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Period: to
Civil War: 1860-1867
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Davis: Changes of Opinion
First time Jefferson Davis says he is for the secession. -
Cooper Union Speech
Abe Lincoln gives this speech in New York prior to his presidency. -
The Pony Express
A mail service begun delivering messages, newspapers, and mail. This would become helpful in the future during war times for the spread of news quicker, for families to receive mail from relatives who are soldiers, or send mail themselves. -
National Democratic Convention
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach. -
Abe Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States on November 6th, 1860 and is the first Republican president who opposes slavery. -
Georgia Wants Independence
Georgia calls for a convention of Southern states to form an independent nation. -
Secession Beginnings
In Columbia, South Carolina the first meeting about secession is held. -
Crittenden Compromise
A compromise proposed by John J. Crittenden to resolve the secession crisis in the United States during the American Civil War. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina becomes the first state to remove themselves from the Union. -
The Beginnings
Charleston, South Carolina is notified by telegraph that a man of war with troops is on the way. -
Birth of the Confederacy
The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution forming the Confederate States of America. -
Jefferson Elected
Jefferson Davis is appointed President of the official Confederate States of America at Montgomery, Alabama, a position he will hold until elections can be arranged. -
Lincoln Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth president of the United States in Washington, DC. -
Civil War Begins
Southern forces fire upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Civil War has formally begun. -
Battle of Big Bethel
This marks the first land battle of the Civil War in Virginia. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was fought near Manassas, Virginia. The Union Army under General Irwin McDowell initially succeeds in driving back Confederate forces. However the arrival of troops under General Joseph E. Johnston, initiates a series of reverses that sends McDowell's Union army in a panicked retreat. This battle marks where Stonewall Jackson gets his nickname. -
Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri
The Union Army under General Nathaniel Lyon, attack Confederate troops and state militia southwest of Springfield, Missouri, and after a terrible day that included the death of Lyon, are thrown back. (Confederate Victory) -
Fort Hatteras Falls
Fort Hatteras at Cape Hatteras, NC, falls to the Union's naval forces. This begins the first Union efforts to close southern ports along the Carolina coast. -
The Fall of Lexington
Lexington, Missouri falls to Confederate forces under Sterling Price. -
Lincoln Appoints McClellan
November 1, 1861 -general-in-chief of all Union forces after the resignation of the aged Winfield Scott. -
Battle of Mill Springs
This battle was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties in Kentucky. The Union victory concluded an early Confederate offensive campaign in eastern Kentucky. -
Fort Donelson Surrenders
Ulysses S. Grant advanced 12 miles cross-country to invest Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. Fort Donelson then surrendered to union commander Ulysses S. Grant. -
Battle of Shiloh
A major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. featured a conflict with a church in Tennessee. Known for trenches and building ditches. -
Farragut Captures 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
Battle located in Virginia. It was a part of the Peninsula Campaign. -
Lincoln Signs the Homestead Act
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. -
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines also known as Fair Oaks was also a part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. -
Lee takes command of the Army of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee took command after Johnston was wounded, and Smith suffered what may have been a nervous breakdown, at the Battle of Seven Pines. -
Seven Days Battle
The Seven Days Battles were a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. -
President Lincoln presents the Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln presents the Emancipation Proclamation for the first time to his Cabinet, We know that this will later free the slaves of the United States. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abe Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is put into affect and it ended slavery. Although it technically ended slavery, we know that its affects and troubles still progressed further into history. -
The Battle of Arkansas Post
This was considered a "stepping stone" to Vicksburg. It was a combined land-river assault by Union forces on the Confederate Fort Hindman, which loomed over a bend in the Arkansas River. -
Sherman Begins Meridian Campaign
Union General William T. Sherman begins the Meridian Campaign in Mississippi. It was a large swath of damage and destruction was inflicted on Central Mississippi as Sherman marched across the state and back. -
Lincoln signs the Conscription Act
Abraham Lincoln signs the Conscription Act, creating the first national military draft in American history. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45, including aliens with the intention of becoming citizens, by April 1. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle begins in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Lee's victory at Chancellorsville is widely considered to be his greatest of the entire war. -
Death of Stonewall Jackson
Confederate Lieutenant General Stonewall Jackson commanded the famous flank march at Chancellorsville in May. The same night as that victory, May 2, 1863, Jackson was wounded by friendly fire while making a reconnaissance with a member of his staff. He died eight days later on May 10 from pneumonia, -
First Assault on Vicksburg
Anxious for a quick victory, Grant made a hasty reconnaissance of the Vicksburg defenses and ordered an assault. Union artillery opened fire and bombarded the Confederate works with solid shot and shell. -
Battle of Gettysburg Begins
This marks the first day of the battle of Gettysburg. The North gets to high ground immediately giving them an advantage. North has more men and weapons. -
Battle of Gettysburg Concludes - North Victory
July 3rd marks the last day of the Gettysburg Battle. It was an extremely important battle, some may even consider it the turning point for the North's overall war victory. -
The Gettysburg Address
President Abe Lincoln gives his utmost famous "Gettysburg Address" speech. It discusses how the site of the Battle of Gettysburg will be used as a cemetery for both Union and Confederate soldiers. It expressed unification or nationalism. -
South's Failed Attempt at Athens, AL
Confederate force fails in its attempt to take Athens, Alabama. Confederate cavalry, numbering about 600 men, attacked Athens, held by about 100 Union troops. After a two-hour battle, the Confederates retreated. -
First Successful Submarine Attack of the Civil War
The CSS H.L. Hunley, a seven-man submergible craft, attacked the USS Houstonic outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Struck by the submarine's torpedo, the Housatonic broke apart and sank, taking all but five of her crew with her. Likewise, the Hunley was also lost and never heard from again until discovered in 1995 at the spot where it sank after the attack. -
Grant's Promotion
Union commander is promoted to Lieutenant General. He will now command all Union Armies throughout the United States. -
The Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana
The Union Army under Banks defeats the attempt by Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor to drive them out of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the result of the campaign would be less than desired as it drew to a close in the first week of May. -
Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia
This was the opening battle of the "Overland Campaign" or "Wilderness Campaign". General Ulysses S. Grant, accompanying 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. -
The Battle of Spotsylvania
General Grant starts to attack Lee. At Spotsylvania Court House, he fought for five days, vowing to fight all summer if necessary. -
Fall of Atlanta
Fall of Atlanta, Georgia. Confederate troops under General Hood evacuate the city of Atlanta. General Sherman's army occupies the city and its defenses the following day. -
The Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia
October 19, 1864- The Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia. Jubal Early's Confederates successfully attack and drive troops of the Army of the Shenandoah from their camps on the banks of Cedar Creek. General Philip Sheridan rides southward, rallying dispirited troops who return to the battlefield. Despite several attempts to disrupt the Union advance in the coming weeks, the battle for control of the Shenandoah Valley ends. -
Lincoln's Re-election
President Lincoln is re-elected defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Lincoln carries all but three states with 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 of 233 electoral votes. -
The End to Sherman's Path of Destruction
Sherman reaches Savannah in Georgia leaving behind a 300 mile long path of destruction 60 miles wide all the way from Atlanta. Sherman then telegraphs Lincoln, offering him Savannah as a Christmas present. -
Fort Fisher Stormed (Second Battle of Fort Fisher)
Fort Fisher on the North Carolina shore was the last coastal stronghold of the Confederacy. The fort protected blockade running vessels entering and departing Wilmington, the South's last open seaport on the Atlantic coast.After heavy fighting, Ames eventually gained the inside of the fort, and the Navy's heavy guns silenced the Confederate batteries. -
John Breckinridge named Confederate Secretary of War
Breckinridge accepted a post in the Confederacy as brigadier general, and was quickly promoted to major general. However in February 1865, Breckinridge received the appointment of Secretary of War by Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. -
Confederate Congress Adjourns
The Second Confederate Congress adjourned after its second session on March 18, 1865, never to reconvene due to the military defeat of the Confederacy. -
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House
Lee hoped at Appomattox Station where food supplies awaited. Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. George A. Custer reached them first, capturing then burning three supply trains. At the Appomattox Court House, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia was signed. -
United States flag raised over Fort Sumter, South Carolina
The Union army raises a flag over the battlefield of the "first" battle of the war at Fort Sumter. Marking the end of the war and the northern victory. -
Abe Lincoln's Assassination
President Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. As the President was watching a play, Booth shot Lincoln from behind at a distance of perhaps three or four feet, hitting him in the back of the head. The following day, Lincoln died in the Petersen House across the street from the theater. -
Andrew Johnson Becomes President
Abe Lincoln dying the previous day, vice president Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the President of the United States. As the new President, Johnson wanted to quickly bring the seceded Southern states back into the Union. He pardoned former Confederates that took an oath of allegiance, but required Confederate leaders and other people of high status to earn a Presidential pardon. -
Jefferson Davis Captured
Confederate President Jefferson Davis captured by U.S. troops at Irwinville, Georgia -
The Hanging of Henry Wirz
War criminal Henry Wirz was hanged on this date due to be a commander at one of the absolute worst Prisoner of War Camp in Andersonville, Georgia. -
The Thirteenth Amendment
This date marks the addition of the thirteenth amendment ot the U.S Constitution. This abolished slavery and gave slaves equal rights. -
First Formal Lincoln Celebration
The first formal observation of President Lincoln's birthday is held in Washington, D. C. President Andrew Johnson attends -
New Freedman's Bureau
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 -
Veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. -
Beginnings of Peace
The United States declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia -
Purchase of Ford's Theater
Congress appropriates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater. It will house the Army Medical Museum, the Office of the Surgeon General and War Department records until 1893 -
Cholera Epidemic Begins
Cholera epidemic begins in New York when an infected passenger arrives in New York.
May 29, 1866 -
Winfield Scott's Death
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general and the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852. This date marks the day he died in West Point, NY. -
Fourteenth Amendment
Thirty-ninth Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. This does not mark the date it was added to the constitution only approved. -
Establishment of The General of the 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. -
Philadelphia Fire
A fire in the Philadelphia ship-yard accidentally destroys a number of ships used during the Civil War. -
Black Rights in D.C.
Blacks in Washington D. C. gain the right to vote in a bill passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto. -
Nebraska's Statehood
Nebraska becomes a part of the United States -
Tenure of Office Act
Congress passes the Tenure of Office Act, denying the right of the President to remove officials who had been appointed with the consent of Congress. -
Alexandria, Virginia Rejects Votes
Alexandria, Virginia rejects thousand of votes cast by blacks, who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
General Philip Sheridan
General Philip Sheridan assumes command of the 5th Military district encompassing Louisiana and Texas. He designates New Orleans as his headquarters. -
Congress Approves the Lincoln Memorial
Congress approves the Lincoln Memorial to honor the late president. -
Seward's Folly
William P. Seward signs a treaty with Russia buying Alaska for 2 cents an acre. Democrats called it "Seward's Folly" -
New States Admitted
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, having refused to ratify the fourteenth amendment, were refused admission into the Union -
First Railroad
The 1st US elevated railroad began service in NYC. -
Grant is Promoted: Post-Civil War
Ulysses S. Grant becomes an interim Secretary of War.
