Major Events of the Civil War

  • Lincoln Elected

    Lincoln Elected
    Abraham Lincoln was elected as president (history.com).
  • South Carolina Secedes

    South Carolina Secedes
    After the election of 1860, which Abraham Lincoln won, South Carolina was outraged over the thought of Lincoln abolishing slavery. They left the Union and triggered many other states to begin to do the same (nps.gov).
  • Confederation Formed

    Confederation Formed
    The southern states formed a confederacy because they feared that slavery would be threatened by the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln (aaregistry.org).
  • The Civil War Begins

    The Civil War Begins
    Confederate troops fired on the Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The Union surrendered and the South won the first battle (senate.gov).
  • First Battle of Bull Run

    First Battle of Bull Run
    The Union and Confederate armies fought at Manassas Junction, Virginia. The Confederate side one. (History.com)
  • Battle of Monitor

    Battle of Monitor
    The Battle of Monitor was a battle when the U.S.S. Monitor ship sank into the sea (britannica.com)
  • Battle of Merrimack

    Battle of Merrimack
    A confederate boat called the Merrimack came into conflict with the Union battle boats. The union boats attempted to defend itself but they had no luck. The south won the battle. (History.com)
  • Battle of Shiloh

    Battle of Shiloh
    This battle was a needed success for the Union Army. It allowed for Ulysses S. Grant to begin a huge operation in the Mississippi Valley (battlefields.org).
  • Second battle of Bull Run

    Second battle of Bull Run
    Even though the Confederates had a heavy amount of casualties, they still managed to get another victory from Bull Run (history.com).
  • Battle of antietam

    Battle of antietam
    This battle was the deadliest single-day battle. It was a Union victory and the battle showed the the North could stand against the South (battlefields.org).
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Emancipation Proclamation
    Abraham Lincoln set an order to free slaves in ten states (archives.gov).
  • Siege of Vicksburg

    Siege of Vicksburg
    After a 47 day siege, the Confederate soldiers surrendered to the Union. This was a turning point in the war. (Battlefields.org)
  • Gettysburg

    Gettysburg
    This is known as the most important battle in the Civil War. It was a Union victory (history.com)
  • Period: to

    Reconstruction of the South

    After the war, reconstruction began in the south. New government-funded public schools were established, laws racial discrimination were put into place, and slavery was ended. (History.com)
  • Lincoln Re-elected

    Lincoln Re-elected
    Abraham Lincoln was re-elected into office. This meant he could see the end of the war as president. Lincoln was the first president to be re-elected as president since Andrew Jackson (history.com)
  • Robert E. Lee Surrenders

    Robert E. Lee Surrenders
    Robert E. Lee Surrendered his troops to general Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Appomattox. He surrendered them because he wanted to avoid any destruction in the South (archives.gov)
  • Lincoln Assassination

    Lincoln Assassination
    While Abraham Lincoln was watching a play at the Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth, who was on the rebel’s side, came and shot him. This happened only five days after Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops. After this, Booth shouted, “The South is Avenged!” After almost two weeks, soldiers found Booth and he was sentenced with death by hanging. (History.com)