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Secession
Although the Civil war didn't officially start until April 15, 1861, seven of the southern states seceded from the Union in protest of Abraham Lincoln being elected as president. Most of the states seceeded immediately following the announcement of the winner of the presidential campaign. Later on, more states followed suit and also left the Union. -
Start of the Civil War
On April 12th, 1861 Confederate forces fired upon Union held Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Immediately following the attack on Fort Sumter, Lincoln called men to arms, asking for a volunteer army from the remaining states. Two months following that, four more states seceeded from the Union to join the Confederacy. Northern Virginia also seceeded from the rest of Virginia and the Union, calling itself West Virginia on June 20th, 1863. -
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The Civil War
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Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run occurred on July 21st, 1861. This was the first battle of the Civil War, and one of the bloodiest, listed highly in the list of greatest casualties the war produced. The Union took this battle lightly, thinking that it would be an easy win, many Union families sat on a hill top watching the battle. Unfortunately for the Union, this was a loss for them and the first win for the Confederacy. -
England gets involved
On November 8th, 1861 two Confederate ships are siezed by the Union as they sail towards England. England issued a proclamation that if the Union did not release them, England would take this as a request for war. The Union released the Confederate ships and President Lincoln commented on this affair through saying "One battle at a time". -
A New Proclamation
On January 31st, 1862, President Lincoln issued a new order. This order was that Union forces were to begin advancing on the Confederacy. This was to be done, at the latest, by February 22nd. -
Union Victories
On February 6th, 1862 Union General Ulysses S. Grant gains a small victory. He captures Fort Henry in Teneessee. Ten days later, he gains another small victory through capturing Fort Donelson, also in Tennessee. -
Monitor and Merrimack
On March 9th in 1862, the Union and Confederacy made history: They created the first engagement between two ironclad vessels. The two ships battled in a portion of the Chesapeake Bay known as Hampton Roads for five hours, and ended in a draw. The Monitor belonged to the Union and Merrimack belonged to the Confederacy. -
Battle of Antietam
On September 17, 1862 the first major battle of the Civil war that took place on Union soil was fought. Union General George B. McLellan launched a flank attack against Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army at Antietam Creek on the 16th. On the 17th Union General Joseph Hooker’s troops launched another flank attack on Lee’s troops. They Union and Confederacy continued to fight in attacks and counter attacks all day, at some point the Union was able to pierce through the Confederacy’s defences -
Emancipation Proclamation
On September 22nd of 1862, President Lincoln freed all slaves in the states that had seceded. He did not extend this same freedom to slaves in the border states. This was after the victory at Antietam. Lincoln had no power to enforce the law because the south had created their own nation with their own government. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Between December 11th-16th in 1862, the Union’s plan of attack on the Confederacy slowly unraveled. Originally, the plan was that Union General Ambrose Burnside would cross bridges to block the crossings from Confederacy General Robert E. Lee’s troops. General Burnside did not recieve all of the necessary materials in time, and by the time that his troops were able to cross the bridges, General Lee’s troops had already crossed over and were waiting for Burnside’s forces. The Union surrendered. -
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The Civil War and The Reconstruction
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Battle of Vicksburg
Between May 18th- July 4th in 1863, Union General Grant manuevered the Confederacy out of their own territory through a matter of cat and mouse type skirmishes. The biggest assaults of this siege were on May 19th and May 22nd, where Grant attacked Confederate General Garrison in hopes of victory for the Union. When he was heavily repulsed out of the confederacy lines, Grant decided to besiege Vicksburg beginning May 25th. After 40 days of no supplies, and no reinforcements, Garrison surrendered. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Starting on July 1st, the Union and Confederate troops clashed when Confederacy General Lee’s forces collided with Union General Buford’s troops and began fighting. On the second day, reinforcements were sent from both sides. The Union took up a defensive stance while the Confederacy continuously attacked. The Union’s lines held strong all through the day. On the third day, 12,500 Confederates went full force into Union lines, only to meet heavy artillery. The Confederacy lost. -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction-Lincoln
On December 8th of 1863, President Lincoln made a very big, and unusual, announcement. He announced his 10% plan, the plan for reconstrucion of the United States of America. Note that this announcement was made before the end of the war. In his announcement, Lincoln stated that only 10% of each southern state's voters had to pledge to the Union again, and the state would be allowed back in. It also pardoned any and every confederate that swore to uphold the constitution. -
Wade-Davis Bill
This Bill was put forth by Senator Benjamin Wade and Representative Henry Winter Davis July 2nd, 1864. Contrary to Lincoln's 10% plan, it required that 50% of the Southern state's voting population take the oath that they had never supported the Confederacy. The bill was passed by congress, but later vetoed by Lincoln. -
March To The Sea
From November 15th to December 21st 1864, Union General William T. Sherman marched his troops from the captured city of Atlanta, Georgia towards Savannah, Georgia. General Sherman not only marched there, but he also burned his way there. He destroyed Southern towns, cities, plantations, farms, fields, whatever could be burnt was. -
Surrender at Appomatox
Lee was cut off from joining confederacy reinforcements in North Carolina by the Union. Lee then tried to break through Union lines, thinking that they were only consistent of cavalry when there were two corps of infantry waiting behind the cavalry, and Lee had no other decision but to surrender. The terms were this: Each man would be allowed to keep his horse or donkey, they would recieve food rations, and they would not be put in jail for treason against the United States. -
Lincoln Shot
President Lincoln and his wife attend a play at the Ford Theater. While watching the play, actor John Wilkes Booth crept up behind President Lincoln and shot him in the head. Lincoln is rushed to a hospital where he never regains consciousness. He goes on to die April 15th, 1865. -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction-Johnson
Another Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction was made, but this time it came from President Andrew Johnson. This proclamation detailed all of the same things that President Lincoln's had with one exception: it disenfranchized all of the former government or military figures of the Confederacy. Not only that, but it also disenfranchized those that owned property worth $20,000+ -
14th Ammendment Passing
On July 9th in 1866, the 14th ammendment was passed and ratified in 1868. This ammendment reviewed the rights and protection of ALL American citizens, including Blacks. The Civil Rights Act and the Freedman's Bureau Bill were condensed into this ammendment, and all southern states had to ratify this ammendment before being allowed back into the Union. -
Southern States Allowed Back In
As can be guessed, several of the Southern states disapproved of the 14th ammendment, and therefore did not ratify it. After being kicked out of the Union AGAIN, seven of the states that initially rejected the ammendment ratified it. These seven are consistent of: North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Arkansas. In 1870, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia were readmitted after ratifying both the 14th and 15th ammendments.