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Senator Jefferson Davis speaks for Slavery
Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis wanted to unite the Democratic Party so he explains why slavery should be allowed in the territories and also gave reasons as to why the nation should protect slaveholders. -
Copper Union Address
Lincoln gives the Cooper Union Address, in this speech, he validated the Federal Government banning slavery in new territories. -
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic Party holds its convention in Charleston, SC. When the pro-slavery platform is rejected, delegates from 8 southern states leave. The remaining delegates adjourn after being unable to agree on a candidate. -
The Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th president of the United Staes of America. -
Evacuation of Ft. Moultrie
Union Maj. Robert Anderson evacuates Ft. Moultrie for Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. -
Buchanan Speaks Out
President Buchanan explains that secession is not right and that states are acting out too far in response to the rebellions. -
Introduction of the Crittenden Compramise
This proposal was introduced by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden. It aimed to resolve the U.S. secession crisis by addressing the grievances that led the slave states to contemplate secession from the United States. -
The Starting Point of Succession
South Carolina was the first first state to formally secede from the Union. -
Declaration of Immediate Causes
South Carolina issues their "Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Seccession of South Carolina from the Federal Union". -
War Warning
By telegraph, Charleston is notified that war is coming to their area. -
Mississippi
Mississippi was the 2nd state to seceede from the Union and join the Confederacy. -
Florida
Florida was the 3rd state to seceede from the Union and join the Confederacy. -
Rebels Unite
In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana convene to establish the Confederate States of America. -
Leader of the South
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as provisional president of Confederacy states. -
Lincoln's Inauguration
Lincoln says, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." Meaning he had no plans to end slavery in the states where it already exists. He also said he would not accept secession, he wanted to resolve the national crisis without warfare. -
1st Battle of the Civil War
The Battle of Fort Sumpter took place in Charleston, South Carolina. The Confederacy demanded the Union to surrender the fort and fired the first shots of the revolution. -
Blackade the South
The Union Navy maintained a very hard working effort on the Atlantic and Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms to and from the Confederacy. President Lincoln proclaimed the blockade. -
Habeas Corpus
Against the Constitution, Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus. This meant that people could now be imprisoned without being seen by a judge and told what their crimes were. -
Battle of Bull Run
This battle took place at Manassas, Virginia.The Union army commander was Brigadier General Irvin McDowell who led 35,000 Union troops from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate force of 20,000 along a small river known as Bull Run. After fighting on the defensive for most of the day, the Confederacy finally broke the Union right flank, sending the Union soldiers for a retreat thus resulting in a Confederate victory. -
McDowell is Replaced
Lincoln released from the Union army General Irvin McDowell with General George B. McClellan. -
Lincoln appoints McClellan
George B. McClellan is appointed as commander of the Union Army by Lincoln, He replaces Winfield Scott. -
Battle of Fort Henry
In an effort to gain control of rivers and supply lines west of the Appalachians, General Ulysses S. Grant launched an attack on the lightly defended Fort Henry in Tennessee. -
Battle of Fort Donelson
General Ulysses Grant began his assault on nearby Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River, a key gateway to the Confederacy. On February 15, after Confederate forces under Brigadier General John Floyd failed to break through Grant’s lines, the Confederates surrendered the fort, giving the Union one of its first major victories of the war. -
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack
This was the first battle between ironclad warships. The intentions of the battle were for the Confederates to break the Union blockade of Southern ports, including Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia, that had been imposed at the start of the war. Though the battle itself was inconclusive, it began a new era in naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
Confederates launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant in southwestern Tennessee. At first the Confederates believed to have won the victory causing sudden oppritunity for the North to force the South back. This resulted in an Union victory. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with more than 23,000 total casualties -
Naval Command
David G. Farragut becomes Admiral of the US Navy -
Road to Equality
The Union army is officially allowed to hire African Americans as laborers. This is a step in the right direction because they are on their way to becoming equal. The slaves are now allowed to help in the army that is being fought to free them. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
Confederate troops under Genral Robert E Lee defeat Union troops under Brig. General John Pope. Union troops retreat to Centreville, VA. -
Harpers Ferry
As Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army invaded Maryland, a portion of his army under Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson surrounded and captured the Union at Harpers Ferry, Virginia with little casualties. -
Antietam
The battle of Antietam is the bloodiest single day battle in American history. Neither side won and the battel resulted in more then 26,000 casualities. McClellan held hesitan refusing to persue the retreating Confederate army. . -
Fredericksburg
This battle took place in Virginia. Army of the Potomac under Gen. Burnside suffers a costly defeat at Fredericksburg with a loss of 12,653 men after 14 frontal assaults on well entrenched Rebels on Marye's Heights. Confederate losses are 5,309. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared "all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
Conscription Act
U.S. Congress passes a conscription act that requires the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens in American history. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45. -
Charleston Attack
A naval attack by the Confederates on the Charleston Harbor leaves the Union on their toes. -
Chancellorville
This battle took place in Virginia. The Union Army under Gen. Hooker is defeated by Robert E. Lee's much smaller forces. Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson is mortally wounded by his own soldiers. Union retreats with losses of 17,000 killed, wounded and missing out of 130,000. The Confederates had 13,000 out of 60,000 casalities. -
The Great Wall has Fallen
The South suffers a huge blow as Stonewall Jackson dies from his wounds from the battle of Chancellorville, his last words, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." -
Battle of Gettysburg
Over 165,000 soldiers participate in the largest battle in the Western Hemisphere. After three days of fighting, Lee retreats, leaving 4,000 dead Confederates. Total casualties: 23,000 Union, 28,000 Confederates -
Vicksburg
This battle took place in Mississippi, and resulted in the Union Victory. The last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, surrenders to Gen. Grant and the Army of the West after brutal fighting. With the Union now in control of the Mississippi, the Confederacy is effectively split in two, cut off from its western allies, and completeting the Anaconda Plan. -
Towns Lashing Out
Anti-draft riots in the streets of New York City include arson and the murder of blacks by poor immigrant whites. At least 120 persons, including children, are killed and $2 million in damage caused. -
Resignation
After the defeat at Gettysburg, General Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. However Davis refuses the request. -
The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's speech dedicating the military cemetary at Gettysburg. It boosted Northern morale and made them feel like there was a purpose behind the war. -
Andersonville
The first 500 prisoners of war arrive at the Confederate prison camp, Andersonville. This was the harshest prison camp of the Civil War. Many of the men held there did not survive because of the brutal conditions faced there. -
Fort Pillow Massacre
The Fort Pillow Massacre in Tennessee resulted in more than 300 African-American soldiers being killed. The Confederate refusal to treat these troops as traditional prisoners of war infuriated the North, and led to the Union’s refusal to take part in any mercy prisoner exchanges. -
Wade Davis Bill
This bill called for Congress, not the President to be incharge of the Reconstruction of the nation -
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness took place in a forest near Richmond, Virginia. This battle was won by the Confederacy. Lee's army refused to let Grant's pass. The battle lasted until May 7th. -
Cold Harbor
This Battle took place in Hanover County, Virginia. It lasted from May 31 – June 12, 1864. Gen. Grant lead frontal attack on fortified Confederate Llnes. Outcome resulted in Confederate Victory. The Union had 12,700 casualities and the Confederates had 1,500 casualities. -
Petersburg
The Battle of Petersburg was a series of battles around the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865. Beginning after the unsuccessful attack of the city of Petersburg by Ulysses S. Grant, Grant begins the age of Trench warfare around the eastern portion of Richmond to the outskirts of Petersburg. The city was a major supply hub to the confederate army led by Robert E. Lee, who finally abandoned the city and retreated resulting in a Union victory. -
Battle of Atlanta
In the west, Sherman, with 100,000 men begins an advance toward Atlanta to engage Joseph E. Johnston's 60,000 strong Army. Sherman's attack was successful meanging it was a Union victory with a total of 3,600 casualities for the North and 8,500 for the South -
McClellan Bounces Back
Democrats nominate George B. McClellan for president to run against Republican incumbent Abraham Lincoln. -
Lincoln Re-election
Lincoln is re-elected in 1864 defeating his opponent McClellan. -
Sherman March to Sea
A movement of the Union army troops of General William Tecumseh Sherman from Atlanta, Georgia, to the Georgia seacoast, with the object of destroying Confederate supplies. As a result the Union suffers three times as many casualties as the Confederacy. -
Reconstruction Era
Period of rebuildin the nation after the Civil War which lasted all the way to 1877. -
Lee Throws in the Towel
Robert E. Lee, refusing to see his troops suffer any further, hands over his sword and surrenders to Ulyssess S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House of Virginia. -
The President's Been Shot!
John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Fords Theater during a performance of My American Cousin. -
A Day of Mourning
President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning. -
The Next In Line
President Abraham Lincoln dies from his gunshot wound. Vice President Andrew Johnson steps up in line and becomes the President. -
Justice is Served
John Wilkes Booth is shot and killed in a tobacco barn in Virginia. -
Battle of Palmito Ranch
This battle took place in Texas, it was the very last battle of the Civil war. On the first day the Union evacuated under pressure, but returned the following morning moving toward their destination of Palmito Ranch. But the Confederate troops attacked, again forcing the Union troops to evacuate for good, but this time with a good number of casualties. It was a Confederate victory under Col. Ford. Soldiers of all races were involved in the fighting, Native-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics -
Juneteenth
General Granger arrives in Texas and spreads the word about the Emancipation Proclamation. It is now annually celebrated as holiday called Juneteenth. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment is ratified by three-quarters of the states. This amendment permenantly abolishes slavery in the United States. -
Klu Klux Klan
Creation of a secret organization that used violence to prevent African Americans from voting. -
Freedman's Bureau Bill
New Freedman's Bureau bill passed by Congress. President Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill that authorized military trial for those accused of "depriving Negroes of the Civil Rights" on the same day -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 granted same rights enjoyed by white citizens to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude."
President Andrew Johnson's veto of the bill was overturned by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, and the bill became law. -
Memphis Race Riots
Memphis experienced the worst race riot in the city's history, with forty-six African-Americans and two whites dead, five African American women raped and hundreds of African American homes and churches burned to the ground. -
Nickel
A nickel, in American usage, is a five-cent coin composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, the piece has been issued since 1866. -
Death of Another
Winifield Scott, United States Army general, dies in West Point, New York. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment is ratified. This gives civil rights to all the freed African Americans. -
Tennessee
Following the Civil War Tennessee becomes the first state readmitted to the Union. -
General of Armies
Congress establishes "general of the armies" and Ulysses S. Grant is immediately promoted to 4-star general and put in this position. William Tecumseh Sherman assumes the rank of Lt. General. -
Atlantic Cable
The first permanent transatlantic cable connected Europe and North America, allowing telegraphic messages to cross the ocean nearly instantly, though it still took about 24 hours to reach New York from the small fishing village in Newfoundland where the cable ended. -
New Orleans Massacre
The riot took place outside the Mechanics Institute in New Orleans. Former confederates, aided by the New Orleans police, fearful that the state would fall out of Southern, white control, attacked the gathering. Both the blacks and the delegates were targets and were shot even after raising white flags of surrender as they tried to flee the building where the convention was being held. 100 people were injured in the fighting and thirty-four blacks and three white Radicals were killed. -
African Americans Can Vote
African Americans given right to vote in Washington D.C. -
National Cemetery Act
The National Cemetery System was developed as a way to provide a respectable and honored burial location for Civil War soldiers killed defending the Union. These graves were meant to be used as a national cemetery for "soldiers who shall have died in the service of the country." This was the first U.S. legislation to set in motion the concept of a national cemetery. -
First Reconstruction Act
The First Reconstruction Act, also known as the Military Reconstruction Act, passed over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. The act applied to all the ex-Confederate states in the South, except Tennessee who had already ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. It split the states into five military districts, each under the control of a Northern General whose responsibility it was to protect life and property. It also demanded the need for provisions of equal rights for each citizen. -
Negros in Virginia
In Alexandria, Virginia, blacks' right to vote was stripped. -
2nd Reconstruction Act
The 2nd Reconstruction act was similar to the 1st but also established military commanders holding responsibility to register voters and hold elections in their territories. It also made two changes to the first, by requiring that every voter recite the registration oath promising their support to the constitution and their obedience to the law. -
Alaska
The United States reached an agreement to purchase Alaska from Russia for a price of $7.2 million. The Treaty with Russia was negotiated and signed by Secretary of State William Seward and Russian Minister to the United States Edouard de Stoeckl. -
Final Puzzle Pieces to the Puzzle
Congress passes a bill adding Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. -
Edwin Stanton
President Andrew Johnson demands the resignation of Edwin Stanton as Secretary of War.
