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Fort Sumter was built in South Carolina, and when South Carolina seceded from the Union, two federal troops led by Major Robert Anderson. South Carolina Militia had captured other forts and surrounded Fort Sumter. January 9, 1861, a federal ship brought Anderson more supplies, but the militia fired upon it, forcing it to leave. The standoff continued through Lincoln's inauguration, and after running out of supplies and being fired upon by the militia, the federal troops fought back on April 12. -
Declared by President Lincoln in April 1861, the Union Naval Blockade had covered the majority of the southern ports by July of 1861. This blockade was meant to stop foreign trade with the Confederacy, and was successful. It was hard for the south to access supplies like weapons that the Union could make because they were industrialized. However, this blockade not only affected the south, but also foreign economies, as they had lose access to cotton.The blockade stood until 1865. -
The Battle of Bull Run was the first major land Battle of the Civil War. July 21, 1861, 35,000 Union troops marched from Washington D.C. into Virginia to fight Confederate Troops at Bull Run. The Union Army was mostly fighting defensively, until the Confederates broke their defense and won the battle, sending the Northern troops back to D.C. This battle was important because it showed that the North would not be able to defeat the South as easily as they thought they would be able to. -
The Trent Affair was a dispute between The United States and Great Britain that began in November 1861 and ended in December 1861. The U.S. Navy captured a neutral English Ship, the USS San Jacinto, that had two Confederate Soldiers aboard. The British were outraged and began to prepare for war and stop trading with America. However, President Lincoln decided to fight "One war at a time," and let the neutral ship go. -
Major General Ulysses S. Grant was working to penetrate southern borders into Mississippi borders during the Battle of Shiloh. The Battle began April 6, with Confederate troops catching Grant off guard. The commander of the Confederate troops died, and the next day the Union launched attack early in the morning. The Confederacy ultimately lost this battle, allowing the north to invade their borders, giving them full range of the west. Thousands on both sides died during this battle. -
This battle is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, and was led by General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and General George McClellan of the Union. This battle was Lee's attempt at invading the North. Lee knew that due to tensions in the North and the way Europe was watching the war that this battle would be important. The fight was extremely bloody, losing thousands of soldiers, and the Confederacy ended up losing, retreating easily as McClellan allowed them to. -
The Emancipation Proclamation was passed by Abraham Lincoln, freeing 3 million slaves and making the Civil War a fight against slavery. He announced that after 100 days from September 22, 1862 all of the slaves in rebel states would be freed. On January 1, 1863, all of these slaves were proclaimed free, and black troops were also recruited to the Union fight. Foreign nations, such as Great Britain, could no longer back the Confederacy because it would be seen as supporting slavery. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg involved the most amount of soldiers on both sides than any other battle in the war. A new commander, Commander Burnside, had led troops into battle in the South. However, the Union was delayed in their travels, so Robert E. Lee's troops were able to get the high ground at Marye's Heights. The Union Army attacked first, but were defeated by the Confederacy. This was a tremendous loss for the North, and a great boost of morale for the South. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville began with the Union Army having a new commander, General Joseph Hooker, and having thousands more men than the Confederate Army. Lee split his army in two and this tactic was incredibly useful. The two armies began fighting on May 1 in an open field. The Confederate Army won, a huge victory for Robert E. Lee. Hooker retreated and prepared for Lee to come north for another fight. The Union retreating greatly upset Lincoln, as he appointed Hooker to win. -
The Vicksburg Campaign was a campaign launched by the Union Army to take Vicksburg, Mississippi, an important Confederate City. This was General Grant's second attempt at taking the city, and he succeeded. The siege lasted 47 days, ending on July 4, 1863. This gave the Union control of Mississippi River, advancing the Anaconda Plan to cut off the South from all outside trade. -
The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 to July 3, 1863. Robert E. Lee marched his troops into Pennsylvania and met the Union Army, led by George G. Meade, in Gettysburg, and for days the Confederate made great tactical moves against the Union. However, the South had so many casualties that Lee had to withdraw, losing the battle. This was a major win for the Union because lee had lost a third of his Army, and the victory turned the tides of the war in the North's favor. -
President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address at the site where the bloody battle happened, where thousands were buried. Though brief, his speech is remembered as on of the most important he would ever give. In it, he emphasizes the need for equality among all men in the country, and how this is stated in Declaration of Independence. Lincoln also once again emphasized how important it was to maintain the United States as one union. -
The Overland Campaign was constructed by Commander Ulysses S. Grant after Lincoln appointed him commander of the Union Army. This plan was meant to capture Richmond, the Confederate Capital. The Campaign resulted in a 9 month siege, though it only lasted six weeks on its own, ending on June 12, 1863. Though the campaign was not necessarily a success, tens of thousands of Union soldiers died in some of the bloodiest battles of the whole war, Lincoln maintained hope and faith in Grant. -
General William T. Sherman, a Union general, led his forces through Georgia, from Atlanta to Savannah from November 15 to December 21, 1864. The troops goal was to scare the people of Georgia into supporting the Union and abandoning the Confederacy. Though the original intent was not violent, Union troops burned homes and barns and stole food and livestock from any southerners who tried to fight back against the Union. -
The Appomattox Campaign was the final campaign of the Civil War, beginning on March 29, 1865. Grant used his ample amount of troops to attack Lee's soldiers. Lee was forced to flee west with his troops- troops that consisted of significantly less soldiers than Grant's. Robert E. Lee attempted to outrun the Union, but he could not and this race west led to the Confederate Army Surrendering to the Union on April 9, 1865. -
Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 after attempting to flee west with his troops. For a week prior to the surrender Lee's attempts at making his way back to the south were continuously ruined by Grant. Though the Confederate commander had surrendered to Grant, the war still raged in other parts of the South, as Lee refused to tell his other men to surrender.