-
The Union forces decided to create a blockade, surrounding the Confederate ports, essentially done so to prevent the export of cotton and the smuggling of war materiel into the Confederacy. They managed to reduce the number of ships entering southern ports from 6,000 to 800, which damaged the South economy greatly. Although there were many difficulties, the Union was successful in creating the blockade. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter was one of the main battles that kicked off the American Civil War. Confederate General Beauregard bombed Fort Sumter after President Abraham Lincoln announced his plans to resupply the fort. The battle lasted about 34 hours and the Confederacy ended up winning the fight. The Union surrendered on April 13th, 1861. This indicated the start of the war. -
First major battle of the American Civil War. Also known as Battle of First Manassas. The Union forces outnumbered the Confederates but the Confederate soldiers had more experienced. They proved themselves by winning the battle. -
The Trent Affair was an international diplomatic event during the Civil War. On November 8th, 1861, the USS San Jacinto intercepted the British mail packet (Trent) and removed two confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell. Great Britain then accused America of infringing Britain's neutrality. This caused a diplomatic issue between the two countries. This almost triggered a war between them as well. -
This battle took place from April 6th-7th 1862. It all started when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Union troops were able to hold off an attack by the Confederates and ended up winning this battle. The Union gained a huge victory by winning the Battle of Shiloh. It gave the Union army greater control of the Mississippi River valley. -
In this battle, around 3,500 soldiers were killed and 17,000 were wounded. The Battle of Antietam forced the Confederate Army to retreat back across the Potomac River as the Union repelled the first Confederate invasion of the North. The Union claimed victory and won. This battle was eye opening to Abraham Lincoln and after seeing the significance of the battles outcome, it pushed him to finally sign the Emancipation Proclamation. -
In the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd, 1862. In this document, he stated that if the rebels did not stop fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves that were in the rebellious states would be set free. The Emancipation Proclamation gave African Americans the chance to fight in the war. It also made the European nations realize that they needed to help the South. -
The Union was greatly defeated in this battle. Although they had many more troops than the Confederates, the Union lost twice as many of its men than the South. The casualty rate was 12,653 to 5,377. This signified one of the "low-points" in the war for the Union, however, was a huge victory for the Confederates. The battle lasted until December 15th, 1862. -
This battle lasted from December 29, 1862, to July 1863. The Union claimed a huge victory and it gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union. In tern, it cut off the Trans-Mississippi Department from the rest of the Confederate States and was able to successfully split the Confederacy in two for the rest of the war. Vicksburg Campaign was one of the major turning points of the Civil War that was in favor of the Union. President Lincoln called Vicksburg "The key to the war." -
This battle was a huge Confederate victory. Took place from April 30th-May 6th, 1863. The Southern victory was able to ruin the Union's plains to invade Richmond. This is also well known for the battle in which Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was mortally wounded. His death signified a turning point in the war. Since he was a major part in the planning of the war, and his death decreased the spirit of the army and the citizens. -
This was the second battle which was an essential turning point in the American Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle. Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed. Union won this battle, and the Confederates lost hope hopes that the Confederate States of America would become an independent nation. -
Overland Campaign was designed to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia. This was a final major battle that was waged at Cold Harbor on May 31st and lasted until June 12th, where Grant placed a bet that Lee's army was exhausted and ordered an attack against strong defensive positions, which then ended up resulting in heavy Union casualties. Since many people died during the Overland Campaign, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant gained a reputation as a “butcher.” -
The purpose of this march was to scare Georgia's civilian people into abandoning the Confederates and their cause. Sherman's soldiers stole the people's food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. However, they did not destroy any towns on their path. It hurt morale because civilians believed the Confederacy could protect the home front. -
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles which lasted until April 9th, 1865. Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union general Ulysses S. Grant after being trapped by the Federals near Appomattox Court House. This lead to the end of the bloodiest conflict in American history. -
The surrender at Appomattox took place a week later on April 9. General Lee decide to surrender his troops at Appomattox Courthouse because his troops had no supplies and were starving. Many had no arms and were begging to surrender, also they were surrounded by the union. This was the most significant surrenders to take place during the Civil War. -
On November 19, 1863, Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address. Through the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln spread the principles of human equality written in the Declaration of Independence and connected the sacrifices of the Civil War with the desire for “a new birth of freedom,” as well as the all-important preservation of the Union. The main purpose was to urge everyone to honor those who had died at Gettysburg by maintaining the kind of nation imagined by America's founders.