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Becomes 16th president of the United States of America. The first Republican president
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When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat.
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Jefferson Davis was named provisional president of the Confederacy until elections could be held.
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Residents of the western counties of Virginia did not wish to secede along with the rest of the state. This section of Virginia was admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia
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McDowell attacked on July 21, and was initially successful, but the introduction of Confederate reinforcements resulted in a Southern victory and a chaotic retreat toward Washington by federal troops.
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Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tenesee secede from the Union. Called the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis is elected President of the Confederacy for a six-year term.
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President Lincoln issued a war order authorizing the Union to launch a unified aggressive action against the Confederacy. General McClellan ignored the order.
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President Lincoln issued an order reorganizing the Army of Virginia and relieving McClellan of supreme command.
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Confederate forces attacked Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh
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troops of the 55th Pennsylvania landed from the gunboat Crusader and transport Planter near Simmon's Bluff on Wadmelaw Sound, surprising and burning an encampment of the 16th South Carolina Infantry.
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Confederate forces under General Lee were caught by General McClellan in Maryland. This battle proved to be the bloodiest day of the war; 2,108 Union soldiers were killed and 9,549 wounded. 2,700 Confederates were killed and 9,029 wounded.
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all slaves in areas still in rebellion were, in the eyes of the federal government, free.
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all men between the ages of 20 and 45 liable to be called for military service. Service could be avoided by paying a fee or finding a substitute
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Lee split his army, attacking a surprised Union army in three places and almost completely defeating them
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Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia following amputation of his arm at Chancellorsville
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A chance encounter between Union and Confederate forces began the Battle of Gettysburg. In the fighting that followed, Meade had greater numbers and better defensive positions. He won the battle, but failed to follow Lee as he retreated back to Virginia.
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President Lincoln dedicated a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield as a national cemetery, and delivered his memorable speach
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General Grant continued to attack Lee. At Spotsylvania Court House, he fought for five days, vowing to fight all summer if necessary
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Grant hoped to take Petersburg, below Richmond, and then approach the Confederate capital from the south.
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General Sherman continued his march through Georgia to the sea. In the course of the march, he cut himself off from his source of supplies, planning for his troops to live off the land
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Republican party nominated President Abraham Lincoln as its presidential candidate, and Andrew Johnson for vice-president
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After marching through Georgia for a month, Sherman stormed Fort McAllister on December 13, 1864, and captured Savannah itself eight days later
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Union General Sherman moved from Georgia through South Carolina, destroying almost everything in his path.
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Confederate President Jefferson Davis agreed to send delegates to a peace conference with President Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward, but insisted on Lincoln's recognition of the South's independence as a prerequisite. Lincoln refused, and the conference never occurred.
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General Lee attacked General Grant's forces near Petersburg, but was defeated
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the two commanders met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender. Lee's men were sent home on parole
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President Lincoln dies at the age of 56 after being shot at Ford's Theatre