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Period: to
Civil War
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The Election of 1860
This election was important in that it brought the issues of states' rights and slavery to the forefront of American politics. It led to the disruption of the Democratic party into two warring factions while also bringing the Republican party to power without Southern support. Abraham Lincoln, who won the election and supported the Union, increased sectional tensions by declaring military action toward seceding Southern states and restricting the expansion of slavery further west. -
Jefferson Davis
After resigning from the US Senate, Davis was elected as President of the Confederacy. Serving for the entireity of the war, Davis proved to be an unsuccessful leader who was dismissed by foreign nations and failed to improve the Southern economy. However ineffective he was, Jefferson Davis still managed to become a legacy in the Confederate States of America, serving as a symbol for the new generation of southerners after the war. -
Fort Sumter
Hostilities between the North and South increased when Confederate troops attacked Union forces stationed at Ft. Sumter. Because he was short of soldiers, Lincoln called for a volunteer army, consisting of men throughout Northern states, which he ordered to reacquire federal property taken by the South. This event led to the secession of four more southern states, thus boosting the strength of the Confederate army. -
Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
One of the greatest and longest-lasting commanders of American history, Scott created the Anaconda Plan to further the oppression of states seceded from the Union. This plan called for blockades of Southern ports and the advancement of Union troops down the Mississippi River in order to split Southern forces in two. It got its name from radical factions who compared these movements to that of a snake constricting its victim. -
Battle of Bull Run
This first battle of two, also known as the Battle of Manasses in the south, is considered the first major land battle of the Civil War. -
Thomas Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson was a successful military leader of the Confederate army before becoming a bragadier general. He earned his nickname at the first Battle of Manasses in which his strongly disciplined men provided reinforcements for other Confederate brigades. He continued on into many other military campaigns such as: Valley Campaign and the Battle of Chancellorsville. Although remembered for his legacy, Jackson was soon overshadowed by the military genius of Robert E. Lee. -
Ulysses S. Grant
General during the Civil War. Led many battles against Robert E. Lee's forces in Ft. Henry, Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and Petersburg. After a back-and-forth campaign between the two generals, Grant finally forced Lee to surrender at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. He then became the 18th President of the US (1869-77). The date above is when Grant was appointed brigadier general by Lincoln to train federal volunteers. -
Robert E. Lee
After denying command of the Union army because of his home state's (Virginia) secession from the North, Lee became military adviser of the Confederate army under the leadership of Jefferson Davis. His is known for his military genius and winning many battles for the South. -
George McClellan
Formed the Army of Potomac and became a successful commander of these forces. His fame led to him replacing Winfield Scott as major general of the Union army. Being a very meticulous and somewhat ineffective general, McClellan's performance in the Peninsula Campaign led to the decline of his support from Lincoln and he gradually was retired as general and leader of the Army of the Potomac by the president. -
Monitor and Merrimac
Also known as the Battle of Hampton Roads (VA), this battle is disputed as one of the most important naval battles of the war. It was fought mostly between the two navy's ironclad ships, the Monitor and the Merrimac. Although it ended in a draw, this battle proved the importance of industrialization in the states because wooden ships were shown to be outdated and ineffectual. -
Battle of Antietam
Known as the bloodiest battle fought between the North and South, Antietam was a very crucial event of the Civil War. After Confederate plans for the invasion of Maryland were found by the Union, Lincoln ordered the newly re-appointed McClellan to intercept the Southern army. Because of this battle: the South never gained foreign support, McClellan was fired as commander, the Union army won their first battle, and Lincoln revealed his plans for the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
A loss for the Union army, the Battle of Fredericksburg was yet another bloody and drawn-out battle in which the Confederate forces suffered little casualties compared to the Union. The Union military was led by Ambrose Burnside, the replacement for General McClellan. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Freed all African Americans from human bondage and servitude throughout the US. It was enacted by Lincoln to strip the South of its most important economic asset. This achieved two things: it gave the Union more soldiers while also destroying the Confederacy's already deteriorating economy.
