-
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered the loss of states in the union because the slaveholding south opposed Lincoln's ideas. -
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
President Lincoln's First Inaugural Address focused on reassuring the Southern states that the new president (Lincoln) would not try to strip them of their slaves. According to the address, he would try to find a way to secure slavery as well as reach a compromise. Though he did not make the move to abolish slavery, he made it clear that he would compel the South to pay about 80% of federal taxes and tariffs. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
After a 33-hour bombardment by Confederate cannons, Union forces surrender Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. The standoff was started by South Carolina's succession from the union. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
On April 27, 1861, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. This gave military authorities the power to silence rebels and people who did not support the union. Under this order, commanders could arrest and detain individuals who were threatening to military operations. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
The old Confederate Capital City was Montgomery, Alabama but they moved the capital to the City of Richmond, Virginia. It was moved to Richmond Virginia for strategic reasons such as it being closer to Washington D.C. as well as important rivers, etc. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Confederates had won this battle, but each side suffered casualties. Wake up call for warring nations. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America. He ran unopposed and was elected to serve for a six-year term. He served this position because he was voted in by people of the confederate states who believed in the individual rights of states and wanted to keep slavery. -
The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
Naval warfare that took place at Hampton Roads, Virginia, a harbour at the mouth of the James River. This battle is notable as history's first duel between ironclad warships and the beginning of a new era of naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
This event was one of the major early battles of the Civil War. The battle began when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. The union had won this battle -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee assumed command on June 1, 1862, in a battle to defend the city of Richmond from Union forces. Robert E. Lee was a skilled commander. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was a major battle in the war that stopped the Confederate invasion of Maryland, an advance of the Confederate army that was a great threat to Washington, D.C. The battle is a draw but in the end, it still helped the union because the south was stopped in its tracks. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia. Although the Union vastly outnumbered the Confederates they lost this battle which proved to be a major defeat for the Union Army. This battle signaled the low point of the war for the Union. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the nation approached its third year in the civil war. The proclamation declared that all slaves shall be free. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville resulted in a major Confederate victory as well as a major victory for Robert. E. Lee.It is also famous for being the battle in which Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson was mortally wounded. -
New York City draft riots
The New York Draft Riots occurred when the anger of working-class New Yorkers over a new federal draft law during the Civil War sparked five days of some of the bloodiest and most destructive rioting in U.S. history. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. This battle was a major point of the Civil War because Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
The Confederacy is torn apart when General John C. Pemberton surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Vicksburg, Mississippi. They surrendered because of heavy casualties and they were running low on supplies. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln delivered a message at the dedication of the Gettysburg Civil War Cemetery. This message was given so that Lincoln could memorialize the soldiers who died for the Union and he talked about the importance of their sacrifice. -
Atlanta is captured
Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman captures Atlanta, Georgia, a major Confederate city. They did this by cutting off supply lines and pushing out/ fighting off the confederates living in this area. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
In the middle of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln easily defeated the Democratic nominee, former General George B. McClellan. This meant Lincoln would serve another term as president. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
The purpose of this event was to frighten Georgia's citizens into abandoning the Confederate cause. Sherman's soldiers stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. This took place in the industrial section of Atlanta. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. -
Freedmen's Bureau is created
Congress passed an act that would provide food, shelter, land, etc. to Southerners who had no home after the war. This included newly freed African Americans from the civil war. -
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
At His Second Inauguration, Abraham Lincoln Tried to Unite the Nation as one. As the Civil War drew to a close, Lincoln spoke about how the North and South must work together to better itself in the future. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
Confederate defenses broke after a nine-month siege. The retreat of the army left Richmond defenseless. Fires destroyed parts of Richmond due to confederates setting fire to their supplies so the union could not use them -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. This effectively ends civil war. -
President Lincoln assassinated
While President Lincoln was in Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. he was shot at by John Wilkes Booth. This shot, unfortunately, killed lincoln and was the first assassination of a president in U.S. history. John Wilkes Booth shot lincoln because his ideas about slavery were different than his own. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
John Wilkes Booth is killed after Union soldiers track him down to a Virginia farm 12 days after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Booth was a confederate and killed Lincoln because he disagreed with his ideas.
You are not authorized to access this page.