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Abraham Lincoln is Elected President
Abraham Lincoln was the Northern Republican candidate for the election of 1860. The other candidates were: Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. Abraham Lincoln won in a landslide. This strongly impacted the war because several states had already seceeded, and several more left out of hatred of the new Republican, slavery-ending president. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
The Battle at Fort Sumter was the bombing and susequent surrender of Fort Sumter from April 12-14 in 1861. Fort Sumter was a Union-controlled naval base at the mouth of the Charleston Harbor. It was blockading a major fort from Confederate control. The Confederates wanted more control over the South, and began to attack Fort Sumter. The Confederates were victorious, and the Union fled. -
Southern Blockade
The southern half of the United States, aka the Confederacy, was blockaded to prevent the passage of goods to the South from the North. It locked down most of the major seaports of south. Some of the seaports were located in Richmond, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The order required about 3,500 miles of coastlines in the South to be shut down. This was apart of the Anaconda Plan. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
The 1st Battle of Bull Run takes place in Prince William County, Virginia. It was the first major battle of the civil war. The two sides were going back and forth before the Confederates recieved reinforcements. It was the first major Confederate victory, and the proof that the Civil War would be long, hard and bloody. -
USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia naval battle
The CSS Virginia had begun to attack the USS Minnesota, when they set their sights on the USS Monitor who came to defend the ship. They didn't recognize until they were closer that it was an iron-clad ship. The CSS Virginia was also an iron clad. While the CSS Virginia managed to hit the USS Monitor's pilothouse, the USS Monitor went into shallow water where the CSS Virginia couldn't follow. While it was a draw, the Union managed to maintain control of the crucial Hampton Road waterways. -
Battle of Shiloh (Part 2)
This was very important in the war because it helped the Union severely weaken the Confederates in the area because many soldiers on the Confederate side were wounded, captured, or dead. -
Battle of Shiloh (part 1)
The Battle of Shiloh took place from April 6th, 1862 to April 7th, 1862. The Confederates struck in the early morning, surprising and overpowering the Union soldiers who were defending Pittsburg Landing. The Union soldiers were forced back to where the rest of the group was. Since the Union soldiers were so unprepared, it looked quite bleak, but after several defensive and determined stands, the Union established a line on the road nicknamed Hornet's Nest.With heavy artillery, the Union won. -
7 Days Campaign
The Seven Days Campaign is a series of 6 major battles from June 21st, 1862, to July 1st, 1862. The battles all took place around the It was one of the most savage campains of the Civil War. It was Gen. Robert E. Lee of the Northern Virginia Army (Confederate) against George B. McClellan with his mighty Army of the Potomac (Union). The Union lost all of the battles, and the Union quickly retreated. Gen. Lee had introduced a new form of combat, one that the Union couldn't fight against yet. -
2nd Battle of the Bull Run
The 2nd Battle of the Bull Run took place August 28–30, 1862. There were heavy casulaties on both sides. Gen. 'Thomas Stonewall' Jackson engaged the Northern Troops on the Warrenton Turnpike on August 28. The fight at Brawner Farm took several hours and resulted in a tie. However, after all the fighting had concluded, the Confederates won and drove the Union back. It was important because it was a very descisive victory for the Northern Virginia troops. -
Battle of Antietam
Battle of AntietamThe Battle of Antietam was the first and single-day bloodiest fight to take place on Union soil. Over 22,000 were reported dead, wounded or missing from that battle alone. After several hours of fighting, the battle was a draw, but it was a stratigec victory for the North. -
Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Following the Union win at the Battle of Antietam, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was issued. However, it didn't go into effect until months later on January 1st, 1863. This document ordered the freedom of all slaves, as well as allowing them to be protected in the north and serve in the Union Army. Initially, it only applied to the states that were rebelling. This was very important because it provoked strong reactions from both sides. The North agreed, but the South was angry. -
Emacipation Proclamation takes Effect
The Emancipation Proclamation was a declaration of freedom to the slaves and slaveholders in the rebelling states. President Lincoln ordered that all slaves were to be set free. This enraged the southern slaveholders. This really kickstarted the war forward. It was important because it freed all slaves, enraging the Southerners which led more states to rebel. -
Battle at Chancellorsville
This battle session took place from April 30 to May 6, 1863, near Fredericksburg, Virginia. While the battle was extremely long nd violent, the Confederates won. That wasn't the most important part though. Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was shot in the arm by friendly fire, ironically. The General survived the amputation of his arm, but died 8 days later of complications due to pneumonia. THis was a massive blow to the Confederate Army losing one of it's best commanders. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. It took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from July 1st, 1863-July 3rd, 1863. It was the battle with the most causalties in the Civil War. Both sides converged with the sole intent of eradicating their opponent. After heavy and bloody fighting, with high fatality numbers on both sides, the Union won. Later, President Lincoln gave his famous 'Gettysburg Adress' from the Gettysburg Cemetery. -
Siege of Vicksburg
It lasted from May 18 – July 4, 1863. In a series of events, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant the Army of the Tennessee were able to drive the Confederates out and into Vicksburg, where they finally surrendered. It was important because it gave the full power over the Mississippi River to the Union. Then they were able to control the ships and barges on the river from sending supplies to Confederates. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was one of the most famous and impactful speeches in U.S. History. It was given by President Lincoln on Thursday, November 19, 1863. Lincoln restated the human equality movements and such in his speech. This speech began with the familiar phrase 'Four score and 7 years ago...' This was not only an extremely famous speech, it was a great moralizing factor for the Union after the horrific losses at the 1st Battle of the Bull Run. -
Battle at Chattanooga
The Battle of Chattanooga took place from November 23th to November 25th.
The Battle of Chattanooga was an important time in the war because it allowed the Union to move further into the South and Confederate Territory. -
Ulysses S. Grant takes over the Union Army
Ulysses S. Grant takes control of the Union Army on March 10th, 1867. He was previously a Major-General who had graduated from West Point Military Academy. He was appointed because he had experience, as well as his agressive and determined leadership. -
Union Captures Atlanta
On the 2nd of September in 1864, General William T. Sherman and his Union troops captured the major Confederate city of Atlanta, Georgia. This was crucial in the war because of Atlanta being the hub of the south, with transportation and supplies coming from there. -
Abraham Lincoln's Reelection
Abraham Lincoln was re-elected in an overwhelming landslide of votes by Northerners. A problem with this evaportated any hopes of a treaty or negotiations to prevent war were evaporated. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
The march to the sea took from November 15 to December 21, 1864. It was a march of Major General Sherman and his troops from the now-captured city of Atlanta to capture the port city of Savannah, Georgia. They were sucessful. It wss important because they had taken over 2 more major Southern cities. -
Savannah, GA falls to the Union
Sherman's army captured Savannah, Georgia sucessfully on December 22, 1864. This was the last place in creating a military line stretching across the south, halting all suply lines to the south. -
Occupation of Richmond, VA.
Richmond, Virginia fell to Union control in April 1865. This was extremely important because it was the Confederate capital. When Richmond was occupied, the Confederate Government briefly relocated to Danville, Virginia. Richmond was also important because it was a major industrial and economical center, as well as transportation. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders
The significance of this event was it ended the Civil War. Gen. Lee was surrounded by Union troops, and with n way out, he surrendered his army. The Confederates, now Americans again, were pardoned. While scattered rebel fighting went on for several more weeks, the official war was ended. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, the United States President, was shot and killed on April 14th, 1865 at Ford's Theater. Lincoln had gone to a play with his wife, and while enjoying the play, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln didn't die until early the next morning. It was majort in the Civil War because it caused a lot of chaos, with the sudden and unexpected death of their leader and President. -
13th Amendment Passed
The 13th Amendment was the amendment to abolish slavery throughout the United States. It stated "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This was the product of the war, one of many reasons fought for.
