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Lincoln's Inaguration
Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th president which leads to the secession of southern states. -
Fall of Fort Sumter
The federal forces spend more than 30 hours fending off the attack of the Confederation, but it is not enough and Fort Sumter falls to the south. -
Lincoln Blockade
After the fall of Fort Sumter, Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of southern ports which was later ruled as a a proclamation of war by the Supreme Court. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This battle was the first major one in the war. It was fought by General Thomas Jackson of the south and General McDowell of the north. Both sides had the same attack strategy, but in the end McDowell's faltered and the north ran. -
Capture of Fort Henry
Grant made the first thrust against the weak center of Johnston's overextended line. Fought and captured the fort. -
Monitor V. Virginia
From the remains of an abandoned Union steam frigate, the Conferates built another ironclad ship called the Virginia. It began attacking Union ships, but the union sent out thier ironclad ship called the Monitor and eventually pushed back the Virginia. -
Battle of Shiloh
After defeats on the western front, in Tennessee and Kentucky, General Johnston regrouped the Confederates and moved into Corinth. Ulysses Grant, in charge of his Union army, made a fatal mistake while planning to attack Corinth; he left his troops exposed and the Confederates struck at Shiloh. It could have been an Union defeat, but the Confederates called off the attack after General Johnston was wounded. -
Battle of Seven Pines
Led by the new the new commander, General McClellan, the Unon clashed with the Confederates along the Chickahominy River. There would have been total Union defeat had it not been for reinforcements. At this point, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
This battle occurred when Lee split his forces to stop the advance of John Pope and McClellan's reinforcement. Lee sent Jackson's "foot Cavalry" to Pope and Jackson went against McClellan. The Union army was crushed during this battle. -
Antietam
This was/is the bloodiest battle in American history. Still on the offensive, Lee wanted to attack again, but McClellan got hold of a letter that gave everything away. From there, the two sides clashed until the Confederates were able to slipp across the Potomac River to the saftey of Virginia. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
After the disaster of Antietam, the Union faced another challenge in Fredericksburg. In this battle, General Burnside made a fatal mistake that cost the lives of many; the Confederates slaughtered Union soldiers. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln singed the document into law which stated, "all persons held as slaves within any state, or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever free." -
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Vicksburg
Grant had been reinstated and went for the stronghold of Vicksburg to control the Mississippi River. Grant marched into Louisiana and took over supplies and then moved into Jackson, Mississippi and destroyed more supplies. This caused the Confederates to be pinned inside Vicksburg. -
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Battle of Chancellorsville
After the Fredericksburg disaster, Joesph Hooker took over, but failed. General Hooker was going through his plan when he lost sight of Lee and took out the Union forces at an area named Wilderness. During the panic of this battle, Jackson was killed and Lee lost "his right arm." -
Battle of Gettysburg
Since the split of the Confederate forces, Joseph Johnston was put into place for the Confederation. He wanted to lure Grant into Tennessee, but Lee wanted to win on Northern soil. Niether side really chose Gettysburg as the sight of the battle, but that is where the two sides clashed and led to the destruction of General Pickett's Confederate University Greys and the southern forces. -
Legal Tender Act
Allowed the Union to get more goods and soldiers by printing money. -
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Chattanooga
This was the tird great victory for the Union in 1863. The Unon army, led by General Rosecrans, took Chattanooga and then pushed rebel forces into Georgia where they fought at Chickamauga. The union forces were forced back, but eventually they were able to take Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. -
Appomattox
After four years of fighting, and Grant's pursuit of Lee, Lee finally realized that he could go nowhere else. So, on April 9, 1865 Lee and Grant met in the parlor of Wilmer McLean's home at Appomattox Court House to discuss surrender. After the men talked through everything, one final moment of honor was given, and the war was over. -
Thirteenth Amendment
On this date in history, the House of Representatives passed an abolition amendment that was singed into law as the 13th Amendment. This removed any doubt about the legality of emancipation.
