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Wilmot Proviso
An early point of contention about slavery, the proposed Wilmot Proviso would ban slavery in territories acquired in the Mexican War. Southerners, who were getting very deep into cotton farming at this time, were not pleased, and there was an enormous amount of political contention ending in a Southern victory. -
Raid on Harper's Ferry
A failed attempt by a radical abolitionist John Brown to start a slave revolt. Raised Southern fears of the North and paved the road for the war to come. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln wins the 1860 Presidential Election. The Southern states see this as unconstitutional, despite being the ones who put the Electoral College into effect in the first place. States begin to threaten to secede. -
Crittenden Compromise
In an attempt to permanently establish slavery as constitutional and permanently end the secession crisis, John J. Crittenden introduced the Crittenden Compromise, which was popular among the South, but was rejected by both the House AND Congress. -
Seccession Crisis
A number of states, enraged over Lincoln's election, seceded from the Union, only slave states. Eight of the slave states would not secede until the outbreak of the Civil War. -
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Union Blockade
A strategy used by the Union to block off all Southern trade, making it extremely difficult for them to obtain support. Initially, the blockade was not particularly effective, as the South could simply ignore it and use their own savings to finance the war, but as time went on, the blockade made it more and more difficult to finance the war. -
Corwin Amendment
A last-ditch effort by the government to make peace with the South, permanently protecting state institutions (re: slavery) from the federal government. Not enough states voted to ratify it, and it was dismissed- thus, the war began. -
Beginning of Civil War (Battle of Fort Sumter)
The battle that began the Civil War. The Confederacy did not yet exist- South Carolinan forces attacked Fort Sumter, forcing the federal government to intervene. The fort, for a time, would be captured by the militia of South Carolina.
Believing the federal government to have no right to attempt to put down the rebellion, the first four states of the Confederacy would secede from the union. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The first major battle of the Civil War, and a Confederate victory, due to the Union being slow to start and unable to stop Confederate reinforcements from arriving via train. -
Battle of Antietam
Getting a bit cocky due to the success of their early campaigns, the South attempted to push into Maryland. The Union met them, prepared for an attack. Both the Union and Confederacy suffered heavy losses, and while Union casualties were higher, the Union forces were also MUCH larger. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued mere days afterward, however, possibly as a response, resulting in a political Union victory if not physically. -
Emancipation Proclamation
An executive order freeing ALL slaves. As soon as a slave entered Union territory, they were considered free. This allowed the Union to recruit many ex-slave troops, as well as made it unthinkable for the anti-slavery British and French to even recognize the Confederacy as a proper nation.
Though the military effect was minor, this would still help turn the tides of the Civil War, and was a prelude to a string of major Northern victories. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Confederate general Lee, met with a large Union force, chose to divide his troops and ultimately won a major victory for the Confederacy. It would be his last. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The single largest battle of the Civil War, with around 50,000 casualties, a major loss for the South. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Union general Sherman led his troops in a march from the captured territory of Atlanta down to the Atlantic Sea, destroying farms and Southern infrastructure, freeing slaves along the way. By destroying enemy infrastructure with no external support of his own, Sherman managed to significantly weaken the South. -
Battle of Franklin
An ill-fated attempt by the Confederacy to drive the Union out of fortified positions in the town of Franklin, Tennessee, the namesake of the battle.
Led by a general known as John Bell Hood, the campaign would lead to a number of Southern generals being captured, others killed, and an overall enormous loss to the South. This all was done while the Union sustained minimal losses. -
The Battle of Five Forks
The capturing of the Confederate capital. In a poetic twist of fate, the final march was made by the Union XXV Corps, a unit almost entirely composed of black soldiers. -
End of Civil War
Robert E. Lee, general of the Confederate forces, surrenders. Most other Southern generals follow suit, and the Civil War comes to an end.
