-
Lincoln's First Election
On this date in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was first elected president. This resulted in an outrage from Southerners, who deemed him a radical and an abolitionist. -
Period: to
Civil War Timeline
-
South Secedes
South Carolina decides to seceed from the Union after expressing their displeasure with Lincoln's election. This caused a chain of states to seceed from the Union, with 11 states seceeding by April of 1861. -
Confederate States of America Established
The Confederate States of America decided to form as a result of most of the South deciding to secede from the Union. They managed to unite against the Union to fight the bloodiest war in American history. -
Writ of Habeas Corpus suspsended
The Writ of Habeas Corpus stated that any and all men who were arrested had the right to a trial by a judge. Lincoln suspended this in May of 1861 to speed up the arrest of Confederates by the Union. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major land battle of the Civil War. The Confederate army managed to force the Union to retreat back to Washington. -
First Income Tax
Lincoln decides to tax 3% of the population's incomes in an effort to fund the Civil War. This happened as a result of the government running low on money while attempting to fund war efforts against the Confederates. -
1st Confiscation Act
The Confiscation Acts were a series of laws passed to allow Union control over the Confederate "rebels". The first law allowed for the Union to seize any rebel land. -
Trent Affair
The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that occured between Britain and the Union from Nov-Dev of 1861. This happened after the Union arrested two Confederate envoys who were sailing on a British Mail ship to Europe. -
Monitor v. Merrimack
Monitor v. Merrimack, better known as "The Battle of the Ironclads", was a battle between the Union and the Confederate's brand new iron-warships. They were the first of their kind. The Monitor ended up forcing the Confederates' Merrimack to retreat back to Norfolk, Virginia. -
Shiloh
Arguably the biggest battle of the Western campaign of the Civil War. The Union army, led by Ulysses S. Grant managed to force a Confederate retreat after 2 days of fighting. -
Capture of New Orleans
A crucial victory for the Union. The Capture of New Orleans led to the collapse of the Confederates' economy, leading to an eventual Union victory in the war. -
Homstead / Morrill Land Grant Acts
The Homstead and Morrill Land Grant Acts were passed in 1862. These Acts were passed in order to provide land for those who had never "taken up arms" against the United States government (aka the Union). -
2nd Confiscation Act
A sort of preemptive Emancipation Proclomation, the 2nd Confiscation Act allowed for the freeing of slaves in the South (but only in the South). This was only enforceable in Southern areas that were being occupied by the Union. -
Harper's Ferry
Harper's Ferry was a battle that occured on the 12 of September, 1862. Confederate General Robert E. Lee hoped to capture the Union's arsenal in Harper's Ferry, and after a 3 day battle, he was successful. -
Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was fought near Antietam Creek in Maryland. This was arguably the bloodiest day in American history, with somewhere around 22,000 deaths that day. -
Emancipation Proclomation
The Emancipation Proclomation was a proclomation from Abraham Lincoln directed at the rebelling Confederate states. It stated that all slaves in these rebelling states were to be free. -
National Draft Law instated
A National Draft Law was instated by Lincoln in order to raise the number of men in the Union's army. This happened as a result of the Union not having enough volunteers to have an army big enough to fight the Confederates, -
Vicksburg
Vicksburg, or "The Siege of Vicksburg" was a 2 month long besieging of Vicksburg that would suffocate the city of its resources. The siege eventually led to the Union taking control of the city. -
Capture of Atlanta
Yet another crucial Union victory. This constricted the Confederates' borders, forcing them to retreat deeper and deeper into Southern territory. -
Lincoln's Re-election
On this date, Abraham Lincoln manged to get reelected in one of the tightest presidential races in U.S. history. This did nothing to calm Southern tensions with the North. In fact, it may have even made them worse. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea was an event where Union general William T. Sherman ked ~600,000 soldiers on a march from Atlanta to Savannash, Geogria. The purpose of this march was to scare the local population into abandoning the Confederate cause. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was passed by the House of Representatives on January 31st, 1865. If put into effect, it would abolish slavery in the U.S., however it was rattified by the required amount of states less than a year later. -
Capture of Richmond
The collapsing point for the Confederates, the Capture of Richmond resulted in a massive momentum shift in the war. The whole Confederate political structure was virtually destroyed. -
Surrender at Appomattox
The final engagement between the Confederates and the Union. The Surrender at Appomattox forced the surrender of the Confederate army, which virtually ended the war. -
Lincoln's Assassination
While attending a play, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Booth was a former Confederate spy. He fatally shot Lincoln somewhere around 10pm.