Civil War Timeline

Republican Party is founded

Mar 20, 1854

Founded because of the Kansas-Nebraska act. In opposition of slavery, the Republican party sought to end the expansion of slavery westward.

Kansas-Nebraska act passes

May 30, 1854

Another 'compromise' for slavery. President Franklin Pierce signed the act, which allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide their own state laws regarding slavery via popular sovereignty.

Abraham Lincoln elected president

Nov 6, 1860

Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election via plurality vote.

SC votes to secede from the Union

Dec 20, 1860

South Carolina, after the election of Lincoln, voted to secede from the Union due to potential threats to slavery.

Fort Sumter attacked by Confederate forces

Apr 12, 1861

Fort Sumter under fire after the Secession of Confederate States.

Suspension of Habeas Corpus

Apr 27, 1861

Refers to the temporary suspension of the legal right ensuring the supreme court the power to judicial review.

Richmond becomes capital of the Confederate States

May 8, 1861

A separate Confederate Congress votes to move the Confederate capital to Richmond, VA

First battle of Bull Run

Jul 21, 1861

Also known as the first battle of Manassas, this was the first major battle in the American Civil War

Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy

Nov 6, 1861

Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy, which consisted of the seceded southern states

The Merrimack and the Monitor fight off the coast of Virginia

Mar 9, 1862

First ironclad warships clash in naval combat. An essential point in the Civil War as well as modern history.

Battle of Shiloh

Apr 6, 1862

Pivotal two-day-long battle fought in southwestern Tennessee.

Robert E. Lee named commander of the North Virginian army

Jun 1, 1862

Robert E. Lee was named general after Joseph E. Johnston was wounded in battle.

Battle of Antietam

Sep 17, 1862

Also called the battle of Sharpsburg, at Antietam Creek in Maryland

Battle of Fredericksburg

Dec 11, 1862

Lasted through December 11 - 15 in Fredericksburg, VA.

Announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation

Jan 1, 1863

Declaration that all slaves being held in rebellious regions will be free henceforth.

Battle of Chancellorsville

Apr 30, 1863

Fought in Spotsylvania county, Virginia. Lasted between April 30 through May 6, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

A three-day-long battle at Gettysburg, PA. Estimated 51,000 casualties.

Confederate surrender at Vicksburg

Jul 4, 1863

Confederate General John C. Pemberton surrendered the garrison at Vicksburg to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

NYC draft riots

Jul 11, 1863

A violent 'uprising' in protest of the Conscription Act of 1863, which implemented a military draft.

President Lincoln speaks at the "Gettysburg Address"

Nov 19, 1863

Lincoln delivered a short speech at the close of ceremonies dedicating the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg.

Atlanta captured

Jul 22, 1864

General William T. Sherman captures Atlanta, GA from Confederate control. This is a pivotal loss for the Confederate States.

Abraham Lincoln wins re-election against George McClellan

Nov 8, 1864

Lincoln wins 1864 presidential election for his second term in office.

Sherman's march to Sea begins

Nov 15, 1864

Sherman's march began in Atlanta and lasted through the coastal town of Savannah, GA.

Congress passes the 13th Amendment

Jan 31, 1865

Only through this was Emancipation truly fulfilled. This Amendment eventually ended slavery and became one step forward toward equality in America.

Creation of Freedman's Bureau

Mar 3, 1865

Made to assist formerly-enslaved people, as well as impoverished whites in the south by providing food, shelter, education, etc.

President Lincoln's second Inaugural Address

Mar 4, 1865

Amidst the devastation of the Civil War, Lincoln gives his second Address following his re-election.

Richmond is captured by the Union

Apr 3, 1865

Rather than letting them fall to the Union, the Confederate army decided to burn all their military supplies. The resulting blaze left much of Richmond destroyed.

Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox

Apr 9, 1865

Lee surrenders his Northern Virginia army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

Lincoln's assassination

Apr 14, 1865

Actor John Wilkes Booth shot and killed president Lincoln while attending a performance held at the theater he was performing at.

John Wilkes Booth killed

Apr 26, 1865

John Wilkes Booth killed in a barn fire in Port Royal, VA