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South Carolina Secedes
On this day Soutn Carolina held a secession convention in Charlestown. The votes were unamously for secession. With the election of Abraham Lincoln to presidency, South Carolina thought slavery would be outlawed, therefore the decided to leave the Union. South Carolina used principles from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to prove why it was legal for them to leave. Soon after this, six of the other southern states left the Union and became the Confederate States of America. -
Abraham Lincoln inaugurated
Before the attack on Fort Sumter Abraham Lincoln had his first inaugural adress. He stated that slavery is not under attack, he is just trying to stop the spread of slavery. He does not think Southerners should be worrying about their property, personal security, and peace. He also states that there is a clear difference between a proper government and an association of states in the nature of a merely contract. He attemps to persuade the people that war doesn't solve anything. -
Atack on Fort Sumter
The southerners wanted the Union occupants out of South Carolina. General Beauregard, of the Confederates, decided to take action by opening fire on the fort. The Confederate forces were able to force the Union army to surrendor wiht two days. However, there were casualties suffered for either side. The attack led to many more battles between the two forces. Also led to the secession of four of the "upper south" states. -
Virgina Secedes
Leading up to the War, people of Virgina were scared for the lives after John brown's raid at Harper's Ferry. They wondered if they would be safe being in the Union. The people of Virgina would have stayed loyal to the Union if they did not have to fight against the southerners. However if war broke out Virgina was going to secede rather than fight their fellow sothern people. With the intension that war would happen Virgna seceds form the Union, and the other "upper south" states followed. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders Commission
Robert E. Lee was the son of a Revolutionary War hero, and a 25 year veteran of the United States Army. After the attcack on Fort Sumter he was offered to take command of the Union Army, however, he did not accept this oppurtunity. The the state of Virgina decided to leave the Union, and Lee resigned his commission of the United Sates Army. He then accepts the command of Virgina naval forces, and takes part in the war. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Lincoln ordered his general, McDowel, to take action. From there the general marched his unprpared army into Virginia. Beaureard, the Confederate general, was able to take advantage of McDowel's delays by ading 11,000 additional troops into the scene. They were fighting near the capital of the Confederates, Richmond. The Union army appeared to be winning in the early stages of the battle, however, under the command of Stonwall Jackson the Confederates were able get control of the war. -
Battle of Monitor and the Merimac
This battle between the ironclad ships occured in the Hampton Roads. The United States Monitor and the Virginia Merrimac met in a naval battle. The Virginia ironclad,fromt her berth at Norfolk, was able to sink the USS Cumberland. The next day the Monitor and the Merimac each suufered much damage, knowing each others stratagies. After this day, the Virginia ironclad would never fight again, the Confederacy didn't have the resources to continue making ships. -
Battle of Shiloh
Grant, from the Union, advanced with his army toward the railroad center near Tennesse and Missippi boarder. General Johnston gathered his troops to stop the Union forces. Johnston launched in attack because he didn't want the Union army to get bigger. Grant's army was surprised,and were driven back almost to the Tennesse river.. However, the next day the Union army attacked and defeated the Confederates. Both sides suffered a large amount of casualties. -
McClellan Returns to Washington after the Peninsular Campaign
After the Peninsular campaign McClellan and his troops were still threatening a second attack on Richmond, the Confederate capital. The Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson, decided to take a chance, after Lee's orders. He pretended to atack Washingotn, which would keep Union troops their to protect their capital. McClellan got orders from Lincoln to retreat back to Washington, even though they had won at the battle of Seven Pines. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
After McCellan's failure, president Lincoln hired Jonh Pope, who orgsnized a new army outside of Washington. Lee' army divided, Jackson led his troops behind Pope's position and destroyed some of his supplies. Pope tried to have his soldiers attack Jackson, but at the same time Lee attacked. This baatle was fought on the saame ground as the first one, and the result was the same. After Pope's defeat, McCellan returned to command. -
Battle of Antiedam
Lincoln needed to fight this war to save the Union without freeing or not freeing slaves. Lee was hoping to gain the federal rail center by moving into Maryland. There was a key moment when a Union soldier found Lee's battle plan, and general McClellan did not do anything, for some reason he didn't want to end the war. As the federal forces attack Massachusetts lost most of their men. At the end of this battle on ground was gain or lost by either side. the amount of casualties doubbled D-Day. -
Battle of Fredericksbrug
Burnside, of the Union, saw an oppurtunity to march his army into Richmond. McCellan had been to cautious in battle, because he didn;t want his troops to get hurt. Lee massed an army of 79,000 men, and spreaded them along Marye's Heights. When the battle began, Burnside oredered many charges into the Conferate troops, however, it was his army that lost half thier men. The Union causalties doubled the Confederates. Burnside asked to be relieved of his command. -
Emancipation Proclamation tskes effect
After two hard fought years of war, president Lincoln published this which stated that all slaves, within certain states, shall be free. This only applied to states that were no longer a part of the Union. Lincoln says the only way the seceded states can keep their slaves from being freed is to come back to the Union. His ideas behind this Proclamation were it gives slaves an oppurtunity to be free, it could end slavery, and this now allows black men to fight in the war. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Lincoln had to find a knew general after Burnisde decided to resign. He hired " Fighting Joe" Hooker. His plan was to attack the Confederates from behind . The Union marched toward Fredericksburg until they ran into Lee's army. Hooker decided to pull back into the woods after a short time of fighting. Jackson attacked the Union army, but the they were saved from the darkness. Confederate soldiers thought some of their own men were form the Union, Jackson was shot. Then Lee got the vicotry. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Union had been at the low point in the War, after suffering losses at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. On this day, several Confederate troops enterd the town of Gettysburg, mayny of the were barefoot. There were rumors that there was a supply of shoes in the twon. After the first day of fighting the Confederacy felt as though they were winning, so the next day they decided to attack the Union Line. The Union held their defense strong, and in the end, turned the whole war around. -
Surrender of Vicksburg
The Confederates surrendered at Vicksburg after a rough time from the Union openning fire from the land and the water. This averaged 2,800 shells a day, for a month, the citizens ahd to dig caves in the hills to avoid them. After a while, the soldiers rations were a biscut a day, then finaaly on this day they surrendered and laid down their arms. -
Battle of Fort Wagner
Leading up to this day it was not looking good for the Union, and this battle didn't change that. The Confederates were advancing north, and had the advantage because of their location. Strong, from the Union, marched into Fort Wagner and the attack did not go as planned. General Gilmore decided to fall back, and pan another attack. The second attack included the 54th regiment, in which a black men led the attack. This attack was no more successful than the first, the Confederates held them off. -
Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Adress
A few months after the Battle of Gettysburg around fifteen thousand people came together at Gettysburg. There was cemetery to honor the Union troops who fought their and died. President Lincoln was invited to deliver a speech after Everett's lasted two hours. Lincoln's was short, however, it reminded the North why they were fighting the Civiil War. This speech will be forever remembered. -
Grant Dispalys Fighting Style at Cold Harbor
A determined commander named Grant came into a tough situation, the Northerners were suffering many losses. We did not hesitate to attack the South. At the Battle of Cold Harbor, only eight miles from Rochmond, he launched a dawn attack. These charges on the confederates were easy to see. The Confederates were behind powerful fortifications, and did some damage in the first hour. It was not good for Grant, after suffering seven thousand casulaties in the firt hour. -
Atlanta Burns to the Ground
General Sherman had a paln similar to Grant's, he wanted to attack the city of Atlanta. Confederate General, Johnston, who was wounded, allowed Sherman to deal him a crushing defeat. Lee decided ona new general after Johnston was fired. The nrew gneral, Hood, gave Sherman exactly what he wanted. Soon the Confederates had los talmost twenty thousand troops, and the Confederate army pulled put and left the city. -
Sherman Set out for the Sea
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civil_war_series/12/sec4.htmIn November of 1864, Sherman didn;t want to abbandond the city so he had it evacuated and ordered that the city of Atlantsa would be burned. Then led sixty two thousand union troops to sea to take over Savannah. He and his troops marched three hunred miles. The Union troops destroyed bridges, factories, and railroad lines along their way. They siezed and slaughtered livestock, and stole the Confederates grain theat they harvested. -
Sherman reaches Savannah
http://www.nccivilwar150.gov/history/sherman.htmSherman had taken his troops from the city of Atlanta, on a three hundred mile path to Savannah, After destroying everything in their path, they stole the Confederates food. The took their harvested grain. Once they reached the town they met a small Confederate force. They entered the city wihtout a fight. They easily won, and had a metaphor that it was like a Christmas gift for Sherman and the Union troops. -
Lincoln Delivers Second Inaugural Adress
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=38Lincoln had his second inaugural adress after Congress joined him in the stand that passed the Thirteenth Amendment. In this speech he noted how slavery had divided the country, however, he also showed the groundwork for the effort to heal the nations wounds. As this was happening, most northerners believed that the war was almost over. Lincoln als stated in this speech how he wants the war to move quickly and pass away. -
Surrender at Appomattox
Wiht the Union army numbers begining to over power the Confederates, the Union did not let up. The Confederate army had shrunk dramatically, and their men were just starving at this point in the war. After Lee realized he could not protect Richmond any longer, he tried to get around Grant's army to unite with another Confederate army. This plan was unseccessful, Grant's army was able to cut them off every time. Soon this led to Lee surredering at Appomattox. -
Richmond, the Confederate capital Falls
After Grant's long attack on Petersburg, Grant and the Union were able to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. After realizing that they could no longer protect ther capital, Richmond fell to the Union. Any soldiers defending Richmond fled to open rail lines. Also the troops that were pulling back were told to set any bridges seen on fire. After all of this was done along with the fghting, the city of Richond was trashed, and burnt.
