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Emancipation Proclamation Issued
Lincoln declares all slaves in Confederate states to be free. -
Pickett’s Charge (part of Gettysburg)
Failed Confederate assault on the last day of Gettysburg; major Union win. -
Election of 1860 (Lincoln Elected)
Abraham Lincoln is elected president, leading to Southern states beginning to secede. -
South Carolina Secedes
First state to leave the Union, starting the breakup that led to the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter (Start of Civil War)
First shots of the Civil War fired; Confederate victory. -
1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
First major battle; showed the war would be long and bloody. -
Monitor and the Merrimack (Battle of Hampton Roads)
First battle between ironclad warships; ended in a draw. -
Battle of Antietam
Bloodiest single day in U.S. history; led to the Emancipation Proclamation. -
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Battle of Fredericksburg
Major Confederate victory with heavy Union losses. -
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Battle of Chancellorsville
Lee’s greatest victory, but Stonewall Jackson was killed. -
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Siege of Vicksburg
Union gains control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy. -
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Battle of Gettysburg
Turning point of the war; Union victory halted Lee’s invasion of the North. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln delivers a famous speech honoring fallen soldiers and redefining the war’s purpose. -
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Sherman’s March to the Sea
Total war campaign through Georgia, weakening Southern morale. -
13th Amendment Passed by Congress
Abolished slavery in the United States. -
Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Official end of the Civil War as Confederate General Lee surrenders to Grant. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth just days after the war ends.