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Civil War Timeline-Thornton
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Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis speaks out of being in favor of secession for the first time. -
Union Party
The constitution Union Party holds a meeting in Baltimore Maryland. -
Southern Delegates
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders want to wait and see how to continue and approach the issue. -
President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is elected as President of the United States Of America, with Hannibal Hamlin as his vice president. -
South Carolina
The unhappiness with Lincoln being elected as president a special election in South Carolina legislature, votes to be removed from the union. -
Charleston Harbor
Star of the West, an unarmed ship secretly carrying federal troops and supplies to Fort Sumter, is fired upon by South Carolina artillery at the entrance to Charleston harbor. -
Inaugurated
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth President of the United States.
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Confederates
Confederate troops declare war by firing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. -
Enlist
Lincoln declares a state of insurrection and calls for 75,000 volunteers to enlist for three months of service. -
Robert E Lee.
Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army. -
George Washingtons Birthday
President Lincoln issues General War Order Number 1 calling for all United States naval and land forces to begin a general advance by February 22, George Washington's birthday. -
Grant
Victory for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Tennessee, capturing Fort Henry, and ten days later Fort Donelson. Grant earns the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant. -
Willie
February 20, 1862 - President Lincoln is struck with grief as his beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, dies from fever, probably caused by polluted drinking water in the White House -
Farragut
17 Union ships under the command of Flag Officer David Farragut move up the Mississippi River then take New Orleans, the South's greatest seaport. Later in the war, sailing through a Rebel mine field Farragut utters the famous phrase "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" -
Battle of seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines as Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army attacks McClellan's troops in front of Richmond and nearly defeats them. But Johnston is badly wounded. -
Emmancipation
President Lincoln issues the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army. The war to preserve the Union now becomes a revolutionary struggle for the abolition of slavery. -
Grant.
Gen. Grant is placed in command of the Army of the West, with orders to capture Vicksburg. -
Congress
The U.S. Congress enacts a draft, affecting male citizens aged 20 to 45, but also exempts those who pay $300 or provide a substitute. "The blood of a poor man is as precious as that of the wealthy," poor Northerners complain. -
South Suffers
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." -
Gettysburg
The tide of war turns against the South as the Confederates are defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania -
Appointed
President Lincoln appoints Gen. Grant to command all of the armies of the United States. Gen. William T. Sherman succeeds Grant as commander in the west. -
Mistake
A costly mistake by Grant results in 7,000 Union casualties in twenty minutes during an offensive against fortified Rebels at Cold Harbor in Virginia. -
Union Forces
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. -
John B hood
At Atlanta, Sherman's forces battle the Rebels now under the command of Gen. John B. Hood, who replaced Johnston. -
Nominated
Democrats nominate George B. McClellan for president to run against Republican incumbent Abraham Lincoln. -
Offensive
The last offensive for Lee's Army of Northern Virginia begins with an attack on the center of Grant's forces at Petersburg. Four hours later the attack is broken. -
Petersburg
Grant's forces begin a general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. -
Richmond
President Lincoln tours Richmond where he enters the Confederate White House. With "a serious, dreamy expression," he sits at the desk of Jefferson Davis for a few moments. -
Surrenders
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules. -
Fords theater
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. At 10:13 p.m., during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across the street. He never regains consciousness.
