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States seceding from Union
States such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Loiusiana, and Texas secede from the Union -
Confederate Constitution Signed
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama -
Start of Civil War
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First Battle
Major Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces after two days of bombardment -
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More States secede from Union
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina also secede from Union -
Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run under Union General Irvin McDowell against the new Confederate army. McDowell is defeated travels back to Washington -
Moniter vs. Merrimack
The Confederate USS Merrimack battles the Union USS Monitor in Chesapeake Bay. Battle ends in a draw but it makes wooden ships obsolete and starts the era of steel warships, changing naval warfare forever. -
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Battle of Shiloh
Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces are surprised at the town of Shiloh in Tennessee. The ensuing battle results in 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate casualties. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run is a resounding victory for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Union General John Pope is blamed for the loss and is relieved of his duties after the battle. -
Antietam
The Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest day in United States history. Over 26,000 men are killed, wounded or missing in action on both sides. Battle ends in a draw which the stops General Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland and he retreats back to Virginia. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
The Union Army under General Ambrose E. Burnside suffers a horrible defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia. Fourteen individual assaults on an entrenched Confederate position cost the Union 13,000 casualties. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Union defeats confederates in one of the bloodiest battles in America history -
Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln delivers the two-minute Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -
Virginia Campaign
Beginning a drive to try and end the war, Ulysses S. Grant and 120,000 troops march south towards Richmond, the Confederate capital. Over the course of the next six weeks, a brutal war of attrition results in the deaths of nearly 50,000 Union soldiers -
Thirteenth Amendment Ends slavery
The United States Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which will abolish slavery. -
Second Lincoln Inaugural
Lincoln serves second term as President of the United States -
Lee Surrenders
General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The war is over. -
Lincoln Shot
Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C -
Johnston Surrennders
General Joe Johnston, leading the largest Confederate Army still in existence, surrenders in North Carolina -
End of Civil War
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Slavery abolished
The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified by the States. Slavery is abolished.