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Civil War Timeline - D'Alessandro
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The Pony Express Begins
The Pony Express, in which mail was being transported across America, made its first travel on April 3, 1860. This would be important to the Civil War because soldiers stationed all around the country would be able to receive mail from their family members back home. -
First Democratic Convention is Held
Democratic politicians meet in Charleston, South Carolina to decide the fate of the Confederate territories. -
Printing Office is Founded
On June 23, 1860 the U.S. Government opens the Printing Office. This will begin all federal publication of important documents. -
Lincoln Is Elected President
Abraham Lincoln was accepted into office on November 6, 1860. Lincoln was a representative of the Republican political party. -
South Carolina Secedes From The Union
South Carolina is the first nation to secede from the Union, taking the risk of failing without the Union. In the next two months, the rest of Southern states such as Mississippi and Florida. -
Jefferson Davis is Elected As Confederate Leader
After seceding from the Union, the southern population elected upon Jefferson Davis to rule the Confederate States. -
Lincoln is Inaugurated
After winning the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln is finally inducted into the White House. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter (Union establishment) was attacked by Confederate commands, starting the Civil War. Lincoln refused to let the Union surrender to allow Jefferson Davis to be depicted as the aggressor. -
Robert E. Lee Resigns From The U.S. Army
Rober E. Lee, who would later become the commander for the Confederate Army, resigns his position in the U.S. army. He did such an action because he could not fight against his hometown, Virginia, and by being in the U.S. army you were required to fight for the Union. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The Union army, under the command of Irvin McDowell, suffered their first defeat of the Civil War. This event acts as the first indicator that the war will be a long and violent event. -
Shiloh
Confederate surprise attack on the Union Army at Shiloh near the Tennesse River. The Confederates killed 13,000 Union soldiers, resulting in a Confederate win. -
General Robert E. Lee Leads Confederate Army
General Robert E. Lee takes command as the Confederate Army leader, replacing the wounded and feeble Johnston. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Union soldiers, under the command of Stonewall Jackson, are defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Northern Virginia. The Union Army retreats back to Washington to face their loss. -
Antietam
Known as one of the bloodiest battles of history, the Union Army beat the Confederates in Maryland. General Lee and the Confederate soldiers flee to Virginia. -
Fredericksburg
Union suffers a defeat against the Confederates at Fredericksburg, Virginia with a loss of 12, 635 men as compared to the 5, 309 Confederate losses. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues a document in which the slaves are officially free in the Confederate states. This stressed the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army. -
Battle Of Gettysburg
From July 1-3, the Battle of Gettysburg acts as the turning point of the war as the Union Army makes a large come back from previous losses. The Union Army is now in the lead, -
Vicksburg
One of the Confederates strongest locations surrenders to the Union. The Union Army now as a surplus of power along with control of the Mississippi River. -
Lincoln Meets With Frederick Douglass
Lincoln, in an effort to to push the abolition of slaves, meets with Douglass to push the efforts of "Negro Troops". -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln gives a two minute speech in which he recognizes all deaths from the war, both Union and Confederate. -
Battle of Fort Pillow
In Fort Pillow, Tennessee, there was an attack on the black Union soldiers by the Confederate Army. Many were captured and kept as prison slaves. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
General Grant made a huge mistake by entering this battle. In twenty minutes, 7,000 of his men were killed by Confederate soldiers. -
Atlanta is Captured By Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman, one of the most brutal war generals, captured the location of Atlanta, Georgia. His intent was to show the Southerners the true impact of this war by ruining all of their landscape and facilities, ultimately making their land unlivable. -
Lincoln is re-elected as President
Lincoln faces one of his old generals (of whom he fired from the job), George McClellan in the election of 1864. There were many Americans on edge to vote for Lincoln after the way his first term went, but with a popularity vote of 55%, Lincoln reigned victorious. -
March to The Sea
William Tecumseh Sherman showed his strength as a general by completely destroying all facilities and railroads in Atlanta, Georgia. -
Lee Surrenders
The Confederate war leader, General Robert E. Lee finally surrenders to the Union war leader, General Ulysses S. Grant, under the command of Jefferson Davis. The official war document and terms of surrender were negotiated at the Appomattox Court House. -
Lincoln is Shot
President Lincoln, after finally bringing the Civil War to a close, went out to Ford's theatre with his wife Mary to see the show "Our American Cousin". During the play, the notorious southern actor John Wilkes Booth snuck into the President's viewing box and shot him and immediately fled from the scene. -
Lincoln is Announced Dead
Although he was shot the day before, Lincoln did not officially die until April 15. At the announcement of his death, the Vice President Andrew Johnson takes the title of U.S. President. -
Booth is Killed
After what would go down in history as the longest manhunt, John Wilkes Booth is finally found in Virginia and shot to death. -
13th Amendment is Passed
After the Civil War officially ends, Congress ratifies the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution which abolishes all slavery in the U.S.
