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Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth President of the United States. In his Inaugural Address he gives a stark warning to the South: he will not tolerate secession. Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln
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The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_civil_war
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Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard bombard Major Robert Anderson and his Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War officially begins. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_civil_war
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The First Battle of Bull Run pits Union General Irvin McDowell against the new Confederate army. McDowell is defeated causing a panicked retreat back to Washington, which is about forty miles away. The withdrawal is hampered by the large numbers of spectators who are there to see the battle. Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run
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Over the course of seven days, General Robert E. Lee attacks George McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac near Richmond, Virginia. Huge casualties cause McClellan to withdraw north towards Washington.
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General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee
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The Second Battle of Bull Run is a resounding victory for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Union General John Pope is blamed for the loss and is relieved of his duties after the battle. Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Bull_Run
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Bull_Run -
Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declares his intention to free all slaves in any new territory captured by the Union Army. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation
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Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery.
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Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson dies from wounds sustained when he is mistakenly shot by his own troops at Chancellorsville. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson
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Far to the West on the Mississippi River, General Ulysses S. Grant takes Vicksburg after a long siege. At this point, the Union controls the entire river, cutting the Confederacy in two. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_civil_war
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Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies, ending his long search for a decent general to command northern forces. General William T. Sherman takes over as commander in the West.
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During the horrific Battle of the Wilderness, thousands of men burn to death as the woods in which they were fighting catch fire. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Wilderness
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The bloody battle of Cold Harbor is a disaster for the Union. General Ulysses S. Grant makes a series of tactical mistakes that result in the deaths of 7,000 Union in twenty minutes. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_cold_harbor
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Lincoln does not regain consciousness after being shot at Ford's Theater. He dies from his wound. Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln
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General Joe Johnston, leading the largest Confederate Army still in existence, surrenders in North Carolina. The war ended! Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_civil_war
