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Lincoln Elected
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States of America. -
SC secedes
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. -
CSA is Founded
On February 8, 1861, representatives from the seceding states met together and declared themselves to be the Confederate States of America. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
On April 12-13, 1861, Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter in South Carolina where a garrison of Union troops remained after the secession. The Union troops refused to evacuate, so the Confederacy attacked and forced the Union to comply, marking the first battle of the Civil War. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
On July 21, 1861, Confederate forces gathered 25 miles south of Washington D.C. along the Bull Run river. Lincoln sent troops to eliminate the Confederate forces, but the Confederates pushed back Lincoln's troops and sent them into retreat. This made the Union realize that the Confederacy was a severe threat that would not be easily defeated. -
Battles of Forts Henry & Donelson
In February 1862, Ulysses S. Grant captured two Confederate camps in Tenessee called Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. These were the first major Union victories in the Civil War. -
New Orleans Captured
In April 1862, David G. Farragut took forces led by Benjamin Butler down the Mississippi River, attacking Confederate forts. When the attacks failed, Farragut decided to press on, heading towards New Orleans, the South's largest city and an important economic hub, through heavy fire and only losing four ships. When they arrived, they captured the city. -
Peninsular Campaign
In May 1862, George B. McClellan began a campaign to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. After Robert E. Lee's forces drove him back, Abraham Lincoln ordered McClellan to return with his troops to Washington D.C. Lee then attacked the forces defending Washington, beginning his invasion of the North. -
Battle of Antietam
On September 17, 1862, Robert E. Lee attacked George B. McClellan's camp along Antietam Creek in Maryland. This started the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, with 6,000 men dead and 17,000 wounded. Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia. This was a crucial Union victory because if the South had won a victory on Northern soil, they might have gained recognition from Britain as an independent country. -
Emancipation Proclamation
On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, officially freeing all slaves in states at war with the Union after January 1, 1863. While this did little to change how southerners used their slaves, it shifted the focus of the war from preserving the Union to ending slavery. -
Battle of Gettysburg
On July 1, 1863, Confederate troops failed to raid the town of Gettysburg and set up in the south hills. After failing to take Little Round Top, Robert E. Lee's forces marched towards Cemetary Ridge in what became known as Pickett's Charge. General George E. Pickett and General A. P. Hill marched toward the Union's position but were quickly gunned down. Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia, losing nearly a third of his army by July 4. This put him on the defensive for the rest of the war. -
Vicksburg Captured
On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant after marching 17 days, fighting 5 battles and inflicting 7,200 casualties, and a six-week siege that had brought the city and the Confederate troops there to near starvation. This divided the Confederacy into two controlled territories. -
Battle of Chattanooga
In late November 1863, Ulysses S. Grant drove the Confederate forces from Lookout Mountain to Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga. After General William Tecumseh Sherman failed, Grant sent General George Thomas and his troops to Missionary ridge as a diversion, but to his surprise, they overran the Confederate forces, shouting "Chickamauga" as they charged. -
Grant Becomes General in Chief
In March 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was appointed general in chief of the army and was promoted to lieutenant general, a rank which no one had held since George Washington -
Atlanta Captured
In August 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman captured the city of Atlanta, Georgia. He would later begin his march to the Sea from here, destroying everything in sight from Atlanta to coastal Savannah. -
Lincoln Re-elected
On November 8, 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected president of the United States of America over George B. McClellan. -
Thirteenth Amendment Passed
On January 31, 1865, after Lincoln had won re-election, the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, banning all slavery in the United States permanently. -
Lee Surrenders to Grant
On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee and his forces were cornered at Appomattox Courthouse. After attempting escape, he saw that there was no hope in it and that his only chance was to give in. Lee surrendered in exchange for Grant's generous terms, ending the Civil War. -
Lincoln Assassinated
On April 14, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre by famous actor John Wilkes Booth. Booth had injured himself while fleeing, but he made it out before he could be captured. Lincoln died of his injury the next day. -
John Wilkes Booth is Killed
On April 26, 1865, John Wilkes Booth was tracked down to a barn where he was surrounded by soldiers. After he refused to surrender, the soldiers lit the barn on fire. In the chaos, one of the soldiers, against orders, shot Booth, who later died from his injury.