-
Election Of 1860
Lincoln is wins the election against John C. Breckinridge. Lincoln will go on to be remembered as one of the United States greatest presidents.
<br>
You think slavery is right and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us.
--December 22, 1860 Letter to Alexander Stephens -
Election Of 1860 (Cont)
Let there be no compromise on the question of extending slavery. If there be, all our labor is lost, and, ere long, must be done again.
--December 10, 1860 Letter to Lyman Trumbull -
Lower South Secedes
Within months seven states seceded from the union. South Carolina was the first state, shortly followed by Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. -
Firing on Fort Sumter
It was the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. It was the first battle in the Civil War. South Carolina requested that all of the US Army evacuate. Major Anderson, not willing to surrender, refused. For 34 hours the confederates shelled the fort, until the fort's surrender. There were only two union deaths during the surrender ceremony due to an accident. -
Upper South Secedes
After the attack on Fort Sumter, Lincoln requested that 75 thousand Virginia volunteers put the rebellion down. This action caused Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to secede. They would side with the deep south states and agreed that Lincoln had over extended his power by declaring war on the Confederacy without congress' approval. -
Confederacy Seeks Help from Europe
The nations of Europe didn't like slavery and rebellion (it could inspire their countries to revolt), but felt that they needed to support the south, as they exported cotton, which was used in the factories in England. The nations of Europe ended up not supporting the confederacy as they transitioned to using cotton from India. -
Battle of Bull Run
A very inexperienced Union army met an equally unprepared Confederate force in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Union force retreated after the Confederates rallied behind General Thomas J Jackson. -
Congress passes first Federal Income Tax
The first income tax was passed to help pay for the war. Congress needed 20 million dollars, so they enacted a 3% tax on income over $800. The bill was passed, but never used. It did lead to a second income tax bill passed in 1862, which remained in effect until declared unconstitutional in 1872. -
Battle of Fort Henry & Donelson
General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee from the Confederacy. Grant then advanced to Fort Donelson, who surrendered unconditionally after their failed attack on Grant’s army. It was a decisive victory for the Union. -
Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack
This was the first battle fought by metal ironclads. The Northern ship Monitor battled the Southern Merrimack (or Virginia) off the coast of the city of Norfolk. The battle ended in a stalemate, though both sides did claim victory. -
The Confederacy Imposes A Draft
The confederacy was losing many battles, and needed a way to get more soldiers. The draft required all healthy white men from 19 to 35 serve three years in the army, however as the war dragged on and the Confederacy got more desperate, they changed the draft age to between 17 and 50. The draft excluded necessary jobs such as miners and railroad workers and the rich with more than 20 slaves, or those who could afford to hire a substitute. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
When John Pope over concentrated his army on defeating General Thomas Jackson, James Longstreet was able to ambush Pope’s left flank, taking him off guard and forcing him to retreat. -
Battle of Antietam
General Lee’s Confederate Army had advanced into Maryland. General McClellan was pursuing him. He launched attacks against the Confederate army. The fighting lasted into the 18th. This battle is considered a Union victory, because McClellan stopped the advance into Maryland. Lee was able to retreat into Virginia. This victory gave Lincoln the confidence to enact the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln announced that all slaves in the Confederacy would be free. It excluded slaves in the border states and states that the Union had control over at this time.
<br>
Still, to use a coarse, but an expressive figure, broken eggs can not be mended. I have issued the emancipation proclamation, and I can not retract it.
--January 8, 1863 Letter to John A. McClernand -
Emancipation Proclamation (Cont)
And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation -
Battle of Gettysburg
Lee marched his army North in his second attempt to invade the Union. Union and Confederate troops clashed in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. The battle lasted for three days. Union troops won and retreated into Virginia. This was the costliest battle of the Civil War and the most costly in United States history, with an estimated 50,000 casualties from both sides. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Vicksburg was the last Confederate controlled area on the Mississippi River, so it was vital to control for both sides. The confederates were fortified in the town of Vicksburg. After nearly a month and a half of constant shelling from Union canons and no supplies the Confederates had no choice but to surrender. -
Sherman’s March To The Sea
This was a military troop movement from Atlanta, Georgia to the port town of Savannah. For a month the troops marched destroying everything in their path (military targets, railroads, telegraph lines, civilian property, anything to hurt the Confederacy). This tactic was revolutionary and was hugely successful disrupting Confederate transportation in the area. -
Thirteenth Amendment Proposed
The thirteenth amendment abolished all slavery. This was necessary as the Emancipation Proclamation left slavery in the Southern states after the war open ended. It was passed in the House and the Senate before February 1865, but only ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution in December 1865. -
Lincoln Re-elected
Lincoln beat George B. McClellan and was re-elected.
<br>
One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war.
--March 4, 1865 Inaugural Address -
Confederate Forces Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
Lee's forces were in retreat after the Union captured Richmond. He tried to escape west for reinforcements, but the Union troops cut him off. After decisive defeats in two following battles Lee surrendered. Following Lee's surrender other confederate armies surrendered in the following couple of months.
<br>
At the end of the war, more than 600,000 of the 3 million troops who fought in the war died. -
Abraham Lincoln is Assassinated
Lincoln was shot while watching a play in Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth, an actor, snuck up behind Lincoln and shot him. He was able to get away, but was shot 12 days later when he was tracked down.
