons both cities and moves his army west in hopes of joining Confederate forces under General Johnston in North Carolina. -
The Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia
A portion of Lee's Army- almost one-third of it- is cornered along the banks of Sailor's (or "Saylor's") Creek and annihilated. -
Robert E Lee surrenders
After attempting to break-out of the Union envelopment, Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysess S. Grant at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox Court House -
Lincoln Assassination
President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at ford theater -
Final battle of civil war
The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory. -
Lincoln's Birthday
The first formal observation of President Lincoln's birthday is held in Washington, D. C. President Andrew Johnson attends -
New Freedman's Bureau bill passed by Congress
President Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill that authorized military trial for those accused of "depriving Negroes of the Civil Rights" on the same day -
Civil rights act vetoed
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional -
US wants peace
The United States declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia -
Congress buys Ford's Theater
Congress appropriates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater. It will house the Army Medical Museum, the Office of the Surgeon General and War Department records until 1893 -
Congress overrides Johnsons veto
Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act -
Cholera spreads
Cholera epidemic begins in New York when an infected passenger arrives in New York. -
Winfield Scott dies, West Point, NY
Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" and the "Grand Old Man of the Army," he served on active duty as a general longer than any other man in American history -
Tennessee ratifies the 14th Amendment
This quick ratification meant Tennessee would not suffer under 2nd Reconstruction -
Congress establishes "general of the armies"
Ulysses S. Grant is immediately promoted to 4-star general and put in this position. William Tecumseh Sherman assumes the rank of Lt. General. -
Blacks gain right to vote
Blacks in Washington D. C. gain the right to vote in a bill passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto -
mississippi gains control again
Federal army restores military rule to Mississippi -
Tenure office act passed
Congress passes the Tenure of Office Act, denying the right of the President to remove officials who had been appointed with the consent of Congress -
Virginia rejects black votes
Alexandria, Virginia rejects thousand of votes cast by Negroes, who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
2nd reconstruction act passed
Congress passes the 2nd Reconstruction Act over Andrew Johnson's veto -
Alaska is bought
William P. Seward signs a treaty with Russia buying Alaska for 2 cents an acre. Democrats called it "Seward's Folly" -
3rd reconstruction act passed
Congress passes Third Reconstruction Act passed over Johnson's veto. -
Most confederate states brought back to union
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, having refused to ratify the fourteenth amendment, were refused admission into the Union -
Andrew johnson furious
President Andrew Johnson demands the resignation of Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War. -
Grant promoted again
Ulysses S. Grant becomes ad interim Secretary of War
