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Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln won the party's presidential nomination. In the November 1860 election, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the Northern faction of a heavily divided Democratic Party, as well as Breckinridge and Bell.One of the most significant aspects of Lincoln’s election is that he held all of the Free states and none of the slave states. Just over two months after he was elected, President Lincoln saw the first state to succeed when South Carolina voted to secede on December 20th 1860. -
South Carolina Secedes
On news of Lincoln's election, South Carolina (site of nullification fight in 1830s) secedes. Delegates were elected on December 6, 1860, and the convention convened on December 17. Its action made South Carolina the first state to secede. Support for the Union was negligible, and a distinguished South Carolina unionist, James L. Petigru, allegedly commented at this time that his state was too small to be a nation and too large to be an insane asylum. Two days after leaving the Union, on Decembe -
Confederacy formed
the Confederate States of America was a republic composed of eleven Southern states that seceded from the Union in order to preserve slavery, states’ rights, and political liberty for whites. Its conservative government, with Mississippian Jefferson Davis as president, sought a peaceful separation, but the United States refused to acquiesce in the secession. The war that ensued started at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, and lasted four years. It cost the South nearly 500,000 men -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a sea fort in Charleston, South Carolina, notable for two battles of the American Civil War. the Confederates bombarded the fort from artillery batteries surrounding the harbor. Although the Union garrison returned fire, they were significantly outgunned and, after 34 hours, Major Anderson agreed to evacuate. There were no deaths on either side as a direct result of this engagement, although a gun explosion during the surrender ceremonies on April 14 caused two Union deaths. -
BAttle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the first battle of the war to take place on Northern soil. It was the the bloodiest day in the American Civil War, with a total of over 23,000 casualties including more than 4,800 killed. (In fact, more Americans were killed on this day than on any other day in American military history) -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. It proclaimed the freedom of the 3.1 million slaves in the Confederate States of America. This enraged the south and turned this into a total war to destroy the Old South. -
Battle and Capture of New Orleans
The Capture of New Orleans by Union forces was a major turning point in the war. New Orleans was the Confederacy’s largest city, and, given its location at the mouth of the Mississippi River, a trading location with a powerful and economical port. -
Battle Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. This battle was a victory for the Confederate Army. This battle lasted 3 days and over 51,000 men were killed and this was the largest battle fought in North America. This is also the location where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous speach "The Gettysburg Address". -
Abraham Lincoln wins re-election
Sherman’s victory in Atlanta boosted Lincoln’s popularity and helped him win re-election. This was a very important moment in the war. -
Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse
After evacuating Richmond, General Lee’s troops were soon surrounded, and on April 7, Grant called Lee to surrender. On April 9, the two commanders met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender.
