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Published in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, had a great impact on provoking the American Civil War. The novel is about a kind slave named Tom who is beaten to death by his “master” when he refuses to give up information about two runaway slaves. This book helped people of the north to realize the true depth of the horrors in Slavery.
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In the early hours of October 17th, John Brown and his men captured prominent citizens and seized the federal armory and arsenal of Harpers Ferry. Held down by the local militia, Brown took refuge in the arsenal’s engine house. In the late afternoon Marines under Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived and stormed the engine house, killing many of the raiders and capturing Brown. John Brown was later hung for his acts of treason.
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On April 1861, the first shots were fired on Union soldiers by Confederate General Beauregard. Although seemingly insignificant, they started the American Civil War.
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On July 21, 1861, the first major battle of the American Civil War took place. Many people in the north believed that it would be a easy win for the union, but while the Union had the numbers, the Confederates had the experience. Since it was still pretty early on in the war, most of the soldiers were inexperienced and eager for the war to end early. The Confederates won the battle but both sides suffered many casualties.
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From February 14 to February15, 1862, the Union Army under Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Donelson from the Confederates. This was the first major Union victory in the American Civil War and opened up a route for the Union Army into Northern Alabama. The losses of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson were disasters for the Confederates. Kentucky was lost and Tennessee lay wide open to the Union.
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Between March 8 and 9 of 1862, the Union and Confederates fought with iron armored ships. The used the Merrimack which was originally a Union ship but was captured by the Rebels and turned into an iron armored steam ship. Once the Union heard of the south’s renovations, they immediately hired John Ericsson to create a ship with an ironclad hull and cannons with a high accuracy. Neither side won but changed the course of naval warfare.
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Between April 6th and April 7th, the battle of Shiloh was fought in southwestern Tennessee. Confederate General Albert Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard planned a surprise attack on General Grant before he could combine forces with General Buell. The Confederates were forced to retreat the second day of fighting after P.G.T. Beauregard realized he was outnumbered.
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New Orleans was known as the largest city in the Confederacy and a major port of the south. Flag officer David G. Farragut’s first attempts to attack Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip were unsuccessful. He then decided to seize control of New Orleans as a means of getting closer to both forts. New Orleans was taken control of on April 24, 1862. This was an important victory for the Union.
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Between June 25 and July 1, 1862, six major battles took place near Richmond, Virginia. General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army attempted to capture the Union Army from under General George B. McClellan. As McClellan's army retreated, Lee continued to attack losing McClellan. Yet Lee had gained a victory, increasing the morale of the South.
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On September 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate troops fought General George B. McClellan’s Union forces in a place near Sharpsburg Maryland. Up until this battle, the Confederates were mainly in a defensive position and most of the battles were fought on Southern soil. The Union claimed victory when Lee’s army retreated.
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The Battle of Fredericksburg took place over the course of several day from December 11 to December 15, 1862. The Union hurried to Fredericksburg and dug themselves in waiting for the Union. The Union used a new strategy, but the Confederates were prepared for them. The Confederates won by a landslide.
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On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave an order in the form of The Emancipation Proclamation to free all slaves. Not all slaves were freed due to the Confederate States paying no heed to Union laws. The Emancipation Proclamation allowed black men to be able to fight in the Union Army. This helped the North win the Civil War and set standard for freedom laws.
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From April 30 to May 6, 1863, The North and the South engaged in the fiercest battle in the Civil War. When General Hooker trapped the Confederate troops, he expected them to retreat or surrender, General Lee had other ideas. Lee spilt the Confederate into two and sent half to attack the Union army and half to defend the camp. The Confederate army won against the Union even with a much smaller army.
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From July 1 to July 3, 1863, General Robert E. Lee marched his army into Pennsylvania leading to a clash between Confederates and the Union. The Confederates managed to pierce the Union’s barrier but ultimately failed. This is known as the most important engagement in The American Civil War.
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The Battle of Vicksburg lasted from May 18, 1863 to July 4, 1863. Vicksburg was an important battle because it was the only remaining port left in the South’s possession. If the trade port was taken by the Union, western rebel states would be cut off from the other southern states. General Grant surrounded the city abruptly stopping food and supplies from entering. Eventually, the Confederates surrendered giving the Union control of the Mississippi River.
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On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln attended the dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His speech was short but addressed that fact that America was founded on the notion that all men are equal and the Civil War was being fought to proven that men of color were only objects and or property. Even though the speech only lasted two minutes, it is known as one of the greatest speeches ever given.
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President Lincoln had promoted General Grant to lead of all the Union armies earlier that Spring. Grant came up with a plan called the Overland Campaign. His main goal was not to capture a city or land, but to destroy the Confederate Army of Robert E. Lee. General Grant began marching his army into Virginia, there he met General Lee's army and fought the Battle of the Wilderness. The Union Army continued hoping to get between the Confederate Army and Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy.
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From May 8 to May 19, 1864, The Battle of Spotsylvania took place as the second major battle of the Overland Campaign. The Union Army marched to Spotsylvania, hoping to get between the Confederate Army and Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. Over the next several days, Grant and the Union army tried to outflank Lee's army, but they were unsuccessful. Neither side won the battle, but General Grant had made his intentions clear. He wasn't going to stop until he destroyed Lee's army.
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In March 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee sent a letter to Union General Ulysses S. Grant claiming that he was willing to surrender. Grant asked that all officers and men were to be pardoned, and they would be sent home with their private property and horses, which could be used for late spring planting. Officers would keep their sidearms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations.
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On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in a theater by John Wilkes Booth. Booth got away and wasn’t found until April 26, 1865. He refused to surrender and was shot in a barn south of Washington. Lincoln died the day after he was shot, in William Petersen's boarding house across the street from the theater.
