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Civil War Timespan
Timespan covering the United States during the civil war. -
Cooper Union speech
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Cooper Union speech to resist the growth of slavery. -
Republican Party Nomination for President
Lincoln secures the Republican Party's presidential nomination. -
John C. Breckinridge for President!
Southern Democrats support Kentucky Vice President John C. Breckinridge for President. Hoping that he will pass a national slave code. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States, the first Republican president to represent a party that opposes the spread of slavery in US territories. -
The first Secession Convention meeting
South Carolina hosts the first Secession Convention in Columbia. -
Crittenden Compromise
An unsuccessful attempt to permanently incorporate slavery in the United States Constitution. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
In 1860, the state of South Carolina was the first to officially withdrew from the United States of America. -
Withdraw from House of Representatives
South Carolina's four United States Congressmen tries to resign from the United States House of Representatives. -
South Carolina Fail to Withdraw from House of Rep.
The House refuses their resignations when the four South Carolina congressmen try to resign on December 21. -
Charleston Arsenal
The Charleston Arsenal is taken over by forces from South Carolina. -
Jefferson Davis for President
In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is sworn in as the first President of the Confederate States of America. -
Presidential Inauguration Day
In Washington, DC, Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as the sixteenth President of the United States. -
Fort Sumter
Southern forces launch an attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Civil War has officially started. -
Public Declaration for Soldiers
President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation mobilizing state militias totaling 75,000 troops to put down the revolt. Four more southern states split from the Union in the weeks that follow as a result of this call for volunteers. -
Additional Call for More Soldiers
In response to the four states' secession, Lincoln would issue an extra call for 43,000+ volunteers to serve for three years, increasing the strength of the Regular Army. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run (also known as the First Manassas) takes place near Manassas, Virginia. The outcome was Confederate victory. -
Capturing Fort Hatteras
Union naval forces captured Fort Hatteras near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This marks the beginning of the Union's efforts to blockade southern ports along the Carolina coast. -
The Battle of Cheat Mountain
The Battle of Cheat Mountain, often referred to as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, was Robert E. Lee's first battle of the Civil War. The Union victory at Cheat Mountain assisted the Confederacy's final departure from western Virginia. -
Battle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff happened in Loudoun County, Virginia. Resulting in Confederate victory. Casualties totaled 1,070, 921 Union, and 149 Confederate. -
The Battle of Belmont
The Battle of Belmont happened in Belmont, Missouri, and Mississippi County. Resulting in Confederate victory. Casualties totaled 1,464, 498 Union, and 966 Confederate. -
The Battle of Mill Springs
The Battle of Mill Springs was fought in Pulaski County and Wayne County, Kentucky. The Confederate hold on the state was diminished by the Union triumph. -
Fort Henry
The surrender of Fort Henry on the Tennessee River gave the Union control of the river. -
Fort Donelson
The fall of Fort Donelson on the Cumberland Waterway in Tennessee left the river in Union control. Union General Ulysses S. Grant earned the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" here. -
The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh fought in Pittsburg Landing, Hardin County, Tennessee, is the first major battle in Tennessee. Union triumph solidifies Union General Ulysses S. Grant's career. -
The Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia, near Richmond. General Joseph Johnston, leader of the Confederate army in Virginia, gets injured and is replaced by Robert E. Lee. Neither side won the battle, it was a draw. -
The Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles in front of Richmond. General Lee's army confronts General McClellan's army in a series of battles that begin on June 26 at Mechanicsville and culminate on July 1 at Malvern Hill. As a result, the Confederacy won. -
The Battle of Second Bull Run
The Battle of Second Bull Run (or Second Manassas) is fought on the same land where the Union army was beaten and forced to retire to Washington a year previously. Similarly, the outcome of this engagement is a Union defeat. -
The Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest single day of the Civil War was the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) in Maryland. The clash puts a stop to General Lee's initial assault on the North. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia, was the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg. After a perilous river crossing and sacking of the city, Lee's soldiers soundly defeat the Army led by General Ambrose Burnside. -
The Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River, Tennessee lasted three days. The costly Union victory liberates middle Tennessee from Confederate control and increases northern morale. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is issued. While many abolitionists, like Frederick Douglass, applauded it, others believe it does not go far enough to completely abolish slavery. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
The four-day Battle of Chancellorsville was fought in Virginia. Lee requests authorization from Jefferson Davis to invade the North and end the war in Virginia. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, starts. On May 19-22, Union soldiers led by General Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Confederate forces outside the city. Vicksburg falls, and the Union seizes entire control of the Mississippi River. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the major turning point in the Civil War. Robert E. Lee's aspirations for a successful invasion of the North are shattered in the bloodiest combat of the Civil War. -
The Capture of Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrenders to Grant's Union Army. The Union now has entire control of the Mississippi River, a crucial supply route for the Confederate states in the west. -
New York Riots
Disgruntled workers and laborers, enraged by the draft system that appears to favor the wealthy, attack the draft office and African American churches in New York City and elsewhere. The riots will last until July 16. -
The Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga took place in Catoosa and Walker Counties in Georgia. General William Rosecrans' Union Army is defeated and nearly routed by General Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army. Rosecrans' army flees to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for supplies. -
Bristoe Station Campaign
The Bristoe Station Campaign lasted thirteen days. Lee's Army marches through northern Virginia in an effort to encircle the Army of General Meade in a feint toward Washington. Lee outmaneuvers Meade but fails to kill him or capture him in the open. -
Gettysburg Address
The soldiers that died in the Battle of Gettysburg were given a National Cemetery. The Gettysburg Address is given by President Abraham Lincoln to dedicate those soldiers and to encourage other soldiers to end the war. -
The Battle for Chattanooga
The Battle for Chattanooga was fought in Chattanooga, Tennessee lasting for two days. Union forces break the Confederate siege of the city in successive attacks. -
Ulysses S. Grant Promotion
President Lincoln requests that Ulysses S. Grant be promoted to lieutenant general. The following day, Grant takes command of all Union armies in the field. -
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The 13-day Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place in Virginia. Grant's drive toward Richmond is successfully halted by Lee. -
The Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in Virginia that lasted 3 days. Union attacks are relentless and brutal, but they fail to remove Lee's army from its strong defensive fortifications northeast of Richmond. -
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads was fought in Mississippi. Despite being outnumbered nearly two to one, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest assaults and annihilates the Union command led by General Samuel Sturgis. -
The Battle of Peachtree Creek
The Battle of Peachtree Creek in Georgia was the first major battle around Atlanta. General Hood leads his forces through the city walls to face the advancing troops led by George Thomas. -
The Battle of the Crater
The Battle of the Crater was fought at Petersburg, Virginia. Resulting in a Confederate victory. -
The Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek was fought in Virginia, resulting in a Union victory. -
Election of 1864
Abraham Lincoln is reelected as president of the United States. -
March to the Sea
General Sherman's Army begins the "March to the Sea" that lasted for more than a month. -
The Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was fought in Tennessee and lasted for two days. The Confederate Army led by John Bell Hood is completely beaten, and the threat to Tennessee is over. -
Fort Fisher
The surrender of Fort Fisher at the entrance of the Cape Fear River by the Union forces blocks accesses to Wilmington, the last southern seaport on the east coast open to blockade runners and commercial cargo. -
The Battle of Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina, is taken by Union troops, thereby sealing the east coast's last vital southern port. -
Second Inauguration
President Abraham Lincoln is sworn in for a second term in Washington, DC. -
Fort Stedman
The Attack on Fort Stedman was fought in Petersburg, Virginia. By the end of the day, the Confederates had been pushed out, and the lines remained untouched. -
The Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought in Virginia. The Confederate setback at Five Forks leads General Lee to abandon the siege lines between Petersburg and Richmond. -
The Battle of Sailor's Creek
The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought in Virginia. A segment of Lee's army, nearly one-third of it, is surrounded and killed along the banks of Sailor's Creek. -
The Battle of Appomattox Court House
The Battle of Appomattox Court House was the final fight of the Confederate States Army under General Lee before surrendering to the Union Army under Lieutenant General Grant. It was one of the last battles of the American Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
President Abraham Lincoln is murdered at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC by actor John Wilkes Booth. On the same day, Union troops retake Fort Sumter in South Carolina. -
Capture of President Jefferson Davis
Near Irwinville, Georgia, Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured. -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
To abolish slavery in the United States, the Senate passed the Thirteenth Amendment. -
Votes Civil Rights Act of 1866
US President Andrew Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866. -
Overrides Veto
Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866
Was the first federal law in the United States to define citizenship and state that all citizens are equally protected by the law. It was primarily intended to defend African-American civil rights in the aftermath of the American Civil War. -
Memphis Race Riots
A violent fracas erupted between black Union veterans, white police, and firemen. It was the culmination of racial tensions that had been building since the Federal capture of Memphis in 1862. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is sent to the states for ratification by Congress. -
Tennessee readmitted into Union
Tennessee is the first former Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. -
General of the Army
The United States Congress authorizes the position of General of the Army (modern-day "5-star general), to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. He is the first to hold this title. -
New Orleans Race Riot
More than 40 black and white Republicans are killed by police, and more than 150 are injured. -
End of Civil War
President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War to be over. -
Swing Around the Circle speaking tour
President Andrew Johnson is on his Swing Around the Circle speaking tour for more than a month, hoping to rally support for his Reconstructionist programs and Democratic Party candidates in the approaching elections. -
Given the Right to Vote
In the District of Columbia, African-American men are allowed the right to vote. -
The Reconstruction Act of 1867
It defined the conditions for rebel states' readmission to representation. Except for Tennessee, the measure split the former Confederate states into five military districts. -
Abolishes Peonage
New Mexico's peonage is abolished by Congress. -
Second Reconstruction Act
Over President Johnson's veto, Congress adopts the Second Reconstruction Act. -
Lincoln Memorial
Congress approves Lincoln Memorial. -
Municipal Election
In Tuscumbia, Alabama, blacks vote in the municipal election. -
Protest in New Orleans
In New Orleans, blacks hold a ride-in to protest segregation. -
Third Reconstruction Act Passed
Over President Andrew Johnson's veto, Congress enacted the Third Reconstruction Act. -
First All-Black University
Howard University, the nation's first all-black university, is established by Congress in Washington, D.C. -
Investigates of President Andrew Johnson
A commission established by the United States Congress investigates President Andrew Johnson's to impeach him.
