American Civil War

  • Election of 1860

    The United States presidential election of 1860 set the stage for the civil war, Lincoln won this election by winning most of the Northern states. This angered the south and caused them to secede from the union and thus the civil war began. The issues of slavery and states rights were the main causes of the war.
  • Period: to

    Civil War

  • Jefferson Davis

    He was the first and only president of the confederacy. He governed the southern states throught the whole civil war. He was unable to stop the union army and cared little for the sourthern economy by printing a lot of paper money to cover the expenses of the war.
  • Fort Sumter

    This was the first battle of the civil war. Fort Sumter was cut off from supplies by the south. Lincoln announced that he was neither giving up fort sumter to the south of defending it, but he would supply provisions of food to the small federal garrison. The attack on Fort Sumter united the north against the south in order to preserve the union.
  • Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan

    Winfield scott was a general in chief that proposed that the union block all the ports in the south and cut the south into 2 sections. This was used as an outline a plan to subdue the south.
  • First Battle of Bull Run

    This was the first major battle of the war where 30,000 union soilders made their way to attack the confederates at Bull Run Creek, Virginia. The battle was won by the conferates and ended the illusion that this was gonna be a short war.
  • Thomas "stonewall" Jackson

    He was a great commander of the Conderate state and faught at the first battle of Manassas. There he demonstrated the discipline his men had. He got his nickname at this battle.
  • George McClellan

    On this day George McClellan became general in chief of the Union Army. Lincoln and others became impatient at McClellan's slowness, and wanted him to attack the confederate army faster.
  • Monitor and Merrimac

    The most notable naval battle fought in the American Civil War from the stand point of development of navies. This battle was part of the confederate plan to break the Union blockade.
  • Battle of Antietam

    This was the first major battle of the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. Although the battle was inconclusive, it gave presiden Lincoln enough confidence to announce the Declaration Proclamation.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation which immediatly freed 50,000 slaves in the north. Even though this proclamation had little effect on the south it gave blacks hope and also angered a lot of copperhead republicans.
  • Battle of Fredericksburg

    This battle was fought between Robert E. Lee's Confederate army and the Union army of the potomac. It is considered one of the most one-sided battles of the American Civil War with about as much as twice union casualties than confederate casualties.
  • Ulysses S Grant

    He was the commander during the civil war and post-war Reconstruction period. On july of 1863 he captured Vicksburg and took control of the mississippi and split the south in half.
  • Battle of Vicksburg

    Ulysses S. Grant decided to beseige the city of Vicksburg. With no supplies or reinforcements the southern army let by John C pemberton was forced to surrender.
  • Robert E. Lee

    He fought many battles including the battle of Gettysburg. This is the one and only time he attempted to fight on Union terretory. The rest of the war was faught in the confederate states.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    This was the battle with the largest number of casualties of the American Civil War. Between 46,000 and 51,000 died from each side during this 3 day battle but at the end the south army was forced to retreat.
  • Gettysburg Address

    This was a speech made by president Lincoln and is one of the best known speeches in american history. It was made in dedication for all the soilders that had died at the battle of gettysburg.
  • Sherman's March to Sea

    It inflicted significant damage to the industry and infrastucture and also civilian property. Led by General William Tecumseh Sherman it started with the capture of Georgia and stopped with the capture of savanna.