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Civil War Timespan
Brief description of the civil wars timeline. -
Twenty thousand New England shoe workers strike
It was 1860, and the brew of Civil War was starting to boil in Kansas and Virginia, but in New England, it was apparent, that the wages that workers had been given, and the profits that the factory workers were making, well, the gap was becoming too large. -
Start of the Pony Express
The Pony Express begins. Overland mail between Sacramento, California and St. Joseph's, Missouri is carried over the Oregon Trail for eighteen months by this series of riders on horseback, then rendered obsolete when the transcontinental telegraph is completed. Service ended on October 24, 1861. -
The U.S. Constitutional Union Party holds its convention
The U.S. Constitutional Union Party holds its convention, and nominates John Bell for President of the United States. -
Emmanuel Leutze
Emmanuel Leutze is commissioned by Congress and begins to paint the mural, "Westward Ho the Course of Empire Takes Its Way," in July 1861 for the U.S. Capitol. The mural represents frontier settlement. -
First Convention of Peking formally ended the Second Opium War
The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. The Paraguayan War (1864–1870) starts in South America, with the invasion of Paraguay by the Triple Alliance (Empire of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). -
Abraham Lincoln - Anti Slavery
Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln, running on an anti-slavery platform, defeats three opponents in the campaign for the presidency; Democrats Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckenridge, and John Bell, Constitutional Union Party, leading to ardent cries of potential rebellion in southern slave states. -
Presidential Election
Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin are elected president
and vice president (Republican). -
First secession convention meets
The first Secession Convention meets in Columbia, South Carolina. -
Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was an unsuccessful proposal to permanently enshrine slavery in the United States Constitution, and thereby make it unconstitutional for future congresses to end slavery. It was introduced by United States Senator John J. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
In 1860, the state of South Carolina officially withdraws from the United States of America. -
More southern states seceded
The southern states that seceded create a government at Montgomery, Alabama, and the Confederate States of America are formed. -
Abraham Lincoln Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth president of the United States in Washington, DC. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
Six days after South Carolina Secedes from the Union, the commander of Charleston Forts decided to move his men to Fort Sumter. -
Civil war formally starts
Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Civil War has formally begun. -
First clash between union and confederates
A fight near Philippi in western Virginia, is the first clash of Union and Confederate forces in the east. -
The Battle of Bull run
The Battle of Bull Run is fought near Manassas, Virginia. The Union Army under General Irwin McDowell initially succeeds in driving back Confederate forces under General Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard, but the arrival of troops under General Joseph E. Johnston initates a series of reverses that sends McDowell's army in a panicked retreat to the defenses of Washington. It is here that Thomas Jonathan Jackson, a professor at VMI, will receive everlasting fame as "Stonewall" Jackson. -
Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri.The Union Army under General Nathaniel Lyon, attack Confederate troops and state militia southwest of Springfield, Missouri, and after a disastrous day that included the death of Lyon, are thrown back. The Confederate victory emphasizes the strong southern presence west of the Mississippi River. -
Fort Hatteras at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Fort Hatteras at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, falls to Union naval forces. This begins the first Union efforts to close southern ports along the Carolina coast. -
Lexington, Missouri falls to Confederate forces
Lexington, Missouri falls to Confederate forces under Sterling Price. -
Battle of Ball's Bluff, Virginia.
Colonel Edward D. Baker, senator from Oregon and a friend of President Lincoln, led troops across the Potomac River only to be forced back to the river's edge where he was killed. The ensuing Union withdrawal turned into a rout with many soldiers drowning while trying to re-cross the icy waters of the Potomac River. -
Battle of Mill Springs
Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. The Union victory weakened the Confederate hold on the state. -
Surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee
The loss of this southern fort on the Tennessee River opened the door to Union control of the river. -
Battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina
A Confederate defeat, the battle resulted in Union occupation of eastern North Carolina and control of Pamlico Sound, to be used as Northern base for further operations against the southern coast. -
Surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee
This southern fort on the Cumberland River left the river in Union hands. It was here that Union General Ulysses S. Grant gained his nickname "Unconditional Surrender". -
Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Arkansas.
The Union victory loosened the Confederate hold on Missouri and disrupted southern control of a portion of the Mississippi River. -
The Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing)
the first major battle in Tennessee. Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, a veteran of the Texas War of Independence and the War with Mexico considered to be one of the finest officers the South has, is killed on the first day of fighting. The Union victory further secures the career of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
First Battle of Winchester, Virginia
Two weeks after of maneuvering and battles at Cross Keys and Front Royal, General "Stonewall" Jackson attacks Union forces at Winchester -
Battle of Memphis, Tennessee.
Commodore Charles Davis defeats a Confederate river force on the Mississippi River near the city and Memphis surrenders. The Mississippi River is now in Union control except for its course west of Mississippi where the city of Vicksburg stands as the last southern stronghold on the great river. -
The Battle of Second Bull Run
The Battle of Second Bull Run is fought on the same ground where one year before, the Union army was defeated and sent reeling in retreat to Washington. Likewise, the result of this battle is a Union defeat. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The Army of the Potomac, under General Ambrose Burnside, is soundly defeated by Lee's forces after a risky river crossing and sacking of the city. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. Applauded by many abolitionists including Frederick Douglass, there are others who feel it does not go far enough to totally abolish slavery. -
Draft of soldiers
Conscription, or the drafting of soldiers into military service, begins in the North. It had begun in the South the year before. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia.
General Lee's greatest victory is marred by the mortal wounding of "Stonewall" Jackson, who dies on May 10. Soon after, Lee asks Jefferson Davis for permission to invade the North and take the war out of Virginia. -
Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant attack Confederate defenses outside the city on May 19-22. If Vicksburg falls, the Mississippi River will be completely controlled by the Union. -
The Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia.
Union cavalry forces cross the Rapidan River to attack General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry and discover that Lee's men are moving west toward the Shenandoah Valley. The largest cavalry battle of the Civil War, it also marks the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign. -
Battle of Second Winchester,Virginia.
Confederate troops under General Richard Ewell defeat Union troops under General Robert Milroy, clearing the Shenandoah Valley of Union forces. -
The Gettysburg Campaign continues.
June 28, 1863-Confederates pass through York and reach the bridge over the Susquehanna River at Columbia, but Union militia set fire to the bridge, denying access to the east shore. -
The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War dashes Robert E. Lee's hopes for a successful invasion of the North. -
Lincoln Issues his Proclamation of Amnesty
Lincolns reconstruction, which would pardon those who participated in the "existing rebellion" if they take an oath to the Union. -
Battle of Stones River, Tennessee
Fought between the Union Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg, the costly Union victory frees middle Tennessee from Confederate control and boosts northern morale. -
Camp Sumter Prison Camp opens.
In Georgia, Camp Sumter opens. Universally referred to as Andersonville Prison Camp, it will become notorious for overcrowded conditions and a high death rate among its inmates. -
Ulysses S. Grant is appointed lieutenant general
Ulysses S. Grant is appointed lieutenant general, a rank revived at the request of President Lincoln. Grant assumes command of all Union Armies in the field the following day. -
Capture of Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
Capture of Fort Pillow, Tennessee. After a rapid raid through central and western Tennessee, Confederate cavalry under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked and overwhelmed the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, located on the Mississippi River. Many of whom were murdered by Forrest's angered troopers after they had surrendered. -
Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia
The opening battle of the "Overland Campaign" or "Wilderness Campaign". Lee responded by attacking the Union column in the dense woods and underbrush of an area known as the Wilderness, west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. -
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
May 8-21, 1864- Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. Lee successfully stalls Grant's drive toward Richmond. -
Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia
The Union attacks fail to dislodge Lee's army from its strong line of defensive works northeast of Richmond. -
Battle of Brice's Crossroads, Mississippi
In spite of being outnumbered almost two to one, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks and routs the Union command under General Samuel Sturgis. -
Assault on Petersburg, Virginia
After withdrawing from the lines at Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac crossed the James River and with troops from the Army of the James attacked the outer defenses of Petersburg. After four days of bloody attacks, Grant accepts that only a siege can systematically isolate the city and cut off Confederate supplies to the capital of Richmond. -
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.
Weeks of maneuvering and battles, Sherman's Army of the Cumberland and Army of the Tennessee smash headlong into Johnston's carefully planned defenses at Big and Little Kennesaw. -
Battle of Monocacy, Maryland
In an attempt to draw Union troops away from the ongoing siege of Petersburg and Richmond, a Confederate force under Jubal Early quietly moved north into Maryland. -
Battles near Tupelo, Mississippi
The Union defeat of Nathan Bedford Forrest secured the supply lines to Sherman's armies operating against Atlanta, Georgia. -
Assault and capture of Fort Fisher
In North Carolina the union occupation of this fort at the mouth of the Cape Fear River closes access to Wilmington. -
President Abraham Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for his second term as president in Washington, DC. -
The Battles of Averasborough and Bentonville, North Carolina.
Sherman's army is stalled in its drive northward from Fayetteville but succeeds in passing around the Confederate forces toward its object of Raleigh. -
Attack on Fort Stedman, Petersburg, Virginia.
Known as "Lee's last offensive", Confederate troops under General John B. Gordon attack and briefly capture the Union fort in the Petersburg siege lines in an attempt to thwart Union plans for a late March assault. -
The Battle of Five Forks, Virginia.
The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. -
The Union
Union troops occupy Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia. After an early morning attempt to break through Union forces blocking the route west to Danville, Virginia, Lee seeks an audience with General Grant to discuss terms. On April 12, the Army of Northern Virginia formally surrenders and is disbanded. -
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. On the same day, Fort Sumter, South Carolina is re-occupied by Union troops. -
The final battle of the Civil War
The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory. -
Civil war officially comes to an end
General Simon Bolivar Buckner enters into terms for surrender of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, which are agreed to on June 2, 1865. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is passed by Congress, the first federal law protecting the rights of African Americans. It is vetoed by President Johnson, but the veto overridden by Congress. -
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the city of St Petersburg. -
The first post of the Grand Army
The first post of the Grand Army of the Republic forms in Decatur, Illinois, and subsequently became a major political force. The G.A.R. began the celebration of Memorial Day in the north. -
The Nickel
The United States Congress approves the minting of a nickel 5-cent coin (nickel), eliminating its predecessor, the half dime. -
The first sewing machine
Some devices, such as the grindstone, were old tools, but improved manufacturing and distribution systems enabled them to have a greater impact in the industries of the day. Most of the 15,269 patents granted in 1866, however, were more optimistic than useful. -
Tennesee
Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War. -
The United States Congress passes legislation
The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army (now called "5-star general"); Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to have this rank. -
Metric Act of 1866
Weights and measures are standardized in the United States when the Metric Act of 1866 passes Congress. -
The final Congressional elections
The final Congressional elections of the year and election of additional Republicans lead to southern reconstruction being taken over by the federal government and freedman's rights backed. -
The Klu Klux Klan forms secretly
The Klu Klux Klan forms secretly to discourage blacks from voting, issuing in a brutal and shameful era of terror and crime amid southern states as civil rights for freed slaves emerged from the Civil War Era and made hesitant progress throughout the majority of the 20th Century. -
Rags to Riches
First of twelve installments of Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger is published and one year later expanded into a book in the "rags to riches" theme. -
New right
African-American men are granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia. -
Nebraska
Two years after the Civil war ends Nebraska is admitted as the 37th U.S. state. -
Secretary of State William H. Seward
Secretary of State William H. Seward consummates the sale of Alaska to the United States from Russia for $7.2 million dollars, approximately two cents per acre, by signing the Treaty of Cession of Russian America to the United States. -
The first running of the Belmont Stakes occurs at Jerome Park race track.
The race was won by filly Ruthless at 1 5/8 mile with a winning purse of $1,850. The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three American Triple Crown races. -
First railroad service
The first elevated railroad in USA begins service in New York. -
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
In Boston, Massachusetts, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established as the first dental school in the United States. -
Midway Island
The United States takes control of Midway Island. -
Charles Dickens
In a New York City theater, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States. -
The Grange
The Grange organizes to protect the interest of the American farmer.