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Civil War Timeline
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Lincoln's Cooper Union Address
Lincoln gives the Cooper Union Address in which he validated the Federal Government banning slavery in new territories. People say this is what helped Lincoln win him the presidency. -
Abraham Lincoln becomes President
Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th president of the United States. -
The Pony Express
Began going from Saint Louis, Missouri to Sacremento, California. It had 119 stations that were each 12 miles apart. They made it possible for more letters to be delivered in a more timely manner. -
Constitutional Union Party
Created a platform from the US Constitution and selects John Bell for President and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for Vice-President. It represents southern Whigs and Know-nothings (American Party). -
National Democratic Convention
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. -
James Chestnut Resigns
James Chestnut becomes the first southerner to resign from the Senate. His resignation is quickly followed by James H Hammond. -
First Call for Help at Fort Sumter
Major Robert Anderson reports that Fort Sumter is being threatened in Charleston as federal forces begin Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the harbor. -
Secession Convention
The first secession convention takes place in Columbia, South Carolina. -
Crittenden Compromise
an unsuccessful proposal introduced by United States Senator John J. Crittenden as last ditch effort to avoid a civil war by addressing grievances of states considering secession. -
South Carolina Secedes From The Union
South Carolina became the first slave state in the south to declare that it had removed itself from the United States. -
Mississippi Secedes From The Union
Mississippi becomes the second southern state to declare its secession from the United States of America. -
Florida Secedes From The Union
Florida becomes the third southern state to secede from the Untied States -
Alabama Secedes From The Union
Alabama becomes the fourth state to secede from the Union. -
Georgia Secedes From The Union
Georgia becomes the fifth state to secede from the United States. -
Louisiana Secedes From The Union
Louisiana becomes the sixth state to secede from the United States. -
Texas Secedes From The Union
Texas becomes the seventh state to secede from the United States. -
Virginia Secedes From The Union
Virginia becomes the eighth state to secede from the United States. -
North Carolina Secedes From The Union
North Carolina becomes the tenth state to secede from the United States. -
Tennessee Secedes From The Union
Tennessee becomes the eleventh and final state to secede from the union. -
First Battle of Bull Run
also known as the "first Manassas", this battle was fought in Prince William Country, Virginia near the town Manassas. This was the first major land battle of the American civil war. -
General Ulysses S. Grant has a Victory
Victory for General Ulysses S. Grant in Tennessee, capturing Fort Henry, and ten days later Fort Donelson. Grant earns the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant. -
Battle of Ironclads
the CSS Virginia, a captured and rebuilt Union steam frigate formerly known as the Merrimac, engages the USS Monitor in the first battle between iron-fortified naval vessels in history. -
Battle of Shiloh
the second great battle of the American Civil War; the battle ended with the withdrawal of Confederate troops but it was not a Union victory -
Capture of New Orleans
17 Union ships under the command of Flag Officer David Farragut move up the Mississippi River then take New Orleans, the South's greatest seaport. -
Battle of Williamsburg
First battle of the Peninsula Campaign between the Union and Confederate armies. Union army met the Confederate rearguard, under James Longstreet, in a daylong and indecisive battle. -
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines as Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army attacks McClellan's troops in front of Richmond and nearly defeats them. But Johnston is badly wounded. -
Battle of Baton Rouge
Failed Confederate attempt to recapture Baton Rouge, defeated in part by Union gunboats on the river. -
Battle of Harpers Ferry
Lee sent an army led by General Stonewall Jackson to Harpers Ferry in efforts to capture the vital Union garrison there in the rear of his invading army. Colonel Dixon S. Miles unwillingly surrendered and Jackson captured Harpers Ferry. -
Battle of Antietam
also called Battle of Sharpsburg, a decisive engagement in the American Civil War that halted the Confederate advance on Maryland for the purpose of gaining military supplies. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Army of the Potomac under Gen. Burnside suffers a costly defeat at Fredericksburg in Virginia with a loss of 12,653 men after 14 frontal assaults on well entrenched Rebels on Marye's Heights. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln issues the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Union Army under Gen. Hooker is decisively defeated by Lee's much smaller forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia. Considered to be one of Lee's greatest victories. -
Stonewall Jackson Dies
Stonewall Jackson passes away due to a wound during the battle at Chancellorsville that eventually lead to an infection. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Considered the the battle with the largest amount of casualties in the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launched his second invasion of the Northern states and the opposing forces collided at the crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -
Fall of Vicksburg
the Confederates surrender Vicksburg, their last stronghold on the Mississippi river, to General Grant and the Army of the West after a six week siege. With the Union now in control of the Mississippi, the Confederacy is effectively split in two, cut off from its western allies. -
Douglass meets Lincoln
Abolitionist Fredrick Douglass meets with president Lincoln to demand for equal pay for black soldiers. -
Lawrence Massacre
At Lawrence, Kansas, pro-Confederate William C. Quantrill and 450 pro-slavery followers raid the town and butcher 182 boys and men. -
Battle of Chickamauga
marked a huge Confederate victory lead General Braxton Bragg's Army, which left General William S. Rosecrans' Union Army trapped in Chattanooga, Tennessee under Confederate siege. -
Gettysburg Address
A speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Lincoln was speaking at the dedication of a soldiers' cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Battle of Missionary Ridge
Union soldiers assaulted and carried the seemingly unbeatable Confederate position on Missionary Ridge. This battle was fought as apart of the Chattanooga Campaign. -
Battle of Olustee
Also known as battle of Ocean Pond, battle fought in Baker County Florida. It was a Confederate victory over a Union invasion of north eastern Florida. -
Battle of The Wilderness
Began General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against the Confederate army of Northern Virginia that ultimately forced General Lee's men back to the defenses at Richmond. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
three Union corps lunged forward in a massive frontal attack against Confederate lines at Cold Harbor, Virginia. As many as 7,000 Union troops were killed, wounded, or missing. -
Second Battle of Petersburg
Union forces miss an opportunity to capture Petersburg and cut off the Confederate rail lines. As a result, a nine month siege of Petersburg begins with Grant's forces surrounding Lee. -
Sherman Captures Atlanta
Union General William Sherman captures Atlanta after a five month long campaign. -
Battle of Cedar Creek
Surprise Confederate attack on Sheridan’s army that happened while Sheridan was returning from Washington. It was a Union victory led by Cavalry General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley. -
Lincoln's Re-elected
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected president, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Union General Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia as a way to frighten Georgia's civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. -
Battle of Nashville
Union victory that destroys General Hood’s Army of the Tennessee. The Confederate army was nearly destroyed when a Union army commanded by General George Thomas swarmed over the Rebel trenches around Nashville. -
Sherman Captures Savannah
Sherman captures the important port city of Savannah at the end of his March to the Sea. -
Second Battle of Fort Fisher
Union victory that finally isolated Wilmington, the last port capable of helping Lee's army. -
Hampton Road Conference
President Lincoln, Confederate Vice-president Alexander Stephens and other officials to discuss peace terms at the Hampton Roads Conference near Fort Monroe. The conference was a failure. -
Battle of Fort Stedman
Confederates attack Fort Stedman, on siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia. The Union was attacked by Confederate troops led by General John B. Gordon. -
Battle of Five Forks
Union troops overwhelmed their opponents, forcing the Army of Northern Virginia to abandon Petersburg. The two armies began a race that would end a week later at Appomattox Court House. -
Third Battle of Petersburg
Grant's forces begin a general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate General Ambrose P. Hill is killed and Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. -
General Lee Surrenders
After attempting to break-out of the Appomattox Courthouse, Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysess S. Grant at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox Court House. -
Lincoln's Assassinated
President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, while he was watching a stage play at Ford’s Theater. -
End of the Civil War
Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Sherman near Durham in North Carolina. -
Davis is Captured
Jefferson Davis captured in Georgia, on his way to Texas by a detachment of Union General James H. Wilson’s cavalry. -
The Thirteenth Amendment is Ratified
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is finally ratified. Slavery is abolished. -
Freedman's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau bill helped freed slaves in the south during reconstruction after the Civil War. -
Texas Repeals
Texas repeals the actions of the Secessionist Convention -
Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act
President Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 because he states that it is unconstitutional. -
Proclamation on the End of the Confederate Insurrection
The US declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia -
Ford's Theater
Congress buys Ford's Theater, the place where Lincoln was shot, for $ 100,000. They then made it into the Army Medical Museum. -
Civil Rights Acts is Passed
The Act was passed by Congress over the veto of President Andrew Johnson and declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition. -
The 14th Amendment is Approved
Congress approves The 14th Amendment to the Constitution. -
Tennessee Readmitted into the US
After the Civil War, Tennessee was the first state to be readmitted into the Union. -
Admiral is Created
Congress creates the rank of Admiral and David Farragut is appointed Admiral. -
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. -
Black Suffrage in DC
Blacks in Washington DC gain the right to vote in a bill passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto -
Nebraska Becomes a State
The state of Nebraska is added to the Union. -
First Reconstruction Act passed
The First Reconstruction Act is passed over Johnson's veto. It divided the South into five conquered districts, each of which would be governed by the U.S. military until a new government was established. -
Tenure Office Act
A federal law that prevented the president from removing congressmen from office without approval from the Senate. -
Alexandria Rejects Black Vote
Alexandria, Virginia rejects thousand of votes cast by Negroes, who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
General Philip Sheridan
General Philip Sheridan assumes command of the 5th Military district surrounding Louisiana and Texas. He designated New Orleans as his headquarters. -
Second Reconstruction Act passed
Congress passes the Second Reconstruction Act, putting the military in charge of southern voter registration -
Seward's Folly
William P. Seward signs a treaty with Russia buying Alaska for 2 cents an acre. Democrats called it "Seward's Folly" -
Admission to the Union
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas were refused admission into the Union because they refused to ratify the 14th amendment. -
Third Reconstruction Act is passed
Congress passes the Third Reconstruction Act gave supreme power to the five Union generals overseeing Reconstruction in the five districts of the South.
