Events for the Civil War

South Carolina Secedes

Dec 20, 1860

http://www.pocanticohills.org/civilwar/south.htmIn 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a northern Republican against the spread of slavery, was elected president. The southern states who allowed slavery were feerfull that with Lincoln as president, the north would forse them to abolish slavery and they would have to give up the lifestyle they were acustomed to. So, before Lincoln's annogural speech, South Carolina seceded to form the Confederate States of America. TX, LA, AR, TN, MI, AL, GA, FL, NC, and VA followed South Carolina and seceded as well.

Abraham Lincoln Innogurated

Mar 4, 1861

<a href='' >http://www.bartelby.org/124/pres31.html</a>Before Lincoln's innoguration, multiple lower south states has seceded. In his first Innogural Adress, Lincoln refuses to recognize the Confederate States of America as their own country and stated the Union could only be disolved if every state agreed to it. He declared he didn't have the power to abolish slavery, he only planned to stop in from spreading.

Attack on Fort Sumter

Apr 12, 1861

http://clccharter.org/angelique1/Fort%20Sumter/Fort%20Sumter%20webpage.htmlLincoln received a message from Maj.Anderson, commander of the U.S. troops holding Fort Sumter in South Carolina, stating that there was less than a six week supply of food left in the fort. The Confederate commander at Charleston, Gen Beauregard, was ordered by the Confederate government to demand the evacuation of the fort and if refused, forse it. Anderson said they would leave on the 15th unless supplies came. The Confederates refused this and took fire. Only a confederate horse was killed.

Virginia Secedes

Apr 17, 1861

http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/confederates.htm
After Fort Sumter was attacked, Virginia, Arizona, North Carolina and Tennissee seceded and joinded the Confederate States of America. Virginia felt loyal to the Union but considered themselves southerners. They decided they would only secede if the Union attacked the South. So when the Union attacked Fort Sumter, Virginia seceded.

1st Battle of the Bull Run

Jul 21, 1861

http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/battles/bullrun.htmlAlso called the 1st Battle of Manassas, this was the first real battle of the Civil War. The Union army was marching towards the Confederate capital of Richmond when they ran into Confederate forces at Manassas. The Union army, consisting of 28,000 men, commanded by General McDowell, fought 33,000 Confederates under General Beauregard. The Confederates sent the Union army back to Washington so they saw it as a victory. This battle showed that it would not be the predicted 9 month war.

Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac

Mar 9, 1862

<ahref='http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Monitor_and_Merrimack' >http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Monitor_and_Merrimack</a>This naval battle was the first fight between two ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. Their principle confrontations took place off Swell's Point near Virginia. This battle lasted two days. On the first, the Confederates were ahead but on the second, the Union was. The battle was inconclusive but it showed that ironclad ships were the future of naval warfare.

McClellan Returns to Washington after the Penninsula Campaign

Apr 5, 1862

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_peninsular1862.htmlIn the Penninsula Campaign the Union transported an army over 100,000 men strong, by sea, to the Peninsula east of the Confederate capitol of Richmond. McClellan moved slowly, was held up by relatively small Confederate forces. Lee paraded his men in a circle to pose as a threat. Despite reaching within a few miles of Richmond never made a serious assault on the Confederate capitol. This enrages Lincoln, who fires McClellan and replaces him with John Pope.

Battle of Shiloh

Apr 6, 1862

http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/battles/shiloh.htmlOne of the most deadly battles in the civil war. The Union Army was at the brink of a loss on the first night but with re-enforcements the next day, they rallied and broke Confederate lines. The confederates fell back but the Union was too spent to pursue any further. The dead at Shiloh was over 3,482 with more than 20,000 casualties. Of the 63,000 northern troops 1,754 were killed and over 13,000 were injured. On the confederate side, of 40,000, 1,728 were killed, and 11,000 were injured.

2nd Battle of Bull Run

Aug 28, 1862

http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va026.htm
John Pope, McClellan's replacment returns the Union troops to Bull Run for a second time. The battle goes simalarly to the first battle at Bull Run and the Union looses to the Confederates once again. Some northerners start to question weather or not the War is worth it and if the Union should let the southern states secede if they want. Lincoln fires Pope and brings McClellan back.

Battle of Antietam

Sep 17, 1862

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.htmlFor the duration of the war, the Confederates had been fighting a defensive war. Yet with so much success, General E. Lee decided to make an attack in the border State of Maryland, where the Union capitol was located. He hoped to get England to ally with the south and get Marryland to secede so the Union Capitol would have to move. Three mini battles took place and in the end, the Union almost won but lost due to McClellan. With a tie, the Union claimed its first "victory". Bloodiest Battle amer

Battle of Fredericksburg

Dec 11, 1862

<ahref='http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fredericksburg.html' >http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fredericksburg.html</a>Union and Confederate troops fought in the streets of Fredericksburg, making this battle the Civil War’s first urban combat. Nearly 200,000 combatants participated. The nion Army of the Potomac had suffered nearly 12,600 casualties, while Lee’s army had suffered some 5,300 losses. Therefore, the Confederates won the battle. It was afterwards that Lee made his most famos quote, "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”

Emancipation Proclamation Takes Effect

Jan 1, 1863

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1549.htmlIn this proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln made two laws. 1st, that all slaves in the states that had seceded with the exception of Tennisee (since the Union controled most of it) slavery was abolished and that the only way to avoid this was to send delegates to the meeting comming up, therefore, re-joining the Union. 2nd, that it was legal for African Americans to become solders. The first law had little effect besides changing the Union's goals of the war to be about abolishing slavery.

Battle of Chancellorsville

Apr 30, 1863

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chancellorsville.htmlMaj. Gen. Joseph Hooker led his Union troops to defeat the Confederates left fleet. The Confederate army greatly outnumbered the Union army. Hooker took defense giving Lee the initiative. In the end, the Confederates won the battle. Many consider it to be Lee's greatest victory.

Battle of Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/graphics/experience/battles/gettysburg.htmlThis was the Confederates second attempt at an attack in the north. Lee believed it would help northerners who doubted the Union to join the Confederacy. Supposidly they went to Gettysburg in search of shoes. The Union was on Cemetary Hill while the Confederates were on Seminary Ridge. Confederates try to get Little Round Top but Chamberlain defended it through 5 attacks, getting a Union victory.

Surrender of Vicksburg

Jul 4, 1863

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=70075
On this day, Confederate troops surrendered to Union troops at Vicksburg. This further lead to the end of the American Civil War.

Battle of Fort Wagner

Jul 18, 1863

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_fort_wagner.htmlColonel Robert Gould Shaw lead the 54th Massachusettes Regiment, a regiment entirly made up of African Americans, to Fort Wagner in Charlestown, South Carolina. It was an impossible mission since Fort Wagner was surrounded by the ocean on two sides, a swamp, and only 64 yards of beech. The Union lost with 40% of its troops dead, including Shaw. For African Americans, Fort Wagner is as monumentus as Bunker Hill for Patriots.

Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Addresss

Nov 19, 1863

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/gettysburg.htmAfter the battle of Gettysburg, a memorial was held for the solders who died in the battle. Senator Everat was to be the main speaker of the day and the President was invited as almost an after thought. Everat spoke for two ours and Lincoln followed him with a 2 minut speech that was just over 200 words. He talked about the war as a whole and how the courageous dead had died for the principle of Liberty to all. Many people disliked his short speech but it would go on to be his most famos speech.

Grant Displays Fighting Style at Cold Harbor

Jun 3, 1864

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/coldharbor/cold-harbor-history-articles/Grant was commander and cheif of th Union Army, he decided to take a different approach by having the entire army work as one Unit instead of several units. At Cold Harbor, Meedes army along with two others attacked the Confederates but with much miscomunication, porr preperation, and confusion they failed. Grant's fighting style was not a great one.

Sherman Set out for the Sea

Nov 1, 1864

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-641
After Capturing and Burning down the city of Atlanta Georgia, William T. Sherman set his sights on Savanah. He and his men set out on a six month expadition to march to the sea. Along the way, they destroyed anything they could not use as to hurt the Confederates supplies.

Atlanta Burns to the Ground

Nov 11, 1864

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-641During the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, when a powerful Union army approached from Federally-held Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia was burnt to the ground. Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuated Atlanta after a four-month siege mounted by Union General William T. Sherman. The next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city, and on September 7 Sherman ordered the civilian population to evacuate. He then ordered Atlanta burned to the ground on in preparation for his punitive march south.

Sherman Reaches Savanah

Dec 22, 1864

http://www.manythings.org/voa/history/112.htmlAfter capturing and burning Atlanta, William T. Sherman began his March to the Sea. Along the 350 Killometers to Savanah, he and his men practiced scorched earth policy in which they burt and destroyed anything they didn't need. When reaching Savanah, he sent a message to President Lincoln saiying: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas holiday gift, the city of Savannah." He and his army reasted in Savanah for a month and in February began moving north.

Lincoln Delivers 2nd Inaugural Address

Mar 4, 1865

http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111lin2.html Lincoln delivered this speech before thousands of spectators in the pooring rain. Many considered it to be his most eloquent. The war was still going on but everyone knew the end was in sight. Just over a month after delivering this speech, Licoln was assasinated.

Richmond Falls

Apr 3, 1865

<a href='' >http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Appomattox_Campaign</a>
Richmond was the Confederate capital. Ulysses S. Grant was finally able to dislodge Lee's army at the Battle of Five Forks which allowed him to take Petersburg and then Richmond. The Confederates fled to southside Virginia but Grant cornered them and Robert E. Lee surrendered the Northern Army of Atlanta to the Union.

Robert E. Lee Surrenders Commision

Apr 9, 1865

http://www.radford.edu/sbisset/civilwar.htm
After Union forces captured much-needed Confederate supplies at Appomattox Court House, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army. This marked the end to the American Civil War.

Surrender at Appomattox

Apr 9, 1865

http://www.worldhistoryonline.org/american-history/surrender-at-appomattox-courthouse.htmlRobert E. Lee's surrendered of his Army of Northern Viginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia was the end to the America Civil War. All Lee’s men and officers were to be paroled and to return home. Officers were allowed to keep their side arms, private horses and personal effects, while the arms, munition and supplies were to be handed over to the officers appointed by Grant. Grant also issued out 25,000 rations to Lee's men.