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South Caroline secedes
After President Lincoln was elected into office, residents of South Carolina felt that he would try to abolish slavery, so they unanimously decided to secede. -
Confederacy is Formed
Six representatives from Alabama, Florida,Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina met to formally establish a unified government, which they named the Confederate States of America. -
Lincoln Elected
Democratic South thought that he would abolish slavery, but he was against the spread of slavery. He ran against Stephen Douglas. -
Lincoln's First Inauguration
Lincoln extended the olive branch to the south. He made clear that he intended to enforce federal laws in the states that seceded. Lincoln promised not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it existed. -
Attack at Ft. Sumter
Confederate victory. On Thursday, April 11, 1861, Confederate Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard dispatched aides to Maj. Anderson to demand the fort’s surrender. Anderson refused. The next morning, at 4:30 a.m., Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter and continued for 34 hours. The Civil War had begun. -
Battle of Bull Run 1
This was the first battle of the Civil War, Both sides wanted to have control of Richmond. Confederacy won, which showed the North that this is going to be a long, hard battle. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle occured in Hardin County, TN.The Union won, giving them control of Mississippi and a strong hold on Tennessee. -
Seven Days Battle
This battle took place in Hernico County, VA from June 25th- July 1. The Conferderates won. There were five different battles in between these dates: Gaines Mill (June 27th), Savages Station (June 29th), Glendale White Oak Swamp (June 30th), Beaver Dam Creek (June 30th), and Malveren Mill (July 1st). -
Battle of Bull Run 2
This battle occured only 13 months after the first battle of Bull Run, also known as the battle of Manassas. The Union won. -
Battle of Antietam
There was no clear winner, but the North claims this battle as their victory. The Union's "master plan" was the anaconda plan. The South tried to go into the North and attack twice. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This was the Civil War's first urban combat. Ended on December 15th, with a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Stones River
-1863. This battle took place in Murfreesboro, TN. Braxton Braggs led the Conferderacy to defeat with his Slaughter Plan. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation granted freedom to the slaves in the Confederate States if the States did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863. Under this proclamation, freedom would only come to the slaves if the Union won the war. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
It was a Conferdate victory, eventhough their army was split in two. The Union's calvary was delayed by weather. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Warren County, Mississippi May 18th - July 4th. It's also known as the Battle of Vicksburg. The Union won, dividing the Confederacy east and west. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Took place in Gettysburg, PA from July 1st - July 3rd. The Union won. This was the largest Civil War battle and the largest battle in America. -
Battle of Chickamauga
Confederate Victory. The South had the ability to mobilze reinforcements, and they outnumbered the Union. -
Gettysburg Address
Following the Battle of Gettysburg Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the dedication of the cemetery for Union soldiers who fought and died in the battle. In the address Lincoln expressed the great need for Americans to remember the sacrifice made by these soldiers. -
Battle of Chattanooga
Conferates won. Took place in Chattanooga, TN. Rosecrans tried to force Bragg's army out of Chattanooga, but Bragg was able to push the Union back instead. -
Batlle of the Wilderness
May 5th - May 7th. Both sides were relatively equal in size and both had telegraphing systems. This battle led to the Battle of Spotsylvania. The result was inconclusive. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
The outcome was inconclusive. May 8th - May 21st. Confederates managed to get ahead of the Federals and block the road. For the next two weeks, the two armies slugged it out in some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War. -
Lincoln's Reelection
In the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln was growing convinced that he would not be re-elected. He wrote the following letter and asked his cabinet to sign their names on the outside, sight unseen, to pledge their commitment to continue the fight to preserve the Union. -
Sherman's March to Sea
Sherman and the Union troops were using total war in order to frighten Georgia's population into abandoning the Confederacy. -
Battle of Franklin
Union Victory. After failing to destroy John Schofield’s Federal army near Spring Hill the previous morning, Gen. John Bell Hood led his 30,000 Confederates to the outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864. Determined not to let Schofield reach the safety of Nashville, Hood unleashed a precipitous frontal assault against the entrenched Federal defenders. Despite nearly breaking through the center of the Union line, Hood’s forces were driven back with heavy losses. The bloody assault -
Lincoln's Second Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address promised a vast national future only a month before his assassination and the end of the American Civil War. The following is a transcription of his original draft of his remarks--the edits reflect the changes made by Secretary of State William Seward. After the brief but remarkable speech, scroll down to learn more about what Lincoln's vision meant for the war, for the republic, and for emancipation. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court
Union Victory. Heading for the South Side Railroad at Appomattox Station, where food supplies awaited, the Confederates were cut off once again and nearly surrounded by Union troops near the small village of Appomattox Court House. Despite a final desperate attempt to escape, Lee’s army was trapped. General Lee surrendered his remaining troops to General Grant. -
Lincoln's Assassination
On April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln was shot by Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth. The assassination was part of a larger plot to eliminate the Northern government that also left Secretary of State William Seward grievously injured. Lincoln died the following day, and with him the hope of reconstructing the nation without bitterness. -
Official End of the Civil War
On April 2, 1865, Jefferson Davis and the other members of the Confederate government were forced to flee from Richmond before the advancing Union Army. The Confederate President was captured by Northern soldiers near Irwinville, Georgia on May 10, 1865.
