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Lydia Gallagher's Civil War Timeline
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Lincoln Speaks
After being photographed by Matthew Brady, Abraham Lincoln speaks at the Cooper Institute in New York City. -
Republican Convention
Republican Convention is held in Chicago, Illinois. -
Democratic Convention
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach. -
Democratic Nominee
Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President. -
Lincoln Inaugurated
Abraham Lincoln is elected 16th President of the United States. -
James Chesnut
James Chesnut becomes the first Southerner to resign from the Senate. -
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie
Major Robert Anderson reports Fort Sumter is being threatened in Charleston as federal forces begin to improve Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the harbor. -
Secession Convention
The first Secession Convention meets in Columbia, South Carolina. -
South Carolina
South Carolina secedes from the Union. First state to do so. -
SC Representatives
South Carolina representatives withdraw from the U. S. House. -
Mississippi
Mississippi secedes from the Union. Second state to do so. -
Florida
Florida seceds from the Union. Third state to do so. -
Alabama
Alabama secedes from the Union. Fourth state to do so. -
Georgia
Georgia secedes from the Union. Fifth state to do so. -
Louisiana
Louisiana secedes from the Union. Sixth state to do so. -
Texas
Texas secedes from Union. Seventh state to do so. -
Civil War
Confederates under General Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins. -
Virginia
Virginia secedes from Union. Eighth state to do so. -
Arkansas
Arkansas secedes from Union. Ninth state to do so. -
North Carolina
North Carolina secedes from Union. Tenth state to do so. -
Tennessee
Tennessee secedes from Union. Last state to do so. -
Battle of Mill Springs
Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. The Union victory weakened the Confederate hold on the state. -
Fort Henry Surrender
Surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee. The lost of this southern fort on the Tennessee River opened the door to Union control of the river. -
Battle of Roanoke Island
Battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. A Confederate defeat, becomes a Northern base for further operations against the southern coast. -
Surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee
This primary southern fort on the Cumberland River left the river in Union hands. It was here that Union General Ulysses S. Grant gained his nickname "Unconditional Surrender". -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America. -
The Battle of Shiloh
(Battle of Pittsburg Landing) First major battle in Tennessee. The Union is victorious. -
First Battle of Winchester, Virginia.
After two weeks of maneuvering and battles at Cross Keys and Front Royal, General Jackson attacks Union forces at Winchester and successfully drives them from the city. -
The Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond, Virginia begins
Also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station. Lasts through June 1st. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Fought on the same ground where one year before, the Union army was defeated and sent reeling in retreat to Washington. Likewise, the result of this battle is a Union defeat. -
The Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg), Maryland
The bloodiest single day of the Civil War. The result of the battle ends General Lee's first invasion of the North. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. Applauded by many abolitionists including Frederick Douglass, there are others who feel it does not go far enough to totally abolish slavery. -
Soldier Drafting
Conscription, or the drafting of soldiers into military service, begins in the North. It had begun in the South the year before. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi begins. Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant attack Confederate defenses outside the city on May 19-22. -
The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The Gettysburg battle begins. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War. -
Gettysburg Ends
The Battle of Gettysburg ends. Becomes the costliest land battle of the Civil War. -
Draft Riots
Draft Riots begin in New York City and elsewhere as disgruntled workers and laborers, seething over the draft system that seemingly favors the rich, attack the draft office and African American churches. The riots continue through July 16. -
Lawrence, Kansas
Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas. In a murderous daylight raid, Confederate and Missouri guerillas under William Clarke Quantrill storm into Lawrence and destroy most of the town. Approximately 150 men and boys are murdered by Quantrill's men. -
The Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia. The Union Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans is defeated and nearly routed by the Confederate Army of Tennessee commanded by General Braxton Bragg. -
Gettysburg Address
Dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address. -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
Lincoln Issues his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which would pardon those who participated in the "existing rebellion" if they take an oath to the Union. -
Libby Prison
Escape from Libby Prison, Richmond. After weeks of digging, 109 Union officers made their escape from the notorious Libby Prison, the largest and most sensational escape of the war. 59 were able to make their way into Union lines. -
Andersonville Prison Camp
In Georgia, Camp Sumter Prison Camp opens. Universally referred to as Andersonville Prison Camp, it will become notorious for overcrowded conditions and a high death rate among its inmates. -
Grant in Charge
Ulysses S. Grant is appointed lieutenant general, a rank revived at the request of President Lincoln. Grant assumes command of all Union Armies in the field the following day. -
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign begins. As part of an overall Union strategy to strike deep into various parts of the Confederacy, a combined force of army and navy commands under General Nathaniel Banks begins a campaign on the Red River in Louisiana. -
Battle of Mansfield or Sabine Crossroads
Battle of Sabine Crossroads or Mansfield, Louisiana, the first major battle of the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. -
Battle of Pleasant Hill
Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. The Union Army under Banks defeats the attempt by Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor to drive them out of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the result of the campaign would be less than desired as it drew to a close in the first week of May with Confederates still in firm control of most of the state. -
Lincoln Shot
President Abraham Lincoln is shot in the head by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. -
Atlanta Campaign
Beginning of the Atlanta Campaign. With three Union armies under his command, General William T. Sherman marched south from Tennessee into Georgia against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Joseph Johnston, the objective being the city of Atlanta. -
Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia
Relentless and bloody Union attacks fail to dislodge Lee's army from its strong line of defensive works northeast of Richmond. Lasts till June 3rd. -
Lincoln's Second Term
Abraham Lincoln is nominated by his party for a second term as president. -
Battle of Monocacy, Maryland
In an attempt to draw Union troops away from the ongoing siege of Petersburg and Richmond, a Confederate force under Jubal Early quietly moved north into Maryland. Union defeat. -
Fort Fisher
Assault and capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Union occupation of this fort at the mouth of the Cape Fear River closes access to Wilmington, the last southern seaport on the east coast that was open to blockade runners and commercial shipping. -
Wilmington, NC
Wilmington, NC, falls to Union troops, closing the last important southern port on the east coast. -
Lincoln Inaugurated
President Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for his second term as president in Washington, DC. -
Fort Stedman
Attack on Fort Stedman, Petersburg, Virginia. Known as "Lee's last offensive", Confederate troops under General John B. Gordon attack and briefly capture the Union fort in the Petersburg siege lines in an attempt to prevent Union plans for a late March assault. -
The Battle of Five Forks, Virginia
The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. -
The Fall of Petersburg and Richmond
General Lee abandons both cities and moves his army west in hopes of joining Confederate forces under General Johnston in North Carolina. -
Lincoln Dies
President Abraham Lincoln dies from his gunshot wound in the Petersen House in Washington, D.C. -
Jefferson Davis Captured
Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured near Irwinville, Georgia. -
Battle of Palmito Ranch
The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory. -
13th Ammendment
The 13th Ammendment is ratified on this day, abolishing slavery in the United States. -
KKK Founded
The Ku Klux Klan, a racial, white supermist group is founded on this day. -
National Military Home
The Eastern Branch, the first branch of the National Military Home, was established by an act of Congress approved on March 21, 1866. -
Grand Army of the Republic
The first post of the Grand Army of the Republic forms in Decatur, Illinois, and subsequently became a major political force. The G.A.R. began the celebration of Memorial Day in the north. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
This act declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition. -
Memphis Race Riot
White civilians and police kill 46 African Americans and destroy 90 houses, schools, and four churches in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Second Freedmen's Buraeu Act
Gave the United States Army the responsibility of protecting the civil rights of black Americans in the former Confederate states. -
14th Ammendment
The 14th Amendment is passed by Congress and will later address citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws once it is ratified in 1868 -
New Orleans Riot
The New Orleans riots in which whites attack blacks at the Mechanics Institute -
Tennessee Readmitted
Tennessee is the first former Confederate state readmitted to the Union. -
General of The Army
Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army, the first officer to hold the rank. -
Final Congressional Elections
The final Congressional elections of the year and election of additional Republicans lead to southern reconstruction being taken over by the federal government and freedman's rights backed. -
Nebraska
Nebraska becomes a state. -
First Reconstruction Act
The First of 4 Reconstruction Acts were passed over President Johnson's veto. This would provide suffrage for male freedmen and military administration of the Southern states. -
Tenure of Office Act
Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act which prohibited the president from removing officials appointed by the Senate without senatorial approval -
Second Reconstruction Act
The second act supplemened the first. -
Jefferson Davis Freed
Confederate President Jefferson Davis became a free man after spending two years in prison for his role in the American Civil War. -
Reconstruction
House Select Committee on Reconstruction is appointed -
Republican Convention
The first statewide Republican convention met in Tallahasse. Thirty counties were represented and 125 delegates attended the meeting. -
Third Reconstruction Act
The third of the Reconstruction Acts gave supreme power to the five Union generals overseeing Reconstruction in the five districts of the South. -
Readmission
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. -
Alaska
Russia turns over Alaska to the United States after it is purchased in April.
