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Civil War Timeline - Malta
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Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States, becoming the first Republican president. The announcement of his win signaled the secession of the southern states. -
Organization of the Southern Confederacy
Seven senators and 23 representatives from the southern states issue a manifesto urging secession and the organization of a Southern Confederacy. -
Crittenden Compromise
Senator John J. Crittenden of Kenti=ucky proposes the Crittenden Compromise. It consisted of six constitutional amendments and four resolutions of southern concern. -
South Carilina Secession
South Carolina was the first state to declare its secession from the United States. They later formed the Confederacy. -
Anderson Transfers his Forces to Fort Sumter
Major Robert Anderson removes his garrison to Fort Sumter because of concerns of the defensibility of his positionat Fort Moultrie. -
Constitution of the Confederate States
The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution forming the Confederate States of America. -
Lincoln's Inauguration
The new president stated that he did not plan on ending slavery in those states that already allowed it, however he was not going to accept secession. He hoped to end the national crisis without warfare. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
The attack on fort sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. This attack prompted four more states to join the Confederacy. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
Irvin McDowell marched from Washington against the Confederate army. Fighting raged throughout the day as Confederate forces were driven back to Henry Hill -
Jefferson Davis Elected
Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America. He was elected to serve for a 6 year term. -
The Battle of Shiloh
Confederate forces attacked Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee. The two day battle at Shiloh produced more than 23,000 casualties and was the bloodiest battle in American history at its time. -
Seven Days Battles
Lee would usher in a new era of offensive combat that would not only completely unnerve George McClellan, but would force the evacuation of the Union army from the region. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
It was much larger in scale and in the number of casualties than the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) fought in July 1861 on much of the same ground. In this second battle, Major General John Pope was soundly beaten by Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. -
Antietam
The bloodiest battle in U.S. military history unfolds as McClellan and his Union forces battle General Lee’s Confederate Army at Antietam, Maryland. The battle had no clear winner, but because General Lee withdrew to Virginia, McClellan was considered the victor. -
Emancipation Proclamation
With victory at Antietam, Lincoln announces that on January 1, 1863 all slaves in the rebelling states would be free. This did not affect border states. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
Lee and Jackson conceived one of the boldest plans of the war. Jackson, with 30,000 Confederates, would follow a circuitous route to the Union right and from there conduct an attack on that exposed flank. Lee's victory at Chancellorsville is widely considered to be his greatest of the entire war. -
Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson Dies
The South suffers a huge blow as Stonewall Jackson dies from his wounds, his last words, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." -
Battle of Vicksburg
Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. General John Pemberton. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrated his army around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, upon the approach of Union Gen. George G. Meade’s forces. Lee's second invasion of the North had failed. -
Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal." Following the Battle of Gettysburg Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the dedication of the cemetery for Union soldiers who fought and died in the battle. -
Grant Commands US Army
General Ulysses S. Grant is given command of all of the armies of the United States by President Lincoln. President Lincoln appoints General Grant to command all of the armies of the United States. -
The Battle of Cold Harbor
Grant again attacked Confederate forces at Cold Harbor, losing over 7,000 men in twenty minutes. Although Lee suffered fewer casualties, his army never recovered from Grant's continual attacks. This was Lee's last clear victory of the war. -
The Siege of Petersburg
Union forces miss an opportunity to capture Petersburg and cut off the Confederate rail lines. As a result, a nine month siege of Petersburg begins with Grant's forces surrounding Lee as well as the oss of thousands of lives on both sides. -
Sherman Takes Atlanta
"Atlanta is ours, and fairly won," Sherman telegraphs Lincoln. This victory by the Army of the West plays a key role in Lincoln’s campaign for re-election. -
Lincoln Re-elected President
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected president, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. "I earnestly believe that the consequences of this day's work will be to the lasting advantage, if not the very salvation, of the country," Lincoln tells supporters. -
Fort Fisher Falls
Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to Union forces, and Wilmington, North Carolina, the Confederacy's most important blockade-running port, is closed. After the loss of this last major Confederate port, it was only three months before the war concluded. -
Fallen Richmond
Grant's forces begin a general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate General Ambrose P. Hill is killed and Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. -
Lee Surrenders
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. -
Lincoln Is Shot
The Stars and Stripes is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 the next morning. -
Thirteenth Amendment
Formally abolishing slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865.
