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Pony Express
The Pony Express was a mail service that delivered messages, newspapers, and mail. It was the West's most direct form of east-west communication before the telegraph. As the Civil War approached, the need for a faster way to get mail to and from the westernmost states grew. During the Civil War, the Pony Express was nearly forgotten about. -
The Constitutional Union Party Convention
The Constitutional Union Party was a political party made up of many former Whigs who wanted to avoid secession over issues on slavery. In 1860, the party held a convention and nominated John Bell for president. -
Theodore Parker Dies
Theodore Parker was a reformer and abolitionist. He spoke openly about how he was against slavery. His words were later used in speeches by Abraham Lincoln. -
Abraham Lincoln nominated president
For the 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln was selected as the U.S presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Lincoln's popularity came from the Senate race in 1858, even though Lincoln lost to Stephen Douglas, the race brought attention to the young Republican Party. -
Stone's Prairie Riot
A young adult organization cultivated by the Republican Party, known as the Wide Awakes, had a riot in Illinois with Democratic supporters of Stephen A. Douglas. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. Southerners were concerned that Lincoln may threaten their way of life, because Lincoln was completely against slavery. -
Secession Convention
Delegates met in Columbia, South Carolina to discuss the southerns idea of succeeding. -
Crittenden Compromise
Kentucky Senator, John J. Crittenden, proposed the Crittenden Compromise in a hope to resolve the U.S secession crisis. It included six proposed constitutional amendments and four Congressional resolutions. The compromise pleased the south more, and it was rejected by most Northern Republicans, including President-elect Abraham Lincoln. The Crittenden Compromise ultimately failed. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina was the first slave state to secede from the Union. The states started to secede because of Lincoln's threats to abolish slavery. -
South Carolina Reasoning
South Carolina's government issued the "Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union." This explained South Carolina's reasons for seceding from the United States. -
Mississippi Secedes
Mississippi was the second slave state to secede from the Union. -
Florida Secedes
Florida was the third slave state to secede from the Union. Only a day after Mississippi. -
Alabama Secedes
Alabama was the fourth slave state to secede from the Union. Only a day after Florida. -
Georgia Secedes
Shortly after Alabama, Georgia became the fifth slave state to secede from the Union. -
Louisianan Secedes
Louisianan was the sixth slave state to secede from the Union. -
Texas Secedes
On February 1st, 1861, Texas was the seventh slave state to secede from the Union. -
Fort Sumter
Southern troops demanded the surrender of Fort Sumter, but Lincoln refused to send any supplies besides food. Jefferson Davis took charge and declared war. -
Virginia Secedes
Virginia was the eighth slave state to secede from the Union. -
Arkansas Secedes
Arkansas was the ninth slave state to secede from the Union on May 6th. -
North Carolina Secedes
Days after Arkansas seceded, North Carolina became the tenth slave state to secede from the Union. -
Tennessee Secedes
Tennessee was the eleventh and last slave state to secede from the Union, months after South Carolina. The only slate states that stayed part of the Union were Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Outside of Washington D.C, the Union and Confederates had their first major land battle. The Union forces marched to Bull Run, the Confederates were able to rally back. The Union armies had to retreat. -
Fort Henry
General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee. First major victory for the Union. -
Fort Donelson
Union general, Ulysses S. Grant, attacked Fort Donelson, Tennesse. The next day, General Grant captures Fort Donelson. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated as president of the Confederate States of America. -
The Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a victory for the Union. It pushed the Confederacy out of Missouri. -
The Battle of Hampton Roads
This battle was the most important naval battle during the Civil War. This was the first battle where two ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, were used in combat. The battle was caused by the Confederacy's effort to break the Union's blockage. -
Revoking the Fugitive Slave Law
The U.S. federal government told all Union armies not to return fugitive slaves. This broke the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and it set the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Shiloh
Grant gathered his troops at a church in Tennessee. Confederates take Grant by surprise, but Grant was able to counterattack, and push the Rebels back. The Battle of Shiloh used different war tactics, like trench warfare. -
Capture New Orleans
Union Admiral Davis Farragut was able to capture New Orleans and secured Mississippi for the Union. -
Seven Day's Battle
Robert E. Lee moved against McClellan between York and James River. Although Lee had less men, McClellan retreated on July 1st, 1862. -
Battle of Antietam
In Maryland, the bloodiest single day battle happened on September 17th, 1862. The Confederate Army was greatly weakened and about to retreat, but McClellan still retreated. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issued this proclamation on January 1st, 1863. The proclamation said that within the rebellious slates, all slaves are free. -
Battle of Arkansas Post
From January 9th - 11th, General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter captures the Arkansas River for the Union. The purpose of this was to get closer to Vicksburg, but it did not help them move closer. -
Enrollment Act
To help supply the Union with more men, the United States Congress passed the Enrollment Act. This meant that men between the ages of 20 and 45 must be enrolled. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
General Robert E. Lee defeats Union forces. This is the battle where Stonewall Jackson was injured, which lead to his death. -
Battle of Jackson
General Ulysses S. Grant defeats Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. This was important because it opened the way for the Siege of Vicksburg. -
54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
This was one of the first official African- American units in the U.S. armed forces during the Civil War. -
West Virginia
West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S state. -
Battle of Gettysburg
On July 1st, General Robert E. Lee's troops crashed into a Union army, lead by General George Gordon Meade, on their way towards Pennsylvanian. General Lee gave orders to attack. On July 3rd, General Lee had to retreat after loosing thousands of men. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the war in the Union's favor -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Union captured Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4th. This was significant because the victory gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River, and it split the Confederacy into two. -
Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln delivers one of his most famous speeches in dedication of a cemetery for the Union soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Commander in Chief
President Abraham Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander in Chief of all Union armies. -
Battle of Ware Bottom Church
The Confederates army, led by P.G.T Beauregard, defeats Union forces in Virginia. -
Arlington National Cemetery
The Arlington National Cemetery was established on June 12, 1864. 200 acres were set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton. -
Battle of Kernstown
General Jubal Early for the Confederacy defeated Union troops led by General George Cook in order to try and keep the Union out of Shenandoah Valley. -
Battle of Mobile Bay
Admiral David Farragut led a fleet of naval ships to Mobile Bay, Alabama. Farragut seals one of the last major Southern ports -
Battle of Globe Tavern
Union General Ulysses S. Grant attacked Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, in an attempt to destroy vital Confederate supply lines into Petersburg, Virginia. -
Battle of Cedar Creek
Philip Sheridan lead his Union troops on a surprise attack on Confederate troops. Sheridan defeated the supersized Confederate forces, and ended the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. -
Nevada Becomes Part of the U.S
Nevada became the 36th state of the United States. It was given the nickname "Battle Born State," because it became a state during the Civil War. -
Battle of Tom's Brook
The Union is victorious against Confederate forces in Shenandoah County, Virginia during the Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. -
Election of 1864
Abraham Lincoln is reelected. Lincoln had an impressive victory over George B. McClellan. -
Battle of Bentonville
On March 19th, the battle was fought in Bentonville, North Carolina. By March 21st, the Union had made the Confederate forces retreat from Four Oaks, North Carolina. -
Fort Stedman
Confederate forces capture Fort Stedman in Virginia. But, the Confederacy suffers many deaths. -
Evacuation Sunday
Jefferson Davis and other Confederate committee members flee Richmond, Virginia. -
Lee's Surrenders
Confederate Robert E. Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet at Appomattox Court House to draw terms of surrender. -
Assignation Of Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head at Ford's Theater. Lincoln dies from the wound the next day. -
Inauguration
After President Abraham Lincoln is killed, Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th president of the United States. -
John Wilkes Booth Death
In Virginia, Thomas P. "Boston" Corbett kills John Wilkes Booth. -
Resistance East of the Mississippi
Lieutenant General Richard Taylor commands all Confederate forces to surrender in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. This ends all resistance east of the Mississippi. -
Last Land Action
The Battle of Palmito Ranch was the last land action battle for the Civil War more than a month after the surrender of Robert E. Lee. -
Grand Review of the Armies
Union troops parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C, to celebrate the end of the Civil War. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first federal legislation to protect the rights of African-Americans. Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill, but Congress overrides the veto on April 9th. -
Memphis Race Riot
In Memphis, Tennessee, 46 blacks were killed by white civilians. Churches, schools, and houses were also destroyed. -
U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
As part of the Reconstruction era, Congress renewed the charter for the Bureau. This helped newly freed African-Americans in the United States. -
United States Judicial Circuits Act
This act reduces the number of circuit courts to nine and the number of Supreme Court justices to seven. -
Tennessee Readmitted
Tennessee was the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. -
General of Army
After fighting fiercely during the Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first person to receive the ranking, "General of Army." -
New Orleans Riot
Whites attacked a group of blacks parading in front of Mechanics Institute, in New Orleans. 40 men died, and 150 were wounded. -
National Union Convention
Delegates met with President Johnson in Philadelphia to discuss ways to help President Johnson appease both the Radical Republicans and more modern republicans. -
Peace With Texas
President Andrew Johnson issued a proclamation of peace with Texas -
Elections for the United States House of Representatives
The election for who would be in the House of Representatives for the 40th United States Congress happened a year after the end of the Civil War. -
The Peabody Fund Established
The Peabody Fund provided money and teachers for the education of newly freed slaves. -
Nebraska Is Admitted
Nebraska is admitted as the 37th U.S State. -
1st Reconstruction Act
The North was angered that the South would be returning their former Confederate leaders to power, so they passed the 1st Reconstruction Act, which divided the South into five military districts and outlined how the new governments would be designed -
Peonage
Peonage is a system when an employer compels a worker to pay off a debt with work. On March 2nd, peonage was outlawed by Congress. -
Tenure of Office Act
This Act was an United States federal law that was meant to restrict the power of the president. So now, the president could not remove certain office holders without the approval of the Senate. -
2nd Reconstruction Act
The First Reconstruction Act left out whose role it was to reinforce the legislation. The Second Act clarified and stated that is was the military commanders who are responsible to register voters and elections in their territories. -
Blacks Voting
In Tuscumbia, Alabama, blacks voted in the municipal election. -
Protest Ride-Ins
To protest segregation in New Orleans, blacks staged a ride-in. -
3rd Reconstruction Act
This Third Reconstruction Act gave supreme power to the five Union generals controlling Reconstruction in the five districts of the South. These generals had the right to remove any official from office if the Union generals belived the officials delayed the process of Reconstruction. -
Robert T. Freeman
Robert T. Freeman is the first black man to graduate from Harvard Dental School at the age of 21. He was accepted into the school on September 1st, 1867
