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Civil War Timeline
Civil War Timeline -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis, the soon-to-be president of the Confederates States, spoke for the first time about secession. This was a very big deal for this time period because it gave hope for those pro-slavery in the South and agony to those against slavery in the North. -
Cooper Union Speech
Cooper Union speech was given by Lincoln about the want to abolish slavery. -
Republican Convention
Held in Chicago, Illinois. It was against William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was chosen as the presidential nominee, with Hannibal Hamlin as this vice-president. -
Stephen Douglas and Herschal V. Johnson
The Democrats reconvene in Baltimore to select a nominee, but Douglas can't make the necessary 2/3 majority until the anti-Douglas delegates leave on June 22 and the floor rules are changed to require 2/3 vote of the members present. On this day the convention nominates both Douglas and Johnson. -
John C. Breckenridge
John C. Breckenridge was nominated by Democrats to run for President. The Southern was in favor of him due to his views on slavery compared to Lincoln. Also, he was nominated in Richmond. -
Notification of Secession
Governor William Henry Gist tells other southern states about South Carolina's consideration of leaving the United States of America. -
Abraham Lincoln Wins the Election
Abraham Lincoln wins the election of 1860. He won all of the free states and part of New Jersey, but none of the slave states due to his strict feelings on abolishing slavery. -
Secession Convention
The first meeting of secession takes place in Columbia, South Carolina. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina was the first state in the South to try and leave the United States for succession. -
John Floyd resignation as Secretary of War
John Floyd was found direction funds to contractors and guns to the South. The charges are still not 100% found, and are still highly debated to this day. -
Mississippi Secession
Mississippi was the second state to join South Carolina in leaving the Union. -
Florida Secession
Florida was the third state to join the Confederacy, a day after Mississippi. -
Alabama Secession
Alabama was the fourth state to leave for the greater good of the South. -
Georgia Secession
Georgia was the fifth state to join the Confederay. -
Louisiana Secession
Louisiana joined seven days after Georgia in leaving the Union. -
Texas Secession
Texas joined the secession on February 1, 1861. -
Formation of the Confederate States of America
This was formed in response to the North's hope for wanting to abolish slavery. Jefferson Davis was the only president of it. -
Abraham Lincoln Becomes President
Lincoln becomes the 16th President of the United States. He represented the Republican Party. -
Fort Sumter
This day is the first time war has officially been spoken about or declared. Southern troops wanted to take it from the North, but the North refused. 4000 rounds were fired, but no one died. -
Virginia Secession
Virginia's secession took a long time to join because of the split in opinions on the pros and cons of slavery. -
Arkansas Secession
Arkansas was the third to last state to join the Confederacy. -
North Carolina Secession
North Carolina was the 9th state to join the secession in 1861. -
Tennessee Secession
Tennessee was the last state to join the secession from the United States of America. It joined less than 6 months after South Carolina. -
Fort Henry
The first Union victory for the Civil War and was triggered by the hopes to control rivers and supply lines west of the Appalachians. It was a naval battle, that led to Confederate Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman to evacuate his troops. The Battle of Fort Henry led to the opening of the Columbia and Tennessee rivers to the Union. -
Battle of Fort Donelson
A little over a week after the Battle of Fort Henry, Union General Ulysses Grant attacked Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in hopes to weaken the Confederates more. The Union won the battle and forced the Confederates to surrourender the fort. -
Siege of Yorktown, Virginia
The Union, being led by General George McClellan started the Peninsular campagin. This date is the beginning of the battles, which lasted until May when the Confederates abandoned Yorktown in hopes to give them a leg up against the Union near Richmond. -
Battle of Shiloh
One of the first battles in the Civil War. They suffered heavy losses, more than 23,000 total casualties. It also hurt both of them severly. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was signed by Abraham Lincoln on May 20th, 1862. This act encouraged Western migration (furthering manifest dystany) by giving away 160 acres of public land in exchnage for homesteaders to pay only a small fee. -
Battle of Oak Grove
The Battle of Oak Grave is the first one of seven battles that went from June 25-July 1. There were an estimated 1,057 casualties in total, but ultimitly ended with a Confederate vistory. -
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill is the last of the Seven Days Battle, in which McClellan invited the battle against the Confederates (lead by Robert E. Lee). The Union were forced to retreate because of the darkness from the sun setting, with them losing 5000 men compared to the Union only loosing 3000. -
Battle of Antietam
Put Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General George McClellan against one another while they tried to go against the north. The battle was very important because it was the deadliest one-day battle in American history. -
Lincoln's removal of McClellan
Due to the many defeats that the Union was continuously loosing, President Abraham Lincoln felt the need to fire General George B. McClellan due to many losses. While McClellan felt as if this was unfair, and the losses were justified, most of the battles the Union had the advenatge of more men and troops. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was between the Confederates and the Union that took place in Virginia. Burside tried to capture a confederate zone. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves in Confederate territories. It also said that the Union army would be free to enlist black soldiers in the Union army. This was a huge step for the history of America, for it showed how big a step the North would take for freedom. -
General Ambrose Burnside Fired
Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside from command of the Army of the Potomac. He replaced him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. -
Chancellorsville
The Union Army, under General Hooker, was defeated by the Confederates, headed by General Lee, in Chancellorsville. It was a large loss for the Union because Lee's army was much smaller, with the Confederates killing 17000 men, and 130000 were missing or wounded. -
Union Wins at Jackson, Mississippi
On May 9, 1863, General Joseph E, Johnstone received a dispatch from the Confederate Secretary of War directing him to leave quickly from Mississippi and take chief command of the force". A couple of days later he was in Jackson with his troop, where the North came and attacked them, leading to a Union victory. About 1,136 casualties in all. -
Battle of Brandy Station
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia won by streaming into Culpeper County after a victory at Fredericksburg. Under General Robert E. Lee, the troops won against the Union by a long hall, and the victory allowed them to prepare for the Confederates to fight in Pennsylvania. -
Statehood for West Virginia
Due to extremely different views regarding slavery and leaving the United States for the Confederacy, some Virginia's strived for a new area of freedom. Abraham Lincoln officially announced that West Virginia would be allowed into being a part of the Union, helping the North gain more power. -
Battle of Upperville
On June 21, the Union made an effort to pierce CSA General JEB Stuart cavalry screen.There were about 400 casualties. This was also going on during the Gettysburg Campaign (from June to August 1836) -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle if Gettysburg was one of the most important and influential battles in the American Civil War, in which the Union was able to stop the Confederates from invading the North. It is the largest and bloodies battle ever fought in North America, with more than 50,000 men fell as casualities. It also helped the North feel much more comfortable in winning the war. -
Second Battle of Sabine Pass
The Second Battle of Sabine Pass took place on September 8, 1863, and was caused by the failed attempt that the Union Army had to invade Texas, which was owned by the Confederate. It was a very large loss for the Confederates. -
The Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Adress was speech written and spoken by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863. It was done at the Solider's National Cemetery, to let the people know that the United States giverment cares for their victims and to commedirate those who died for the Union during the Civil War. -
Battle of Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga
Three Union armies attacked the Army of Tennessee atop Missionary Ridge. Cleburne stopped Sherman from the north. Hooker sent troops to burn bridges in hopes to delay the south. The Union's good tacticts helped them win the battle. -
Attack at Athens
The Attack at Athens was a rather short battle during the Civil War, in which the Confederates (that had almost 500 more men than their enemies) attacked about 100 Union tropps in the early morning. Resulted with the Union winning after the Confederates retreated. -
Lincoln Promotes Grant
On May 9th, 1864, President Lincoln signed a document promoting (then) Major General Ulysses S. Grant to being the lieutenant general of the US Army. This was the first time that the term "lieutenant general" was used in the United States since 1798 by President John Adams. This gave Grant more power in the army than before. -
Virginia Campaign
Beginning a drive aimed at ending the war, Ulysses S, Grant and 120,000 troops marched towards Richmond, the capital of the Confederates. Over the coutse of the next six weeks, a brutal war of attrition resuls in the deaths of nearly 50,000 soldiers. -
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was one of the first stages that the Union took in order to win the Civil War and capture Richmond, Virginia. There was no official winner, but the Union suffered large loss with fires that were started, so Grant forced his army to continue to the campaign. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
General Ulysses S. Grant advanced the campaign yet against attacked Rober E. Lee's army, this time at Spotsylvania, Virginia. While the Union lost the most soliders, Grant was victorius and forced Lee to retreat further south. -
Battle of Pickett's Mill
The Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought in Paulding County, Georgia. Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman attempted an attack on the right flank of Confederate GeneralcJoseph E. Johnston. The site of the battle is conseridered one of the most perserved battlefiels from the Civil War in the entire country. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
The bloody battle of Cold Harbor was an extremely large loss for the Union. General Ulysses S Grant makes a series of tactical mistakes that result in the deaths of 7,000 Union in 20 minutes. -
Siege of Petersburg
On this day, Ulysses S. Grant's Army from the Union went against Robert E. Lee's Army from the Confederacy at Petersburg, about 23 miles south of Richmond, Virginia. This was the first of many battles that would last until April 9th, 1865, that the Union will eventually win. -
Sinking of CSS Tennessee
18 Union Ships sailed past the entrance of the Mobile Bay in Alabama. The CSS Tennessee sunk in the bay, leading to a large outrage on the Confederacy. Many other Confederate fleets were destroyed. -
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a large loss for the Confederate Army. In Nashville, Tennessee they were nearly destroyed due to the strong power of General George Thomas from the Union army and when he swarmed over the Rebel trenches around Nashville. -
Passing of the Thirteenth Amendment
Congress officially passed the Thirteenth Amendment on January 31, 1865. While it will not get officially enforced into the Constitution until years the end of the next year. This amendment will abolish slavery in the United States. -
Hampton Roads Conference
The Hampton Roads Conference was a meeting that the United States President Abraham Lincoln met with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens and other Confederate delegates. The men were set to meet at Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was supposed to be a meeting to end the war, but it ended in failure and the war still continued. -
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Adress
On March 4, 1865, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was brought into the White House for the start of his second term. This was right at the end of the American Civil War, and only about a month before he will be assassinated. -
Battle of Fort Stedman
The Battle of Fort Stedman on March 25, 1865, was one of the last battles to take place in the American Civil War. The Union Army used fortification to seize lines arounf Petersburg, Virginia while the Confederates attecked them led by Major General John B. Gordon. -
Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, close to the junction of Five Forks in Dinwiddie County. The results of the battle is a Union victory, with the Union having 830 casualties compared to 2,950 on the Confederate side. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders
On April 9th, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate Army to General S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. "After four years of arduos service marked by unsurpassed and fortitude the Army of Northern Viirgina hascompelled to yeld to overwhelming numbers and resources." Lee told his troops. Lee also urged Mathew Brady to surrender. -
Abraham Lincoln Shot
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States was shot on April 14th, 1865. He was at Ford's Theater, and during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shot him. He was with his wife Mary when he was shot. -
President Lincoln Died
After being shot a day earlier, Abraham Lincoln died on April 15th, 1865. He was shot by Hohn Wilkes, an actor and Confederate sympathizer. He passed away at 7:22 am, just a couple days after winning the war against Robert E. Lee. -
Murder of John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was killed when Union soldiers tracked him down in a Virginia farm 12 days after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. He was 26 years old, and killed Lincoln in a theat -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
The United States was officially ratified on December 6th, 1865. This amendment abolished slavery in the United States. While it was formally abolished in 1864, by it being finally ratified, it could finally take control. -
Opening of Fisk University
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, Fisk University, a historic black university opening in Nashville Tennessee. It is also the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville. It helped bring hope to those who finally got rights. -
First Successful Daylight Robbery
James Gang, a gang created by Jesse and Frank James who were Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War, had the first successful bank robbery in the United States in the daytime. It was in the town of Liberty, Missouri. -
Andrew Johnson Vetoes Civil Rights Bill
Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States vetoes the 14th amendment. This was a huge step for his political campaign, for it showed he only cared for himself and not his country. It also showed America to appreciate Abraham Lincoln and all he did for the better of the county. -
Civil Rights Bill passes over President Andrew Johnson's Veto
After President Andrew Johnson vetod the 14th ammendment, Congress brought down the veto and gave the rights all people need. While some members did not believe in the veto, it still one the majority. -
Proclamation on the End of the Confederate Insurrection
On April 2, 1866, Andrew Johnson came forward to tell his hopes to end all of the Civil War and for the United States to come together once again. The war ends espcally in Alabama, Arkanasa, Florida, Georgia, Mississipp, Lousisana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Viefinia. -
Memphis Riots of 1866
The Memphis Riots, also known as the Memphis Massacre of 1866, were a series of extremely violent events that were mainly developed from racial issues. They also involved political and social tensions that were very important during the American Civil War. -
United States House of Representatives Election of 1866
The 1866 electiosn were a decisive events in the early Reconstruction era, in which President Andrew Johnson faced off against the Radical Republicans in a dispute over whether Reconstruction should be leient or harsh. -
Tennessee Entering the Union
On July 24, 1866, Tennessee became the first state to join the Union back again. They left over 5 years earlier to join the Confederacy over the disagreement on slavery. It became known as the Volunteer State due to the fact that it wa the last to originally withdraw from the Union. -
Ulysses S. Grant Promoted
After the Civil War ended over a year prior, Congress granted then-general to be the first General of the Army of the United States. The position was created in hopes to higher Grant's power and rank due to the thankfulness so many had that he won the Civil War. -
New Orleans Massacre of 1866
The New Orleans Massacre of 1866 happened on July 30 and was casued by white Democrats attacking Republicans and African Americans. It eas espacally caused by the Lousiana State Constitutioal Convention and resulted in the Maerial Law declared. -
Ohio's Ratification
Ohio was the first state to ratify the 14th Amendment at the beginning of 1867. They did it only on January 4th, at they started the train of many countries joining the correct side of history by trying to allow equality in their state. -
African Americans Gain Right to Vote in Washington DC
For the first time, people of color gained the right to vote in Washinton DC. The bill was passed, even with President Andrew Johnson's veto. It is a huge milestone and was only allowed due to the 14th amendment. -
Kentucky Rejects the 14th Amendment
On January 8th, Kentucky became the first state to reject the 14th amendment in the year 1867. While they do change in the future, this started a large outburst of public tension, both from their citizens and Washington DC. -
Delaware rejects the 14th Amendment
Along with many others that are closer to the South, Delaware does not approve with the concepts of everyone being equally allowed to vote. The idea of suffrage in the Southern states was argued heavily, including in Delaware. -
Tenure of Office Act
In response to decisions that President Andrew Johnson was making, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act. This denied rights that the President had to remove officials that Congress appointed. This helped both strengthen Congress' rights and weaken the Presidents in the future, but it showed the truth of checls and balences. -
Alexandria, Virginia
On March 5th, 1867, the town of Alexandria, Virginia rejected thousands of votes cast based on the color of thier skin. This completely went agaonst what the Union wanted for quality, and made many people angry. -
General Philip Sheridan
General Philip Sheridan assumes command of the 5th Military district, including Lousiana and Texas. This included New Orleans, in which he took over saying that it would be the headquarters. -
7 Confederate States Reenter the Union
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina back into the United States of America. They were only allowed to become a part of the Union after they ratified the fourteenth amendment, which is why Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas were not allowed admission yet. -
Russia Turns Over Alaska
For a majority of 1867, the United States was in a bidding war with Russia in hopes to gain territory in the far north, known as Alaska. After signing a treaty with Russia to buy Alaska for 2 cents every acre, Russia finally handed over Alaska on October 18, 1867 -
Edwin Stanton's Suspension z
Andrew Johnson, as most know, was a very powerful man during the time of his Presidency, and was known for doing as he please even at the cost of the public not liking him. On August 12, Johnson forces Edwin Stanton to be suspended from being the Secretary of War.
