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The American Civil War
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Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 was the first immediate cause of the Civil War, Only months after Abraham was elected, South Carolina was declaring secession from the Union. Lincoln was not an abolitionist however, he simply sought to stop the spread of slavery. He was also the first republican to win an election without a single vote from southern states. -
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
The confederate general was given his nickname in the Battle of Bull Run, when he stood his ground against the Union. He is considered to be one of the most gifted generals in American history. Sadly however, he died of pneumonia eight days after his arm amputation due to a friendly fire accident. -
Jefferson Davis
Davis was the only president of the Confederacy, being in power in its short lived government. Although he wasnt as efficient as his counterpart Abraham, he somewhat kept the sputh together during the war. He was convicted of treason in his capture in May 10, 1865. -
Fort Sumter
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Battle of Bull Run
It was the First major battle of the civil war. 460 Union soldiers dies in that battle, and 387 Confederate soldiers also passed away. This gave both sides a good idea of how bloody and costly the war will be. -
Robert E. Lee
April 1861
Lincoln offered Lee command of the entire Union Army in early 1861, but declined when he decided to follow his home state. His brilliant defensive tactics proved useful when facing overwhelming odds from the North, but loss of supplies and soldiers forced his eventual retreat. He surrendered to Ulysess S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. -
George McClellan
George was a good general in terms of the troop-general relationship, but lacked sufficient battlefield skills. Lincoln discharged him in march of 1862, from lack of trust and progress from the general. He ran against lincoln in 1864, but lost from unpopularity. -
Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
Winfield Scott was the commanding general of the Union, and devised an anaconda-like tactic to defeat the south with minimum bloodshed. He prompted for a blockade of the Southern ports and to take control of the Mississippi River to split the south in half. The Union ended up closing all south ports by 1862, rendering trade and foreign help useless. -
Monitor and Merrimack
Also known as the Battle of Hampton Roads, this was a significant campaign for the South to reclaim its ports. This battle introduced the "iron clads" or ships with metal armor. However, the blockade could not be removed. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle was the first battle to take place in the North, being part of the Marylan Campaign. It is the single most bloody single day battle in all American history, 23,000 men gave their lives to perserve (or seceed from) the Union. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The battle between Robert E. Lee's forces and Ambrose E. Burnside in Fredericksburg, Virginia was the most one sided battle in the war. Lee's men suffered only half the casualties the north had. It is considered a failure in the Union army. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln, under his wartime powers, issued the freeing of all slaves. However, it only freed the slaves in the Confederacy, and 800,000 slaves in the borderline states who did not seceed were not granted freedom. This helped escelate the war into a war against slavery. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The final battle of the Vicksburg Campaign. Combined with the confederate defeat at Gettysburg, this was the turning point where the south was sure to lose. Vicksburg would not celebrate Independence Day for 8 years because of the seige. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle had the most casualties in the entire war, claiming about 50,000 lives in total. This was considered a turning point for the North, defeating Robert E. Lee and stopping the invasion of the North. Lincoln used the ceremony that followed to give his famous Gettysburg Address. -
Gettysburg Address
Four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln gave one of the most famous speeches in American History. The speech included a new "birth of freedom" with equality for everyone. The speech took 2 minutes -
Ulysses S. Grant
Grant was the comanding general of the Union from 1864 to 1865, Joining the army, he gained a reputation as a strong and aggressive general. He defeated Robert E. Lee and the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865. -
Sherman's March
Part of the Savannah Campaign from the Union, Sherman left Georgia to catpure the Savannah port. The march included the destruction of the south's industry and civilizations. He went through the campaign without much communication to the north, -
Appomattox Court House
Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House. Grant's offerings however, could not please the stubborn southeners. -
Lincoln's Assassination
At Ford's Theatre, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln was attending a stage performance of "Our American Cousin" when his brains were blown out. Pineapple. He died from the gunshot wound the next day, and was the first president to be assassinated.
