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The First Battle of Fort Sumter
Confederate troops shelled Fort Sumter from the mainland. The bombardment lasted for 34 hours striaght, until the Union soldiers surrendered. No soldiers on either side were killed by enemy fire. -
First Battle of Bull Run
First major land battle of the war. It occurred near Manassas, Virginia. Union forces totaling 28,450, under the command of General Irvin McDowell, attempted to surprise 32,230 Confederate troops. The Union suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. This is the battle that earned "stonewall" Jackson his name. -
Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee
Both battles happened in the same month 10 miles apart from each other. The Confederate’s Fort Henry fell on Feb 5th, General Ulysses S. Grant‘s troops and 7 gunboats from the Union began shelling the fort. Union casualties were 2,331 while the Confederacy suffered more than 15,000. This was the Unions first victory. -
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack
Most famous and well-known naval battle of the Civil War. The first battle between two ironclad ships, the Monitor and the Merrimack. In the end neither side was declaired the winner. But this battle got nationwide attenion and also revolutionized how warships were build. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Union was commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General Don Carlos Bue, while the Confederates were commanded by General Albert Sidney Johnston and General P.G.T. Beauregard. Confederate forces attacked the Union at Pittsburg Landing.On the second day of the battle, Grant launched a counterattack and the Confederates retreated to Corinth. This was a victory for the Union. -
Battle and Capture of New Orleans
Capture of New Orleans by Union forces was a major turning point in the war. New Orleans was the Confederacy’s largest city, and, given its location at the mouth of the Mississippi River, a trading location with a powerful and economical port. -
The Battle of Antietam
The first battle of the war to take place on Northern soil. It was the the bloodiest day in the American Civil War, with a total of over 23,000 casualties including more than 4,800 killed. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
The Union laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock under their fire. On December 12th, the Federal army crossed over. On December 13, Burnside mounted a series of frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. This battle ended in a Confederate victory. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
An executive order that Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. It proclaimed the freedom of the 3.1 million slaves in the Confederate States of America. This enraged the south and turned this into a total war to destroy the Old South. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The bloodiest battle of the war, with a total of over 46,000 casualties, nearly 8,000 of which were killed. It lasted 3 days and it was know as the turning point in the war. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
General Lee and General Grant met at Appomattox Courthouse in Virbinia to talk about the surrender of the Confederecy. The confederates surrendered everything but firearms and horses. This event ended the Civil War. -
Siege of Atlanta
This battle was fought from May 7 to Sept 2. It was fought in Northwestern Georgia and around Atlanta. The victor of this battle was the Union. -
Andrew Johnson becoming President
After the assassination of President Lincoln the vise President, Andrew Johnson, took over. Johnson had very different plans for reconstruction than Lincoln had. He was also not very liked because he was a democrate that ran on the republican ballot and he was a southerner who believed in unification, this cause many problems and changed the path of politics in the the US. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John WIlkes Booth in Fords theatre in Washington. His assassin thought that by killing Lincoln, he would be helping the south. The south didn't like Lincoln because they thought we has trying to get rid of slavery. -
Battle of Palmito Ranch
This battle took from May 12 to May 13. The Battle of Palmito Ranch was also known as the Battle of Palmito Hill and the Battle of Palmeto Ranch. This battle took place in Cameron County, Texas. The victor of this battle was the confederate. -
Ratification of the 13th Ammendment
The 13th amendment officially ended the institution of slavery. This came 8 months after the Civil War ended. When Georgia ratified it on Dec 6, slavery ceased to exist in the United States. -
New Orleans Riot
A violent conflict in which whites attacked blacks in Lousiana where the constitutional convention was being held. Showed that while blacks were free, it would still be a long time before they acquired the same status and rights and whites had. -
End of the Civil War
This was the offical end to the Civil war, President Johnson on August 20 declared that the war was over. The war for many people is considered to have ended in 1865 with Lee's surrender at Appomatox Courthouse. This marks the end of slavery in the United States and the beginning of reconstruction, which lasts tell 1877. -
Attempted Impeachment of Johnson
On Feb 4, Johnson was impeached in the House of Representatives but was not impeached from office because he was saved by one vote in the Senate. This is significant because if he was impeached, many presidents would have been impeached using the same reason, high crimes and misdemenors, even thought he was not he just did not follow the publics view point. -
Election of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was elected president in the 1868 election mainly because of the contributions he had during the war. He was a war hero for leading the Union to victory and helping end slavery in the United States.