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THE US CIVIL WAR: A Nation Divided
The American Civil War is a defining moment in our Nation's History.The Civil War determined what kind of nation the US would be. The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the US was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown and a small group of his supporters descended upon Harpers Ferry, Virginia, capturing prominent citizens and seizing the federal armory and arsenal. Brown had hoped that the local slave population would join the raid and through the raid’s success, weapons would be supplied to freedom fighters throughout the country to destroy slavery.Brown's raid was not sucessful. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected 16th President of the United States
Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th President of the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln, who had declared "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free..." is elected president, the first Republican, receiving 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40 percent of the popular vote. (http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2013/11/lincoln_selfpicture-P.jpeg) -
South Carolina Secedes From the Union
South Carolina seceded from the Union followed within two months by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/at0043.13s-th.jpg) -
The Confederacy is Formed
The Confederacy is formed with Jefferson Davis, a West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer, as president. (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-war-in-america/) -
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Fort Sumter is Attacked
The Civil War begins at 4:30 A.M. when Confederates under Gen. Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. (https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhM7-lnM_6SQL2gYU348MN2ITaF1AKfYNhLCvh4lWTtacU_pOfSA) -
President Lincoln Issues a Proclamation
Lincoln Issues a Special Proclamation calling for 75,000 militiamen, and summoning a special session of Congress for July 4.
Robert E. Lee, son of a Revolutionary War hero, and a 25 year distinguished veteran of the United States Army and former Superintendent of West Point, is offered command of the Union Army. Lee declines.
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Virginia Secedes From the Union
Virginia secedes from the Union, followed within five weeks by Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, thus forming an eleven state Confederacy with a population of 9 million, including nearly 4 million slaves. The Union will soon have 21 states and a population of over 20 million. -
Blockade Against Southern Ports Issued
President Lincoln issues a Proclamation of Blockade against Southern ports. The rural South’s economy was almost entirely dependent upon the cotton trade with Britain. For the duration of the war, the blockade limits the ability of the rural South to stay well supplied in its war against the industrialized North.(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUoiRdbQMmPnV2u2pCIzNnvq5272Rd66C0v78Zsm9mLAq24-4Mqw ) -
Robert E. Lee Resigns and Accepts Command
Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States Army. Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army. "I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children." Lee then goes to Richmond, Virginia, is offered command of the military and naval forces of Virginia, and accepts. (http://richmondthenandnow.com/Images/Books/Robert-E-Lee-portrait.gif) -
Congress Called to Special Session
President Lincoln calls Congress to a special session for permission to pay for the war. During his address, Lincoln explains his actions at the outbreak of the war, and the purpose of the war in defense of preserving the governemnet. Congress voted to approve the president’s request for both money and men to fight the war. Congress authorized the call for 500,000 more men. (http://civilwardailygazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/lincol) -
First Battle of Bull Run (Called First Menassas by the Confederacy)
First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) Thinking the war was trivial and would be over quickly, some spectators packed picnic lunches to observe the battle, by the end of the day, Union forces had lost and were forced to retreat. The Confederate victory gave the South confidence and shocked the North into realizing the war would not be easily won. ('http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/pictures/battles-of-bull-run/lithograph-of-the-first-battle-of-bull-run-2') -
The Battle of Ironclads
The war at sea. While armies battled on land, navies clashed on the high seas. Confederate shipbuilders created the ironclad Virginia, by refitting an old warship with a steam engine and iron plates. The ship destroys several Union ships and broke through the blockade. In response, the Union built its own ironclad, the USS Monitor. The two ships met at the Battle of the Ironclads, which ended in a draw. Naval warfare is thus changed forever. http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/63/105363-004-C15962EF.jpg -
Battle of Shilo
Union General Ulysses S. Grant engaged Confederate forces at Shiloh, Tennessee, in an incredibly bloody battle. Tens of thousands of men died. By the end of the bloodbath, Grant had won and demonstrated to the Confederates that Lincoln was serious about maintaining the Union. Southerners got the message and dug in for a longer war. (http://www.cabelas.com/assets/cms/img/doorway/civilwar/shiloh_header.jpg) -
Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Menassas)
At the second battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia, 55,000 Confederates under Gen. Stonewall Jackson and Gen. James Longstreet defeat 75,000 Federals under Gen. John Pope. Once again, the Union Army retreats to Washington. The president then relieves Pope. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle, along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland, proved to be the bloodiest day of the entire war. Casualties on both sides numbered more than 23,000. The following day, photographer Mathew Brady displayed photographs of the dead soldiers in his New York City gallery, prompting the New York Times to state that the images had “done something to bring home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war. -
Issuance of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Following the Union win at the Battle of Antietem, the president announced that slaves in rebellion areas would be free within 100 days. When the Civil War broke out, Lincoln maintained that the war was about restoring the Union and not about slavery. He avoided issuing an anti-slavery proclamation immediately, despite the urgings of abolitionists and radical Republicans, as well as his belief that slavery was morally repugnant. Instead, he chose to wait until he could gain wide public support. -
Final Emancipation Proclamaton is Issued
Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, which declared, "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebel states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The proclamation also called for the recruitment and establishment of black military units among the Union forces.http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/emancipation-150/the-emancipation-proclamation.html -
The Battle of Gettysburg
Undaunted by his failure at Antietam, Lee marched into Northern territory again in the summer of 1863, this time into Pennsylvania. There, he met Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg in early July. At the end of a bloody three-day struggle in which more than 50,000 died, Lee was once again forced to retreat. The battle was a resounding victory for the North and a catastrophe for the South. http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/cwar-pix/gettys-field.jpg -
The Battle of Vicksburg
At the same time Lee was losing in the North, Grant was besieging the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the West. Eventually, the trapped Confederates caved in to Grant’s demand for an unconditional surrender. This major victory at the Battle of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and thus split the Confederacy in half. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg -
The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln commemorated the Union victory at Gettysburg several months after the battle with a speech at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site. Though very brief, the Gettysburg Address was poignant and eloquent. In the speech, Lincoln argued that the Civil War was a test not only for the Union but for the entire world, for it would determine whether a nation conceived in democracy could “long endure.” http://edge2 -
President Abraham Lincoln is Re-elected
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected president, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Lincoln carries all but three states with 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 of 233 electoral votes. "I earnestly believe that the consequences of this day's work will be to the lasting advantage, if not the very salvation, of the country," Lincoln tells supporters. -
Congress Approves the 13th Amendment
The U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states for ratification. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQdAteoyUQZsIQt_Ychy_T9EQNfBLRX2is0XijXvy82wa1tKZpr -
Hampton Roads Conference
At the conference the representatives discussed a possible alliance against France, the possible terms of surrender, the question of whether slavery might persist after the war, and the question of whether the South would be compensated for property lost through emancipation. Lincoln and Seward reportedly offered some possibilities for compromise on the issue of slavery.
The only Southern forces remaining, now numbering just 280,000, were located in Petersburg and North Carolina. -
Petersburg and Confederate Capital, Richmond are Evacuated.
Grant's forces begin a general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. http://k35.kn3.net/taringa/4/7/8/6/8/0//jeavh/E7D.jpg?8481 -
Gen. Robert E. Lee Surrenders
Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules. "After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources," Lee tells his troops. -
Lincoln Shot and Killed
The Stars and Stripes is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. At 10:13 p.m., during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across the street. He never regains consciousness. -
John Wilkes Booth
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A Victory Parade
In May - Remaining Confederate forces surrender. The Nation is reunited as the Civil War ends. Over 620,000 Americans died in the war, with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle. 50,000 survivors return home as amputees. A victory parade is held in Washington along Pennsylvania Ave. to help boost the Nation's morale - May 23/24, 1865. -
Slavery is Abolished
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is finally ratified.
