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Cooper Union Speech
Speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln on February 27, 1860, at Cooper Union, in New York City. Lincoln elaborated his views on slavery by affirming that he did not wish it to be expanded into the western territories and claiming that the Founding Fathers would agree with this position -
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail. It was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell, all of whom were notable in the freighting business -
Democratic Convention
This was the Democratic Convention of 1860 where Stephen Douglass was nominated for his party for the presidency. -
Constitution Union Party Meeting
This meeting elects John Bell of Tennessee for President and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for Vice-President. It represents southern Whigs and Know-nothings -
Veto of the Homestead Bill
A Homestead Bill, providing federal land grants to Western settlers, is vetoed by President Buchanan under pressure from the South. The veto divides Buchanan's Democratic party, clearing the way for Abraham Lincoln's election in a three-way race. -
Stone's Prairie Riot
rally involved around 7000 participants. Democrats appeared, expecting to hear their candidates in a debate. They were instead treated to a podium of Republicans, whom they heckled. Shots were fired at the Democrats after the rally -
Lincoln Nomination
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th president of the United States in the race against Stephen Douglass, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. He won the electoral vote but not the popular vote -
Drought in Kansas
There is a very big drought in Kansas and crops are beginning to fail and many people are growing ill -
Crittenden Compromise
This was an unsuccessful proposal brought by U.S Senator John Crittenden aimed to solve to secession crisis. It was unsuccessful and states still seceded from the union -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina Secedes from the Union after Lincoln is elected as president. This is the first state to leave the Union -
Mississippi Secedes
Mississippi is the second state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Florida Secedes
Florida is the third state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Alabama Secedes
Alabama is the fourth state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Louisiana Secedes
Louisiana is the sixth state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Texas Secedes
Texas is the seventh state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Fort Sumter
Battle fought in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This is the unofficial start of the Civil War -
Virginia Secedes
Virginia is the eighth state to secede from the Union. The secession leads to the split of Virginia into Virginia and West Virginia -
Arkansas Secedes
Arkansas is the ninth state to secede from the Union. It is following the trend to be a part of the Confederate States of America -
Tennessee Secedes
Tennessee is the last state to secede in the union. No more states will join the confederacy -
First Battle of Bull Run
This battle is the official start to the Civil War. This battle is a victory for the Confederates -
Battle of Mill Springs
This battle was fought in Mill Springs, Kentucky. The Union was victorious here -
Fort Henry
Battle fought in Fort Henry in Tennessee. The Confederates surrendered here and the Union is victorious. -
Fort Donelson
Battle was fought in Fort Donelson, Tennessee. The Confederates surrendered to the Union here. This is how Grant got his nickname of "Unconditional Surrender" -
Davis is Elected
Jefferson Davis is elected as the President of the Confederate States of America. He is the first and only president -
Battle of Hampton Road
Also referred to as the Battle of the Ironclads. This was the biggest naval battle throughout the Civil War -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle takes place at Shiloh church in Tennessee and is very violent. The winner of this battle is the Union, even though both sides lost a great number of men -
Seven Days Battles
Battles that took place over the course of seven days including Glen Dale and Oak Grove. These battle were a success for the Confederates. Started June 25, 1862 and ended July 1st, 1862 -
Second Battle of Bull Run
This is the second time the Union and the Confederates face off at Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia. This was another victory for the Confederates -
Battle of South Mountain
This battle was fought at South Mountain, Maryland. This battle finally was a victory for the Union. -
Battle of Antietam
Battle was fought in Sharpsburg, Maryland and was the bloodiest single day battle. The Union technically wins, but McClellan retreats -
Emancipation Proclamation
On this day the Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation was the freedom of slaves in the South developed by Lincoln -
Conscription.
Conscription is the act of drafting soldiers in the military. On this day, conscription starts in the North -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This battle was fought in Chancellorsville, Virginia. This battle was a Confederate victory; Lee hurts Jackson really badly and this leads to his death. -
Stonewall Jackson Dies
On this day, Stonewall Jackson dies. This was after the Battle of Chancellorsville when General Lee hurt him very badly -
Siege of Vicksburg
Battle in Vicksburg, Mississippi that was a victory for the Union. This victory allowed the Union to gain control of the Mississippi River -
The Battle Of Gettysburg
3 day battle fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania which was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. This result was a union victory, and an overall turning point in the war for the North -
Battle of Chickamauga
A two day battle fought in Chickmauga, Georgia. The confederates won this battle -
Gettysburg Address
Famous two minute speech given by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This is one of the most famous speeches of the Civil War and world history. -
Battle for Chattanooga
A great effort between the North and South to gain control of Chattanooga, Tennessee in a three day battle. The outcome was a victory for the North -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
Lincoln Issues his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. This would pardon those who participated in the "existing rebellion" if they take an oath to the Union. -
Battle of the Wilderness
The opening battle of the "Overland Campaign" or "Wilderness Campaign". General Ulysses S. Grant, accompanying the Army of the Potomac under General Meade, issued orders for the campaign to begin on May 3. Lee responded by attacking the Union column in the dense woods and underbrush of an area known as the Wilderness, west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War that lasted 13 days -
Battle of Resaca
General Sherman's armies are blocked at Resaca by General Johnston's Army of Tennessee. After two days of maneuvering and intense fighting, Johnston withdraws. Sherman will advance but take precautions against ordering any further massed assaults where high casualties may occur. -
Battle of New Market
This battle was fought in the county of Shenandoah, Virginia. This was a victory for the Confederate troops -
Battle of Cold Harbor
Series of battles fought during Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War. Started May 31st and ended June 12th -
Battle of Crossroads
In spite of being outnumbered almost two to one, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest attacks and routs the Union command under General Samuel Sturgis. -
Siege of Petersburg
After withdrawing from the lines at Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac crossed the James River and with troops from the Army of the James attacked the outer defenses of Petersburg, the primary junction for several southern railroads. After four days of bloody attacks, Grant accepts that only a siege can systematically isolate the city and cut off Confederate supplies to the capital of Richmond. -
Battle of Cherbourg
The USS Kearsarge sinks the Confederate raider CSS Alabama near Cherbourg, France. This is also considered the Battle of Cherbourg -
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia.The result was a Union Victory -
Election of 1864
In the election of 1864, Lincoln wins the presidency with the popular vote of 55%. He was running against McClellan which was very ironic -
Wilmington Falls to Union
Wilmington, NC, falls to Union troops, closing the last important southern port on the east coast. -
Battle of Five Forks
The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. -
Fall of Petersburg and Richmond
General Lee abandons both cities and moves his army west in hopes of joining Confederate forces under General Johnston in North Carolina. -
Battle of Sailor's Creek
A portion of Lee's Army- almost one-third of it- is cornered along the banks of Sailor's Creek and annihilated. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender
After an early morning attempt to break through Union forces blocking the route west to Danville, Virginia, Lee seeks an audience with General Grant to discuss terms. That afternoon in the parlor of Wilmer McLean, Lee signs the document of surrender. -
Lincoln's Assassination
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. -
Fort Sumter Re-occupation by Union
On the same day as President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Fort Sumter, South Carolina is re-occupied by Union troops. -
Surrender of the Confederate Army of Tennessee
General Joseph Johnston signs the surrender document for the Confederate Army of the Tennessee and miscellaneous southern troops attached to his command at Bennett's Place near Durham, North Carolina. -
Battle of Palmito
The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory. -
Mississippi Theater Surrender
General Simon Bolivar Buckner enters into terms for surrender of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi. The Civil War officially ends. -
Fisk University
Fisk University is a private historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 granted citizenship and the 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." -
Memphis Riot
The three day riot began when a white police officer attempted to arrest a black ex-soldier and an estimated fifty blacks showed up to stop the police from jailing him. -
Renewal of the Charter of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedman, and Abandoned lands
Congress renewed the charter for the bureau on this day. This was to provide assistance to tens of thousands of former slaves and impoverished whites in the Southern States and the District of Columbia. -
Judicial Circuits Act
reorganized the United States circuit courts and provided for the gradual elimination of several seats on the Supreme Court of the United States. -
Tennessee Readmitted
Tennessee is the first confederate state to be readmitted into the union. -
New Orleans Riot
A violent conflict in which whites attacked blacks parading outside the Mechanics Institute in New Orleans, where a reconvened Louisiana Constitutional Convention was being held -
National Union Convention
The National Union Convention was held on August 14, 15, and 16 1866, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Peace with Texas
The United States makes peace with Texas and they are brought back into the Union -
United States House of Representatives Elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1866 to elect Representatives to the 40th United States Congress -
First Reconstruction Act
Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson’s veto of a bill granting all adult male citizens of the District of Columbia the right to vote, and the bill becomes law. It was the first law in American history that granted African-American men the right to vote. -
Peabody Education Fund Established
Peabody Education Fund was established by George Peabody in 1867 for the purpose of promoting "intellectual, moral, and industrial education in the most destitute portion of the Southern States." -
Nebraska
Nebraska, which was admitted to the union as the 37th state on March 1, 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War, contains some of the nation's best ranchland and farmland. -
Tenure of Office Act
A United States federal law that was intended to restrict the power of the President of the United States to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate. -
Virginia Disregards Reconstruction Act
Alexandria, Virginia rejects thousand of votes cast by Negroes, who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
Second Reconstruction Act
It established and clarified that the military commanders held responsibility to register voters and hold elections in their territories. It required that every voter recite the registration oath promising their support to the constitution and their obedience to the law. -
Purchase of 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. -
Johnson's Amnesty Proclamation
President Johnson issued a proclamation granting amnesty to all persons who have directly or indirectly taken part in the rebellion, with the restoration of all rights of property except as to slaves, and except in cases where legal proceedings have been instituted for the confiscation of property, -
Third Reconstruction Act
The third of the Reconstruction Acts gave supreme power to the five Union generals overseeing Reconstruction in the five districts of the South. -
Grant is Secretary Of War
Johnson suspends Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and appoints General Ulysses S. Grant secretary ad interim
