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Civil War Timespan
Events leading up to the civil war and events that happened during it. -
The Rise of Slave Population
The slave population is at its highest with nearly four million, making the ratio of free to enslaved Americans approximately 7:1. -
Lincolns Speech at Cooper Union
Lincoln delivered an argument against the spread of enslavement and became an overnight star and a leading candidate for the upcoming presidential election. -
Lincoln Visits Five Points
Lincoln visits Five Points and time with children at a Sunday school and appeared in newspapers during his presidential campaign. -
Pony Express is Introduced
Pony Express was introduced as the new American express mail service that used horse riders to deliver messages. -
Arizona passes an Expulsion Act
Arizona passes an Expulsion Act, banishing all free blacks from the state. -
Lincoln Campaigns
Candidates did not actively participate in campaigning but Lincoln used posters and other images to win over voters -
Abraham Lincoln is Elected President
Lincoln won the 1860 election and became the 16th President of the United States during a national crisis. -
First Secession Convention
The first Secession Convention meets in Columbia, South Carolina making the decision for South Carolina to secede. -
Crittenden Compromise is Introduced
The unsuccessful proposal would make it unconstitutional for future congresses to end slavery proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden. -
South Carolina Secedes From Union
In 1860 South Carolina officially breaks away from the United States of America. -
The 7th State Seceedes
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede between January 9 and February 1st of 1861. -
The Opening Scene
Confederates fire on Fort Sumter, South Carolina; Civil War begins -
C.S.A Authorizes Volunteers
C.S.A. President Jefferson Davis authorizes 400,000 C.S.A. volunteers -
Richmond becomes capital of C.S.A
Richmond becomes the capital of the South. -
U.S. Sanitary Commission is Created
U.S. Sanitary Commission created to provide care for wounded soldiers and their families -
First Battle of Bull Run
Confederates rout Union troops at the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run; Thomas Jackson earns the nickname "Stonewall" -
McClellan Takes Command of Potomac Army
Major General George B. McClellan takes command of the Army of the Potomac -
First Federal Income Tax
Congress levies the first federal income tax -
Joint Committee is Formed
U.S. Congress forms the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War -
Battle of Chustenahlah
Factions of Creek and other Indian nations loyal to the Confederacy clash with the Union at the Battle of Chustenahlah, Indian Territory -
McClellan Yorktown Siege
McClellan's forces siege Yorktown, Virginia; Peninsula Campaign begins. -
Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee -
Washington D.C Ends Slavery
Slavery ends in the District of Columbia; the C.S.A. initiates the first military draft. -
U.S. Congress passes Homestead Act
U.S. Congress passes Homestead Act, granting up to 160 acres of land to settlers who improve the land for at least five years. -
Robert E. Lee Becomes Commander of Army in Virginia
General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Army of Northern Virginia. -
Second Confiscation Act
United States Congress passes the Second Confiscation Act, which frees slaves that come under Union control. -
Confederate Victory at Second Bull Run
Confederate victory at the Battle of Second Manassas/Bull Run -
Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest day of the war occurs at the Battle of Sharpsburg/Antietam with 23,000 casualties -
Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation -
Unions Suffers from Battle of Fredericksburg
The Union suffers one of its worst defeats at the Battle of Fredericksburg -
Emancipation Proclamation is Issued
Lincoln issues the final Emancipation Proclamation, officially allowing black soldiers and sailors into Union forces -
Cherokee Nation abolishes slavery
Cherokee Nation abolishes slavery; declares support for the Union -
Confederate Victory at Chancellorsville
Confederates win a stunning victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville; Stonewall Jackson is fatally wounded -
West Virginia admitted to the Union
West Virginia was admitted to the Union becoming one of the last to join. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the civil war also known as the turning point lasted 3 days and resulted in the Confederate defeat. -
Vicksburg Surrenders
Vicksburg surrenders to Grant's army. -
Confederate victory at Chickamauga
Confederate victory at Chickamauga; Union forces to retreat to Chattanooga and are besieged -
First Sanitary Fair
Chicago hosts first sanitary fair to raise funds for the U.S. Sanitary Commission (runs through November 7, 1863) -
Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address
Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address changed the direction of the aim of the war. -
Lincoln Issues Proclamation of Amnesty
Lincoln issues Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which pardons secessionists who swear allegiance to the U.S. -
Andersonville Opens
War's most notorious prison camp opens near Andersonville, Georgia -
Grant is Promoted
Grant is promoted to lieutenant general and appointed general in chief of U.S. armies. -
Fort Pillow Massacre
Confederates capture Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Many of the U.S. Colored Troops are murdered after they surrender. -
D.C Capital is Threatened
Jubal Early and 12,000 Confederate troops threaten Washington. -
Beginning of Petersburg Siege
The 1 month lasting Overland Campaign ends and the ten-month siege of Petersburg, Virginia begins. -
Washington DC is Threatened
Jubal Early and 12,000 Confederate troops threaten Washington -
Atlanta is Captured
Sherman captures Atlanta, Georgia -
Lincoln beats McClellan
Lincoln defeats McClellan in the 1864 presidential election -
Loss for Confederates at Nashville
Confederates' main western army shattered at the Battle of Nashville, Tennessee. -
Savannah is Captured
Ending his March to the Sea, Sherman takes Savannah, Georgia -
Lee is promoted and 13th Amendment is Passed
Thoma Davis appoints Lee general in chief for the confederacy and the U.S. House passes the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery -
Sherman's army moves towards Union in SC
Sherman's army moves through Columbia, South Carolina; Schimmelfenning's Union troops occupy Charleston -
Congress Passes Freedmen's Bureau
U.S. Congress establishes the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen's Bureau) -
Law Signed for Enlisting Slaves
Davis signs a "Negro Soldier Law," authorizing the enlistment of slaves -
Richmond Attack
Petersburg, Virginia, falls to the Union; Richmond evacuated and set ablaze. -
Lee Surrenders
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia -
Lincolns Assasination
John Wilkes Booth assassinates Lincoln and Andrew Johnson becomes president -
General Joe Johnston's Surrender is Accepted
Sherman accepts the surrender of C.S.A's General Joe Johnston in North Carolina -
Davis is Captured
Jefferson Davis is captured and President Johnson proclaims armed resistance at an end -
Beginning of Juneteenth
U. S General Granger issued General Orders No. 3, confirming those enslaved in Texas had been freed under the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Local celebrations later inspired “Juneteenth,” commemorating the end of slavery. -
NYC Metropolitan Board of Health
New York Legislature forms NYC Metropolitan Board of Health -
National Soldiers Homes
US Congress authorizes national soldiers' homes -
Equal Rights in U.S
US Congress rejects presidential veto giving all equal rights in US. -
War Ends in the States
US President Andrew Johnson ends the civil war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia. -
Johnson's Veto is Passed Over
The Civil Rights Bill passes over President Andrew Johnson's veto. -
14th Amendment
US House of representatives passes 14th Amendment (Civil rights). -
Tennessee is Readmitted to the Union
Tennessee becomes 1st Confederate state readmitted to Union -
David Farragut is appointed admiral in US Navy.
David Farragut was appointed as 1st admiral in US Navy. -
Ulysses S. Grant is named General of the Army
Ulysses S. Grant was named 1st General of the Army -
War is Formally Declared Over
President Andrew Johnson formally declares US Civil War over -
African American Men get Right to Vote in D.C
African-American men are granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia. -
Nebraska is Admitted
Nebraska is admitted as the 37th U.S. state -
Department of Education
US Congress created the Department of Education -
First Reconstruction Act Passed
First Reconstruction Act passed by the U.S. Congress; overturning Johnson's veto -
Congress Passed a 2nd Reconstruction Act
Congress passed a 2nd Reconstruction Act over President Johnson's veto -
Lincoln Memorial Approval
Congress approved the Lincoln Memorial. -
US Purchase of Alaska
The United States reached an agreement to purchase Alaska from Russia for a price of $7.2 million. -
Announcement of Alaska
President Andrew Johnson announced the purchase of Alaska. -
Creating Territory in Wyoming.
President Andrew Johnson signed an act creating the territory of Wyoming. -
Johnson's Impeachment Beginning
President Andrew Johnson sparked a move to impeach him as he defied Congress by suspending Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
