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Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln Republican won the presidential election of 1860 in a four-way contest. Although Lincoln received less than 40% of the popular vote, he easily won the Electoral College vote. Abraham Lincoln promised that he would not interfere with slavery in the states that have it. -
Confederate States Form
The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. and four more Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. -
Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of Confederate States of America
As president of the Confederate States of America throughout its existence during the American Civil War 1861–65 Jefferson Davis presided over the South's creation of its own armed forces and acquisition of weapons. Davis chose Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862. was the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. -
Fort Sumter
The attack on Fort Sumter was the official beginning of the Civil War, a war that lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage. South Carolina could not tolerate a federal fort blocking an important sea port. The state had control of Fort Sumter after the secession. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Mananas by Confederate forces, was the first battle of the American Civil War. The battle was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of the city of Mananas and about thirty miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. Despite their victory, Confederate troops were far too disorganized to press their advantage and pursue the retreating Yankees, who reached Washington. -
Battle of Antietam
Most importantly, Union victory at Antietam provided President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity he had wanted to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, making the Battle of Antietam one of the key turning points of the American Civil War. Beginning early on the morning of September 17, 1862, Confederate and Union troops in the Civil War clash near Maryland's Antietam Creek in the bloodiest single day in American military history -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh fought was the bloodiest battle fought during the American Civil War up to that point in the conflict. Fought on April 6-7, 1862, the two days of carnage led to around 23,000 casualties, making it the deadliest battle of the Civil War up to that point. What was the significance of the Battle of Shiloh? The Battle of Shiloh ended with Confederate withdrawal. Both Confederate and Union suffered high soldier fatalities for the first time and was one of the bloodiest days. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of civil war. The proclamation declared "that all people held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. -
Gettysburg Address
President Abraham Lincoln wrote and delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, to commemorate a new national cemetery at Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The Gettysburg Address's significance is that it sought to give meaning to the sacrifice of soldiers who died during the war. -
Battle of Vicksburg
On learning of Vicksburg's surrender, President Lincoln wrote, “The Father of Waters again goes to the sea.” The Union victory at Vicksburg weakened the Confederacy by splitting it in half and isolating the Southern states of Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major general of the Union Army. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Motive Revenge for the Confederate States -
Appomattox Court House
Appomattox County, Apr 9, 1865. Trapped by the Federals near Appomattox Court House, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, precipitating the capitulation of other Confederate forces and leading to the end of the bloodiest conflict in American history. -
13th Amendment
Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation become national policy. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. The joint resolution of both bodies that the amendment to the states for approval was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on February 1, 1865.