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Lincoln is elected
Lincoln is elected as the 16thpresident of the United States. He is the first republican president in the nation. -
Jefferson Davis elected first President of Confederate States
Davis is appointed the first President of the Confederate States of America, a position he will hold until elections can be arranged. -
Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter
The start of The Civil War has official begun. -
President Lincoln calls for militia
Lincoln issues a public declaration and calls for 75,000 militia to stop the rebellion. -
Battle of Bull Run
Union General Irwin McDowell against Confederate General Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard. -
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Battle of Pea Ridge
The Union victory loosens Confederate hold on Missouri and took away southern control from a portion of the Mississippi River -
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Battle of Shiloh
First major battle in Tennessee. The Union victory secures the career of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
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Battle of Seven Pines
General Joseph Johnston, commander of the Confederate army in Virginia is wounded and is replaced by Robert E. Lee. He renames his command the "Army of Northern Virginia" -
Battle of Antietam
Bloodiest single day of the Civil War. Results in General Lee's first invasion of the North. President Lincoln will introduce the Emancipation Proclamation -
Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect
Executive order that freed every slave in the Confederate States. Many abolitionists feel it does not go far enough to totally abolish slavery -
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The Battle of Chancellorsville
Soon after Lee's loss, he asks Jefferson Davis permission to invade the North to take the war out of Virginia -
Siege of Vicksburg
Ulysses S. Grant attacked Confederate defenses in Vicksburg. If the city falls, the Mississippi River will be controlled by the Union. -
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Battle of Gettysburg
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War disrupts Robert E. Lee's hopes to successfully invade the North -
Draft Riots
Draft Riots begin in New York and elsewhere as workers believe the draft system favors the rich -
Gettysburg Address Delivered
In dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
Lincoln issues the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which would pardon those who participated in the rebellion if they take an oath to the Union. -
Grant is appointed lieutenant general
Grant in appointed lieutenant general, a rank revived at the request of Lincoln. Grant assumes command of all Union Armies -
Battle of Appomatox Court House
After attempting to break through Union forces blocking Virginia. Lee seeks to discuss terms with Grant. Lee signs the document of surrender -
Lincoln Assassinated
Lincoln assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater. -
Simon Bolivar Buckner surrenders
Simon Bolivar Buckner surrenders the Army of Trans-Mississippi, the Civil War officially ends.
