-
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
South Carolina had been the very first state to secede from the Union because Lincoln had won the election and the south were slaveholders. -
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
Lincoln's first inaugural address took place at the U.S Capitol and had focused on trying to find a way that the south could keep their slaves where everyone would be happy and making sure the south knew Lincoln had no intention of taking them. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
This battle took place in Charleston and had started the Civil war in the United States of America. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
On this day, Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeus Corpus between the states D.C and Philadelphia in order to provide military authorities the power needed to silence dissenters and rebels. -
Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy
The Confederate capital had been moved to Richmond in recognition of the importance of the state, Virginia. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
This battle was fought in Prince William County, Virginia, and had resulted in a Confederate Victory. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of the Confederacy
On November 6th, 1861, Davis ran unopposed and had been elected for a six-year term. He had the experience of being temporary for almost a year beforehand. -
Battle of Shiloh
In Hardin County, TN, the Union troops were able to penetrate the Confederate interior because of this battle. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
This event happened in a battle that had the goal to defend the city of Richmond from the Union army. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle had ended the Confederate invasion of Maryland and ended with a victory for the Union. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This battle was in and around Fredericksburg in the Eastern Theatre of the American Civil war with a confederate victory as the result. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
This proclamation and declared, "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
Battle of Chancellorsville
In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, there had been a Confederate victory and lasted for seven days. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle took place in Gettysburg Pennsylvania and had the greatest amount of casualties and had put an end to Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the north-making some consider it the turning point of the war. -
The Merrimac and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
The first naval battle between multiple warships in history was between the Merrimac and the Monitor. This was a part of the Confederacy's effort to destroy the Union blockade of southern ports that they wanted access to. -
New York City draft riots
There had been violent issues in Manhatten, New York, that were associated with the idea that people had been displeased with the new laws passed by Congress that year. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
Lincoln gave this address in Gettysburg Pennsylvania in order to dedicate the battlefield ceremony. -
Atlanta is captured
Sherman captured Atlanta at the end of the battle of Atlanta. This battle was one of the Confederacy's final chances to win the war. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
He was defeated with ease with a popular vote of 55 percent during the 1864 presidential election. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
The campaign of Sherman marching to the sea began with the troops leaving Atlanta which has been captured and had ended with Port Savannah being captured. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery in the United States for good. It was passed by the Senate and the House. -
Freedmen's Bureau was created
The goal of this bureau was to provide both the black and white refugees in the south with clothing, healthcare, and educational services. -
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Lincoln explained in his Second Inaugural Address that his goal was to, "bind up the nation's wounds", that had been caused by the war and aim for peace. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
This was the most important and clear sign that the Confederacy had been coming to an end. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Robert had surrendered his 28,000 troops that were Confederates to the Union General who was Ulysse S. Grant at the time. This had ended the American civil war. -
President Lincoln Assassinated
On April 14th, 1856, at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C, John Wilkes Booth had shot Lincoln in the head and he had died from the wound the next morning. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
Booth had died from a gunshot wound and had been the man that assassinated Lincoln at Ford's Theatre.