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Civil War
Civil War -
Cooper Union Address
Lincoln gives the Cooper Union Address, in which he validated the Federal Government banning slavery in new territories. This was Lincoln's most influential speech and many people believe it won him the presidency. -
The Pony Express
The Pony Express begins going from Saint Louis, Missouri to Sacramento, California. It had 119 stations that were each 12 miles apart. They made it possible for more letters to be delivered in a more timely manner. -
Constitutional Union Party Forms
The former members of the American and Whig parties meet in Baltimore and form the Constitutional Union Party, They elect John Bell to be their candidate for president and Edward Everett as candidate for vice president. -
Grace Bedell writes to Lincoln
Grace Bedell, an 11 year old girl, writes Lincoln. In her letter she tells him that a beard would make his face look better because it is so thin. Lincoln immediately decides to let his whiskers grow out. -
Lincoln elected
Lincoln won the party's presidential nomination. In the November 1860 election, Lincoln again faced Douglas -
Souther Secession is Urged
Seven senators and twenty-three representatives issue a manifesto urging southern secession. It also recommends forming a Souther Confederacy. -
South Carolina secession
When the ordinance was adopted on December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first slave state in the south to declare that it had seceded from the United States. -
senator Jefferson Davis speaks for Slavery
Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis presents resolutions as to why slavery should be allowed in the territories. He also gave reasons as to why the nation should protect slaveholders. His intention was to unite the Democratic party. -
South Carolina Congressmen
The South Carolina Congressmen resign due to secession. However, their names remain on the roll because the Union still does not acknowledge secession. -
South Carolina's Declaration
South Carolina issues their "Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union". This was South Carolina's version of the "Declaration of Independence". -
Mississippi Secession
AN ORDINANCE to dissolve the union between the State of Mississippi and other States united with her under the compact entitled "The Constitution of the United States of America." -
Florida's succession
Florida became one of the six original Southern states to form the Confederate States of America -
Alabamas secession
declared its secession from the United States over the issue of slavery, -
Georgia secession
tally of 208 to 89. vote George W. Crawford, proclaimed Georgia officially seceded from the Union. -
Louisiana succession
It then joined the Confederate States of America. Louisiana was the sixth state to secede. -
Texas secession
joined the Confederate States on March 2, 1861, after it replaced its governor, Sam Houston, when he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. -
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated
Abraham Lincoln Is officially sworn in as 16th president of the united states of america, he would server a full term -
Battle Of Fort Sumter
Battle of Fort Sumter took place April 12-14, 1861. the opening battles of the cival war. The confederates ended up wining this battle -
Virginia secession
joined the Confederacy during the American Civil War. As a Southern slave-holding state, Virginia held a state convention to deal with the secession crisis, -
Battle of Bull Run
his battle was known as the first battle of the civil war. The victory went to the south which gave the south more confidence and shocked the north -
McClellan ignores Lincoln
Lincoln issues the first General War Order, telling all land and sea army forces to advance. McClellan ignores this, but because of his backing Lincoln could not punish him. -
Greenbacks
This was a form of paper money introduced by Lincoln. It was the unified money for the United States and was used by the Union army. This money was distributed longer then any other money. -
The Battle of Hampton Roads
The battle of Hampton Roads took place on March 9, 1862 near Richmond, Virginia. This battle itself was irrelevant, but started a new era of naval warfare -
The Battle of Shiloh
.The northern army was headed by General Ulysses S. Grant and Southerner army by General Beauregard.Seconded battle of the civil War. .Although this battle Resulted in a union victory both sides suffered heavy losses. -
Conscription
Davis and the Confederate Congress approve the conscription act. This calls forward any white male ages 18 to 35 to fight for the confederate army. -
Internal Revenue Law
This law would give the government funds to use towards the civil war. It put a tax on inheritance, tobacco, and incomes over $600. -
Battle of Bull Run (2nd)
The seconded battle of bull run also to place near Manasseh Junction, Virginia. Jackson drove Pope out of Virginia, thus ending union treat in Virginia. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was fought along Antietam Creek, at Sharps burg, Maryland during the bloodiest day in American history. After many hours of fighting the south withdrew, thus the union could claim a victory. -
Grant Against the Jewish
Grant issues an order to bar Jewish people from serving under his command. This is horribly ironic because he is fighting to free a group of people because of the harsh treatment they are receiving. -
The Battle of Fredricksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg took place on December 13, 1862 near the Rappahannock River. South took the defies en dof this battle and won. when the union army split at a fork in the river the south held off both sides. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document written by Abraham Lincoln January 1, 1863 to Free all the slaves living in the south. -
Enrollment Act
The Enrollment Act, 12 Stat. 731, enacted March 3, 1863, also known as the Civil War Military Draft Act, was legislation passed by the United States Congress during the American Civil War to provide fresh manpower for the Union Army. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
is widely considered to be Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's greatest victory during the American Civil War. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863. Its considered to be the most important battle of the civil war. -
The Falling of Vickburg
Gen. Ullyses S. Grant (Union) led an army that attacked the Confederate army led by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton that was defending the city of Vicksburg. This allowed control of the Mississippi river, effectively splitting the Confederacy in half and also considered part of the turning point of the war. -
New York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots, known at the time as Draft Week, were violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of working-class discontent with new laws -
Battle of Chickamauga
Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans (Union) fought against Gen. Braxton Bragg's army in the second bloodiest Civil War battle, but was forced to retreat causing a Confederate win. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln delivered the speech at the Gettysburg ceremony, a ceremony dedicating the battlefield as a national cemetary, that gave hope to the Union people and would be known to this day. -
10 Percent Plan
Abraham Lincoln proposed a plan that if ten percent of the 1860 vote count in a state took an oath of allegiance to the Union and agreed to abide by emancipation, -
Escape from Libby Prison,
Escape from Libby Prison, Richmond. After weeks of digging, 109 Union officers made their escape from the notorious Libby Prison, the largest and most sensational escape of the war. Though 48 of the escapees were later captured and two drowned, 59 were able to make their way into Union lines. -
Union Capture and Occupation of Meridian, Mississippi.
Union forces under William T. Sherman enter the city of Meridian, Mississippi after a successful month of campaigning through the central part of the state. -
Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana.
The Union Army under Banks defeats the attempt by Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor to drive them out of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the result of the campaign would be less than desired as it drew to a close in the first week of May with Confederates still in firm control of most of the state. -
Capture of Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
After a rapid raid through central and western Tennessee, Confederate cavalry under Nathan Bed ford Forrest attacked and overwhelmed the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, located on the Mississippi River. -
Wade-Davis Bill
Republicans in Congress propose the Wade Davis Bill as an alternative to Lincoln's 10 Percent Plan. Lincoln pocket-vetoes it -
Siege of Atlanta
The Siege of Atlanta took place July 22, 1864 in Atlanta, Georgia. General John Bell Hood (south) General William T. Sherman (north) were the main generals during this battle. -
Battles on the Weldon Railroad near Petersburg, Virginia.
Union attempts to capture this important railroad into Petersburg were stopped by Confederate counterattacks. Despite southern efforts, the Union remained in firm possession of their gains and the railroad. -
Fall of Atlanta, Georgia.
Confederate troops under General Hood evacuate the city of Atlanta. General Sherman's army occupies the city and its defenses the following day. -
Sherman Captures Atlanta
William Tecumseh Sherman led an invasion on Georgia that led to the capture of Atlanta. This has been tied to the reelection of President Lincoln, whose election over McClellan may have caused the Union victory. -
Abraham Lincoln wins re-election
Sherman’s victory in Atlanta boosted Lincoln’s popularity and helped him win re-election. This was a very important moment in the war. -
The Ratification of the 13th Amendment
This Amendment was the amendment that freed all the slaves. Earlier in the war (during Lincolns first term as president) this amendment was voted on for passage, -
Freedman's Bureau
The temporary Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (known as the Freedmen's Bureau) is established within the War Department -
- Attack on Fort Stedman, Petersburg, Virginia.
Touted as "Lee's last offensive", Confederate troops under General John B. Gordon attack and briefly capture the Union fort in the Petersburg siege lines in an attempt to thwart Union plans for a late March assault. -
The Battle of Five Forks, Virginia.
The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Fords Theatre in Washington D.C. This attack came only five days after the end of the Civil War. -
Juneteenth
General Granger arrives in Texas and tells them about the Emancipation Proclamation. It is now celebrated as holiday called Juneteenth. -
Black Codes
Black Codes, laws passed mostly in Southern states after the Civil War that discrimunated and limited the rights of blacks, began to be passed. Jim Crow Laws and others would be the successors of these laws. -
Henry Wirz
Major Henry Wirz is hanged. He was the leader of the atrocious war camp, Andersonville. He becomes the only soldier hanged for war crimes. -
13th Amendment Approved
"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." -
The Liberator
The last issue of the Liberator is published. The newspaper has now becomes unnecessary because the slaves have been freed. -
Presidential Reconstruction Begins
Republicans win well over a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate; the election is seen as a popular referendum on the widening divide between Johnson and the Radicals. -
ASPCA
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is founded in New York by Henry Bergh. -
Memphis Race Riot
White civilians and police kill 46 African Americans and destroy 90 houses, schools, and four churches in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Nickel
Congress approves the minting of a five cent piece, know as the nickel. This eliminates the half dime. -
Tennessee Re-admitted
Previously-Confederate states began being admitted back into the United States -
General of the Army
Congress passes the legislation making General of the Army a rank. Ulysses S. Grant is the first to hold that title. -
Atlantic Cable
The Atlantic Cable is established allowing transatlantic telegraph communication for the first time. -
New Orleans Race Riots
Riots and a race massacre break out in New Orleans, Louisiana. A white mob attacks blacks and Radical Republicans attending a black suffrage convention, killing 40 people. -
Jesse and gang
Jesse James and his gang robs a bank in Lexington, Missouri. They get away with $2,000. -
Black Men Vote in The District of Columbia
Congress grants black male citizens the right to vote in the District of Columbia even though Johnson vetoed it. -
Right to Vote
African Americans in Washington D. C. gain the right to vote in a bill passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto -
Louisiana rejects the 14th Amendment
Louisiana rejects the 14th Amendment -
Radical Reconstruction Acts
These acts begin the period of Radical Reconstruction by enacting Military, Command of the Army, and Tenure of Office Reconstruction Acts. -
Office Act,
intended to restrict the power of the President of the United States to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate. -
Second Reconstruction Act
Congress passes the Second Reconstruction Act; military commanders in each southern district are to register all qualified adult males to vote. -
Third Reconstruction Act
Registrars are directed to go beyond the loyalty oath by determining the eligibility of each person who wants to take it; district commanders are authorized to re-take control by replacing the preexisting state officeholders. -
Johnson Violates Office of Tenure Act
The Office of Tenure Act restricted the president's ability to remove an office member while Congress is not in session. Johnson intentionally violates the Tenure of Office Act when he suspends Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and replaces him with General Ulysses S. Grant during a congressional recess, and causes himself to be impeached the next year. -
Alaska is formerly acquired
The United States officially takes possession of Alaska from Russia. $7.2 million is paid for it. -
Impeachment
Congress looks into impeaching Johnson for his lack of effectiveness and unwillingness to follow through with reconstruction.
