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Siege of Fort Sumter
After 7 (SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX) states seceded, those states started forcing US fortifications to surrender to their authority. almost all did, but a couple forts held out. One was Fort Sumter. Situated in Charleston Harbor, it was important as it could stop trade to Confederate South Carolina, Therefore, Fort Sumter was bombed into submission by P.G.T Beauregard's cannons. This event started the civil war because Lincoln realized that this had turned into a military fight. -
Battle of 1st Bull Run (1st Manassas)
After Lincoln called for 75000 troops to put down the rebellion, 4 more states, including VA, joined the CSA. CSA then moved its capital to Richmond. The Union, realizing that Richmond was close to DC, decided to simply march down and take it. People hoped that once Richmond was taken, the "war" would be over. However, just east of DC, the CSA confronted the US at Bull Run, a creek outside of Manassas, VA. The US lost the battle. This showed the US the US that the war would not be easy -
Battle of Antietam
In 1862, after a disastrous attack into VA by Maclellan, Lee decided to invade the north and chased Lil' Mac into Maryland. Also Lee hoped to tove towards DC afterwards. Lee and Mac faced of at Antietam. Pretty much everyone who fought died, but the fact that Lee's invasion had been stopped meant that the Union was able to claim victory. This victory stopped any threat to Maryland and DC. It also gave Lincoln the high ground to release the emancipation proclamation -
Emancipation Proclamation
In an attempt to hurt the CSA's food supply and add more troops to the Union, Lincoln issued the EP. It frees all the slaves in areas he had no authority to do so. However, he did not free a slave in any border states or in occupied TN and LA. It had many effects. First, it drove GBR and FRA from helping CSA. It also made food supply harder, because slaves who knew they were free would not work as hard. Finally, all black regiments started joining the US army, bolstering their numbers. -
Battle of Gettysburg
In an attempt to force an end to the war, Lee decided to invade the North, capture Harrisburg, and swing around and capture DC. However on the way to Harrisburg, the USA confronted the CSA at Gettysburg. For 3 days, super deadly fighting broke out at locations around Gettysburg. After 51000 casualties, the CSA retreated. The CSA would never again attack the north, or attempts to seek out major battles -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Lincoln, desperate to win the war, appointed Grant leader of the US army. Grant wanted to wage total war (a type of war that does not spare civilians and soldiers alike), so Grant appointed Sherman (an early proponent of total war) to lead a campaign in Georgia. Sherman captured Atlanta and left it in November to march towards Savannah. On the march, he spared nothin. Reasoning that Georgian farms supplied the CSA, he burned them and stole the animals to feed Union soldiers. Nothing was left. -
Lee's Surrender
After being forced out of Richmond in a series of battle. the USA trapped CSA (North Virginia Army) at the Appomattox Court House. Finally, Lee, realizing he had no other options, surrendered all CSA forces to Grant. This ended the war. Grant in response, was lenient. He only demanded that soldiers give their rifles oer, officers could keep pistols and cavalry could keep horses. This marked the end of the war and the begining of reconstruction