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South Carolina secedes
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The Confederate Staes of America is formed with Jefferson Davis as the president
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Confederates under General Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins.
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Richmond,Virginia , chosen as the confederation capital
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First ironclad battle in history ends in a draw as the Merrimac withdraws after daylong exchange of fire. Union blockade of South is maintained
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Heavily outnumbered, Lee's troops face McClellan in bloody fighting. Over 23,000 casualties .more than all previous American wars combined.
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With victory at Antietam, Lincoln announces that on 1/1/63, all slaves in the rebelling states would be free.
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Over 165,000 soldiers participate in the largest battle in the Western Hemisphere. After three days of fighting, Lee retreats, leaving 4,000 dead Confederates. Total casualties: 23,000 Union, 28,000 Confederates
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After a long siege, Vicksburg surrenders to Grant. All of Mississippi River is now in Union control
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President Lincoln delivers the two-minute Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
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Grant appointed commander in-cheif
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General Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to General Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
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last confedrate troops surrender
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The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified by the States. Slavery is abolished.
