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Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
Once Virginia seceded, the Confederate government moved the capital to Richmond. This solidified the state of Virginia's new Confederate identity and allowed them to associate with the American Civil War. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
South Carolina was the first-ever state to secede from the federal Union. Following South Carolina, six more states seceded--Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. -
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he promised not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it existed and pledged to suspend the activities of the federal government temporarily in areas of hostility. George Washington delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall in the nation's new capital, New York City. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It resulted with the United States army surrendering, triggering the beginning the American Civil War. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in the volatile border state of Maryland. Lincoln does this with fears of a rebellion in Maryland that may endanger Washington and to give the military the authority to use any power necessary to get rid of rebels. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought -- Battle of Manassas
Bull fought in the first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Manassas. This battle was fought at a small stream named Bull run, near Manassas, located in northern Virginia. Nearly 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in D.C. to strike a Confederate army of 20,000 troops. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served in the army and represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign following the wounding of Joseph E. Johnston. His most famous battle was the Battle of Chancellorsville. -
The Merrimac and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
It was part of a Confederate effort to break the Union blockade of Southern ports, including Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia, that had been imposed at the start of the war. The Monitor sank during a storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on December 31, 1862. The wreck of the Monitor was located in 1973 and some of the ship was salvaged. This was history's first naval battle between ironclad warships. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle Of Shiloh was a battle in Tennessee where the union gained greater control over the Mississippi River Valley. Johnston's attack could have changed the outsome of the war with his superior army had been better utilized on the first day of this battle. His death led to the disorganization of the rest of the confederates on the second day. The North was able to use the railroad and the Tennessee river to cut communication and supply lines between major southern armies. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. McClellan (Union Commander) does not follow Lee back into Virginia and is fired by Lincoln. The single bloodiest day in American history. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was the largest river crossing of the war and acted as a boost for the Confederates. The Union lost during this battle due to mismanagement by their generals, confusing their troops during battle resulting in 12,653 Union casualties and 4,201 Confederate casualities. -
Emancipation Proclamation Announced
The Emancipation Proclamation announced that if the rebels did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would be free. The oppression caused by servitude was lifted. -
New York City Draft Riots
The people of the working class in New York were enraged over the new federal draft law during the Civil War. The new federal drafting law required states to draft men to serve in the American Civil War if the individual states did not meet their enlistment expectations through volunteers. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Robert Lee's made a risky decision to face a force twice the size of his army (The Union General Joseph Hooker's Army of the Potomac). He did this by splitting his own army in two. The Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, resulted in a Confederate victory that stopped an attempted flanking movement by Maj. This battle is Robert Lee's most famous battle and most significant tactical victory. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was won on July, 3, 1863, lasting about 3 days. This battle was the turning point for the Civil War, Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed because of this battle. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
After holding out at Vicksburg for more than forty days, the Confederate's supplies were nearly depleted. Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton surrendered the city of Vicksburg and the Confederate garrison defending it to Major General Ulysses S. Grant. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln was asked to deliver a message at the dedication of the Gettysburg Civil War Cemetery. He spoke of the current war and the first days of signing the Declaration of Independence. He reminded people of the founding principles that the nation was built upon and tied in the abolition of slavery during his address. His total address was about 2 minutes long. -
Atlanta is captured
Atlanta was captured by Union troops after numerous battles between the Union and Confederacy. With Atlanta's position being south of the Confederate capital of Richmond, the capturing of Atlanta greatly threaten the stability of the Confederacy. Atlanta's capture was a major victory for the Union and a major blow for the Confederacy. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
The 1864 United States presidential election, the 20th quadrennial presidential election. Near the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln of the Union Party quickly defeated the Democratic nominee, former General George B. McClellan. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Sherman is a Union army general who marches to the sea. From Atlanta to Savannah in Georgia, The purpose of Sherman's march to the sea was to cause fear among the civilian population of Georgia so that they would abandon the Confederate cause. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
the U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment stated, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The last state to ratify the 13th Amendment was the state of Mississippi on March 16, 1995. -
Freedmen's Bureau is created
The Bureau was responsible for the supervision and management of all matters relating to the refugees and freedmen and lands abandoned or seized during the Civil War, duties previously shared by military commanders. provided food, shelter, clothing, medical services, and land to displaced Southerners, including newly freed African Americans. -
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Lincoln stood at the U.S. Capitol to deliver his second inaugural address. In Lincoln's second address, he urged people to "bind up the nation's wounds" caused by the Civil War and to move toward a lasting peace. He shared his plans for healing a once-divided nation. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
Richmond fell after almost four years of war, and the remainder of General Robert E. Lee's army moved west, eventually running out of supplies due to the cutoff by forces at Appomattox. Lee surrendered, and the rest of the army left the Confederate capital of Richmond, 25 miles to the north. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Robert E. Lee's troops had retreated to Appomattox Court House after Grant's troops broke through the Confederate lines at Richmond. General Lee formally surrendered his army on April 9, 1865. Grant offered generous surrender terms based on Lincoln's example, Lee's men had to give up their weapons and leave in peace. -
President Lincoln Assassinated
Confederate sympathizer and white supremacist, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. John Booth believe that Lincoln was going to overthrow the constitution and ruin the South of the U.S. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
After fascinating Lincoln, Booth retreated into a barn where he hid. When he was discovered by nearby soldiers, he was either shot by a soldier or himself and carried to the porch of the farmhouse where he soon later dies.