Civil War Timeline

By Nick132
  • Election of 1860

    Election of 1860
    This is the election that Lincoln won against Breckinridge. Lincoln was a republican and he wanted to stop slavery from spreading. This angered South Carolina and led to them seceding from the union. By 1861, 6 more states left the union. This split the country into 2 sides.
  • Confederate States Form

    Confederate States Form
    This is when the states Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina formed the Confederate states. This split the country up and divided the US and ultimately started the civil war.
  • Fort Sumter

    Fort Sumter
    The battle at Fort Sumter was the starting point of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was part of the Union army. The army from the Confederate states attacked the Fort. 2 days later the fort surrendered. No one was hurt surprisingly.
  • First Battle of Bull Run

    First Battle of Bull Run
    This was the first major battle of the Civil War. It started at 5:30 in the morning. It was fought in Prince William Country, Virginia. It ended up being a Confederate win.
  • Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of Confederate States of America

    Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of Confederate States of America
    Jefferson Davis was elected as the leader for the Confederate states. Davis was born in Kentucky in 1808. He attended West Point and graduated in 1828. Davis has served in previous wars. He had no opposition when getting elected.
  • Battle of Shiloh

    Battle of Shiloh
    This battle lasted 2 days. It was one of the major battles fought at the beginning of the Civil War. This started when 2 small forces met and fought at 5:30 AM. This was a Union victory.
  • Battle of Antietam

    Battle of Antietam
    Over 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded during 12 hours of fighting. After all the fighting, the Union forces were able to push back the Confederate army. The Confederate army ended up retreating across the Potomac River. The battle took place northwest of Maryland.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Emancipation Proclamation
    This is when Abraham Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all enslaved people that were in the Confederate states. This is not free all slaves but it freed most of them. Abraham used this as a strategy against the South.
  • Battle of Vicksburg

    Battle of Vicksburg
    This was the battle that sort of split off the Confederate states. This is because the Union took control of the Mississippi River. As a result, Vicksburg surrendered. The Union army used siege tactics.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg
    This was a 3-day battle. 9 generals were killed during this battle. This battle ended the Confederacy's invasion attacks against the North. There was an estimated 50,000 deaths during this battle. The Union won this battle.
  • Gettysburg Address

    Gettysburg Address
    This was the first national memorial of a war. Lincoln's speech defined why we were fighting the Civil War. This made the Confederates very angry. Gettysburg was a huge loss for the Confederates.
  • Sherman's March to the Sea

    Sherman's March to the Sea
    This was a major loss for the Confederacy. This is when the Union marched all through the southern states and destroyed everything in their way. They burned a bunch of cities and towns down. They even took over civilian homes.
  • 13th Amendment

    13th Amendment
    This amendment was made and it stated that there shall be no more slavery in the US at all. The only thing that would be able to use "slavery" is if you are in prison, you can do free labor. This amendment was made after the Confederacy was defeated.
  • Appomattox Court House

    Appomattox Court House
    This is where Robert E Lee surrendered to the Union. He realized that if they kept fighting, all of them would die. He did not want that to happen so he decided to surrender. This is where peace started happening.
  • Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

    Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
    John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. He found out that Lincoln was attending a theatre and he shot Lincoln there. A lot of people were upset about that. This ended Lincoln's presidency.