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South Carolina Secedes
The mid-1800s in the United States was a time of tension and conflict. As Westward expansion continued, the question of slavery become more pressing and it could no longer be ignored. Efforts by abolitionists in the North to free slaves greatly angered the South. After attempts at compromise and battles in Kansas, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 became the final straw for the South. They decided to secede from the Union to form the Confederate states. -
Fort Sumter
Now that the Union had split, the question became: what would become of federal naval forces and forts in the South? Well, in April 1861, Confederate forces from South Carolina besieged Fort Sumter. Lincoln responded by sending Union ships to prevent Confederate capture. This assault began the battles of the Civil War. -
Battle of Bull Run
Under pressure from Lincoln, the Union army charged towards the Confederate capital, Richmond. Unfortunately, the Confederates came out of this battle victorious, and the Union was forced to flee back to Washington, D.C. -
The Trent Incident
In November 1861, two Confederate soldiers were aboard the Trent ship to Europe. They were on a mission to gain war support from Great Britain and France, but before they could arrive, they were seized and captured by a Union navy ship. Britain was angry about this and threatened to declare war if the Union did not resolve the issue. So, the Union apologized and released the two men to continue on their journey. -
Seven Days' Battle
In 1862, Lincoln appointed George McClellan to be the commander of the Army of Potomac as he was not pleased by the previous action being taken. He launched an attack on Virginia, but unfortunately was beaten by the Confederate army led by Robert E. Lee. These battles lasted from June 25th to July 1st, earning it`s name as the Seven Days` Battle. -
Antietam
Although the Union was being steadily defeated at this point, they eventually had a stroke of luck. Some Union scouts found a copy of Robert Lee`s plans to capture Washington, D.C. wrapped around a bundle of cigars. This allowed the army to prepare themselves, and at Antietam, Maryland, Lee was forced to retreat... although the Union failed to exploit this advantage, it was a big step forward. -
Fredericksburg
The Union army launched a disastrous attack on the Confederates in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Union suffered 12,000 casualties, proving their luck had not quite yet turned despite the battle at Antietam. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
When the South refused to lay down their arms, Lincoln finally released his official Emancipation Proclamation declaring that all the slaves in the South "are and henceforward shall be free." -
Gettysburg
Robert E. Lee and the Confederates meet the Union army led by General George Meade at Gettysburg. This battle lasted three days and became the largest one in North American History involving over 160 000 soldiers. On the third day, Lee launched Pickett's Charge, which proved suicidal for the Confederates. This led to the Union victory at Gettysburg. -
Vicksburg
A second Union victory came when Ulysses S. Grant captured Vicksburg. This was significant because it meant Union control of the entire Mississippi River. -
Capturing Atlanta and Destroying Georgia
General William Sherman's Union army captured the city of Atlanta in September 1864. From there, the men marched towards Savannah, destroying everything in their path. This total destruction of Georgia's railroads, farms, plantations, crops, and more went on until the end of 1864. -
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
As the war came to close, Lincoln delivered a short speech outlining the causes of the war and his belief that the country was in desperate need of reconciliation and repair. -
Surrender at Appomattox
As the Union approached the Confederate capital of Richmond, Robert E. Lee fled. Finally, the battles came to an end and Lee accepted defeat. He and his troops surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, ending the civil war. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Five days after Lee's surrender, Lincoln was shot at Ford Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, and the whole country mourned. -
Reconstruction and the 13th Amendment
Reconstruction began in the country as the new president, Andrew Johnson, started to re-admit the Confederate states into the Union once they agreed to certain terms. In December, reconstruction continued with the ratification of the 13th amendment to the constitution, which confirmed the abolition of slavery. This was followed by the 14th amendment in 1866, making it illegal to deny former male slaves of their human rights. -
Founding of the Ku Klux Klan
Former Confederate soldiers formed the secret organization the Ku Klux Klan who worked to assault and murder former slaves. -
Reconstruction Act
This new act divided the South into military districts that were conrolled by generals and soldiers imposing martial law. This meant that Confederates were removed from government posts and all states had to draft new constitutions that promised all former male slaves the right to vote. If they refused, the military would act on their behalf. -
The Fifteenth Amendment Ratified
The 15th amendment declared that no male citizen could be prevented from voting because of their race. All states had to agree to both this and the 14th amendment before they could be re-admitted to the union, which they all did by early 1870 as political reconstruction came to a close.
