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Lincoln Inauguration
In Washington D.C., President Abraham Lincoln wrote a speech, part of the oath of office to be our 16th president. It was mostly for the south stating his desires of a united country since 7 states seceded and formed the Confederate States. He wanted people from the south to know his intentions. -
Fort Sumter
In Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, 68 Federal Soldiers and their commander, Major Robert Anderson tried to defend Fort Sumter, but General P.T.G. Beauregard and hist troops were overwhelming them. Edmund Ruffin was the first to fire on Fort Sumter. The Union tried to keep the fort standing, but they were going to run out of supplies against the siege. Confederate soldiers kept firing until Major Anderson surrendered the fort. The Confederate State won. -
Bull Run
General Irvin McDowell and an army of 35,000 Union troops marched to Manassas Junction in Virginia along Bull Run creek to attack Brigadier General Thomas Jackson, General P.T.G. Beauregard, and their troops. The Union soldiers thought they were ready to fight against the confederate states even though they haven’t had any training yet. 35,000 soldiers marched to Manassas thinking they can beat the Confederate states, but in the end the southern states won. -
Monitor vs. Merrimac
In Virginia, Confederate and Union people fought against each other with their ironclad ships. Confederate build an ironclad called the Merrimac to destroy Union’s ships and the other way around. The battle pursued for many hours until they realized they couldn't beat each other. In the end, both sides chose to withdraw. -
Antietam
In Maryland, Union General McClellan and Robert E. Lee and their soldiers fought with each other. Lee wanted to take the war to Abraham. He wanted to seize the railroads that have been providing the Union with supplies which will isolate the city. Neither sides got a big advantage in the battle though. The north slightly won more than the south. 5,000 people died and 20,000 were injured. -
Fredericksburg
In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Ambrose Burnside and General Robert E. Lee and their soldiers battled it out. Burnside was reckless and thought he could handle Lee. Lee won in the end, Burnside losing 1,284 and 9,600 wounded. Lee lost less than half that number. Burnside got replaced with General Joseph Hooker. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln created a document granting freedom to slaves in most states. It was issued after the battle of Antietam. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free all slaves though. States who weren't free of slaves were the ones not under the Union’s control. The proclamation also allowed blacks to be soldiers in the war because the armies needed more soldiers. -
Vicksburg
In Warren County, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his army and Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton and his army fought. In May and June 1863, the union army come together in different directions on Vicksburg and captured a Confederate army. On July 4th, Vicksburg surrenders after an extended amount of blockade procedures. Grant became General-in-Chief of the Union armies after his success in splitting the Confederacy in half. -
Gettysburg
In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, General Robert E. Lee, General George Meade, and the Union and Confederate soldiers fought in the bloodiest and most essential battle. It decided the fate of the country and turned the war to the Union’s favor. The supposedly unbeatable Confederate army would never attempt to conquer the north again for the remaining time of the war. The Union army in the Potomac would fight with renewed passion and energy. It was the longest lasting battle in the western hemisphere -
Petersburg
In the city of Petersburg, Meade’s army crossed the James river, and Butler’s leading group crossed the Appomattox River and attack Petersburg’s defenses. General Beauregard’s army were outnumbered and driven out of their line. The II Corp captured a part of the Confederate line. In the end the Confederate got more ground, and Lee rushed in with reinforcements making the Union’s opportunity to capture Petersburg lost. -
Lincoln Re-election
Many people thought that Abraham would not be elected again because many people were weary of the war. They just wanted a negotiation with the South to end, but in the end Abraham got re-elected. Lincoln wanted to be re-elected so that he could finally end the war and slavery. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman marched with his army to wreak havoc on the south. They destroyed crops and caused chaos in the south. Sherman believed that he could destroy the South’s capacity to wage war. He went from Atlanta, Georgia down to Savannah. -
Fall of Richmond
The Union was trying to enter the capital of the Confederacy which was in Richmond, Virginia. The Confederate tried to prevent the federals from coming in, but everyone was in chaos. Lee ordered the people to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond. -
Appomattox Courthouse
The Union won the war. After Lee abandoned Richmond, he tried to retreat west to join with the Confederate Army in North Carolina. The Union army followed the Confederate forces and caught up with them. Lee’s final stand was in the Appomattox Courthouse. After Lee found out there were more Union forces than he thought, he had to choice but to surrender. -
Lincoln Assassination
In Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C., John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham in his head while people were laughing at a funny joke in the theatre. John Wilkes Booth was angered at the fact that the south didn’t win, so he took out the anger on Abraham Lincoln. Many doctors tried to help Abraham, but he didn’t make it. He died in April 15th.
