Civil War Timeline

  • Abraham Lincoln is elected President.

    Abraham Lincoln is elected President.
    On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln is elected as the sixteenth president of the United States
  • South Carolina Succeeds the Union.

    South Carolina Succeeds the Union.
    On December 20, 1860, South Carolina Succeeds the Union
  • Jefferson Davis is President of The Confederate States of America

    Jefferson Davis is President of The Confederate States of America
    On February 22, 1861, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America.
  • Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina.

    Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina.
    April 12, 1861, Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Civil War has formally begun.
  • The First Battle of Bull Run

    The First Battle of Bull Run
    July 21, 1861, The First Battle of Bull Run (or First Manassas),
  • The Battle of Antietam

     The Battle of Antietam
    September 17, 1862, The Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg), Maryland, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War
  • The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect

     The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect
    January 1, 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect
  • The Battle of Vicksburg / Siege of Vicksburg

    The Battle of Vicksburg / Siege of Vicksburg
    May and June of 1863 The Battle of Vicksburg / Siege of Vicksburg
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg
    July 1-3, 1863 The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War dashes Robert E. Lee's hopes for a successful invasion of the North.
  • Fall of Atlanta

    Fall of Atlanta
    August – September 1864, Fall of Atlanta. General Sherman has Atlanta under siege
  • General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea"

    General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea"
    General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea".
  • General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea"

    General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea"
    April 9, 1865, Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
  • President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated

     President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated
    On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated.
  • The Civil War officially ends

    The Civil War officially ends
    On June 2, 1865, The Civil War officially ends.