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The American Civil War
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Election of 1860
When Lincoln was elected in 1860, South Carolina unanimously decided to secede from the Union. The Missouri Compromise was one of the first of many dealings with the problem of how to keep a balance of slave state and free states so as not to let any one side gain too much power in the Union. By the time the United States acquired the Mexican Session the national government did not have a set plan on how to enforce slave laws, for or against slavery so they came up with the Compromise of 1850. -
Jefferson Davis
Served as the president of the Conferderate army during the Civil War. While he was in charge however he failed to bring in a sufficient amount of supplies and could not get foreign countries to sponsor his war efforts. He was a very strong willed man and made some great decisions during his time in power. He gave many southerners a reason to have faith in the Confederacy. -
Fort Sumpter
The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the Civil War. Confederate Gen. Beauregard demanded surrender, Anderson of the Union refused but, when fired upon, could not return the force and surrendered the fort on the 14. This battle launched the former U.S. into war for the next four years. -
The Battle of Bull Run
This is the first major battle of the Civil War. The Union soldiers march to Virginia with heads held high but at the close of the battle the Confederate reinforcements take over and show the U.S. that this war will not be as short as was anticipated. This small battle signified to the Union army, Confederate army, and common folk that there would be much blood shed in this war and that it would not be taken easily by either side. -
Geogre McClellan
The commander of the Union's army, takes troops into Virginia after trying the patience of Lincoln and is forced to retreat in about five months becasue General Robert E. Lee, the South eastern commander, had tactical strategies. The Union is losing faith because they have experienced many loses in Virginia and each is worse that the last. -
Robert E. Lee
Commander of the Confederate troops and led them in the battle of Anteitam and in the Peninsula Campaign. He successfully conquered in these two battles and is expected to continue his winning streak but makes the mistake of trying to invade MAryland and fails. -
Monitor and Merrimac
Monitor of the Union and Merrimac of the Conferderacy battle head to head at Hampton Roads. While the Conferderate ship had more amunition is was also clumsy and and prone to engine trouble. Although this ironclad war ends in a draw, it marks a revolution in naval warfare. -
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
Leads Confederate counterattack on the Union in the first battle of the war. He succeeds in getting them to retreat and taking the victory at this battle. He gains support from his people and shows the Union that they will not be walking away with the simple victories they thought they would have. -
Winifield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
Winifield Scott propsed to Lincoln that 60,000 troops go down to the south in the Anaconda Plan. These soldiers were meant to blockade the south and effectively cut them off from the Mississippi Rver. This plan did not pass but had the effect of helping Ulysses S. Grant in "squeezing the South to military death." -
Battle of Antietam
In this battle, Lee leads his ary into enemy territory and fails to come out with a victory. He wanted to gain foreign support from Britain but did not succeed. McClellan, his last battle, knew Lee's plan and forced him to leave but was not a strong enough leader for Lincoln so he was fired for a final time. Antietam proved to be a victory for the Union even though it was technically a draw becasue it stopped the Confederacy from gaining the foreign support they so urgently needed. -
Ulysses S. Grant
He captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River an Fort Donelson in the Cumberland. His greatest success is the Vicksburg Campaign and he is credited with major accolades in the winning of the Civil War. -
Fredricksberg
The Union soldiers light five bridges on fire and after a day the federal army crosses over it and and assaulted the Confederate army with a series of casualties left behind. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Even though Abraham Lincoln insisted that the Civil War was a war to save the Union and not free the slaves, in the end it was a necessary step to win the war in favor of the Union. When issuing the Emancipation Proclamtion Lincoln knew that the Southerners would take it as a direct attak on their way of life but it was quintessential that these slaves be free because they were being forced to help the Conferderacy and therefore help the Union lose. -
Battle of Vicksburg
"Vicksbrug is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket," Union President Abraham Lincoln. "Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together," Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Vicksburg was the opening to the Mississippi River, if it was not attained by the Union in the end, we would be a split nation to this day. The federal forces conquered it however when Grant coerced Permberton to surrender the Union had the win in the bag. -
Battle of Gettysburg
More men fought and died at this battle then at any other battle fought in any other war in America's history. The most gruesome battle: 51,000 casualties, both sides realized on July 3rd that this war was almost over and that the Confederacy had no chancing of coming out on top. -
Gettysburg Address
In this amazingly short speech LIncoln expresses to the people that they must not let their brothers of war have died in vein, that we must, as a whole, work toward the betterment of the nation. The speech was meant to engage the common folk in the war and make them see that it was their job as well as the army's to mend the then broken nation. -
Sherman's March
Sherman gave President Lincoln Savannah, Georgia in what he claimed was a "Christmas gift." He was able to hit the Confederacy's most potenant spot. His victory along with those of the other Union commanders signaled the end of the Confederacy. -
Appomattox Courthouse
Robert E. Lee made his last attempts to salvage the Confederacy by taking the supplies at Lynchburg but when the Confederates charge the feds in the morning they end up surrounded by the Union infantry. This is where General Lee surrenders his army and as a consequence the war. Botrh sides knew that this was the final engagement of the Civil War and who had come out victorious. -
Lincoln's Assasination
John Wilkes Booth shoots Lincoln in the conspiracy plot to try and get the remaining Confederacy troops to attack the Union on one last front. He succeeded in the plan for Lincoln but couldn't get his comrads to finish the job he started. By killing the beloved President in the North, the Southern rebels just mad ethemselves to blame for the splits and hatred against the two sides. Now there was no way the two would quickly or quietly reconcile.
