-
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was a close race where all the free states gave all their support to Abraham Lincoln, whilst the Southeners put more of their popular votes into Douglas and Beckinridge, btoh Democrats. But even without the South's votes Abraham Lincoln won as a minority president. Because of that, the Southern seccionists called for immediate disunion. And in December of 1860, South Carlina voted uniaminously to secede and within 6 weeks five other states did the same. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The beginning of the war, where the first shots were fired off. Lincoln gave the South a choice of either letting food supplies in or shooting off the batteries off the shore. The South answered with thundering guns being fired, and bullets flying. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run, also called the First Battle of Manassas, was the first major battle of the Civil War. The Union sent 30,000 inexperianced troops to Bull Run Creek to try and crush the confederate forces that they had there. But they were sent them packing when General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson counterattacked, pretty much destroying the thought of a nice and easily short war. -
Thomas Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall was at the the Battle of Bull Run. It was where he was first dubbed the name Stonewall. It was also because of this event that he was named a General in the Confederate Army. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was elected Provisional President of the Confederacy. He was not good enough to figure out a strategy to foil the bettered organized and equipped Union. His foreign diplomacy did not help in no way, his inattention to the declining of Southern economy, and his over printing of paper money basically contributed to the failures that the Southern Confederacy had. -
Battle of Antietam
One of the Confederate soldider's dropped the plans, and a Union officer picked it up. McCellan then had the plans for General Lee's army, and intercepted them. Because of this battle, the Confederates were unable to gain foreign support and the loss from both sides totaled 22,000 soldiers. This is considered to be one of the bloodiest battles. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This proclamtion freed all the slaves in the Confederate States, but not the border ones who chose to side with the Union. Because of this the perspectives of the war changed, they were now fighting against slavery. So with the advancement of each step into Southern Territory, more freed slaves were recrutied into the Union army. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was awful on both sides of the war, but worse on the Unionists side for they had lost 12,000 people either dead or wounded, compared to the loss of the Confederacy which was 5,000 casualities. The Generals on both sides did not get the idea that with better weapons, it would be better to get out of the way instead of facing everything head on. Because of this, by the end of 1862 a lot of people had died, and there really wasn't any clear winner on either side. -
Battle of Vicksburg
General Grant began a heavy siege on the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Seven weeks into the battle, and the Confederates finallly surrendered after they had suffered teh losses of 29,000 soldiers. With this balttle the Union had the full length of the Mississppi which divided the Confederacy even more. -
Battle of Gettysburg
General Lee led his troops hoping to surprise the Union army stationed there, but the attempt cost him dearly by having 500,000 casualties. This battled destroyed a big part of the Confederate army, and the people who survived the battle retreated and that battalion was never again able to go on the offensive. This showed the power of the Union Army, and was crucial in defeating the South. -
Gettysburg Address
This speech was given four and a half months after the war. The speech is considered one of Lincoln's famous speech. It featured things about the American Revolultion, and then about human equality. Lincoln also used the oppurtunity to consecrate the grounds of the cemetary. -
Sherman's March
General William Tecumseh Sherman burns down things from Georgia to South Carolina. This was to insure that the South would have nothing to help them, and to help in Lincoln's prospects for reelection. Sherman's tough tactics helped in the war by destroying the Confederacy's will to fight. -
Period: to
The American Civil War