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Fort sumter
Southern forces fire on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Starting the Civil War -
Battle of Wilsons Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. Fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Federal forces and the Missouri State Guard, it is sometimes called the "Bull Run of the West." -
The Battle of Shiloh
Confederate General Johnston, who fought in the Texas War of Independence and the War with Mexico considered to be one of the finest officers the South has, is killed on the first day of fighting. The Union victory further secures the career of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
Battle of second Bull Run
The Union army was defeated and sent reeling in retreat to Washington. -
Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The result of the battle ends General Lee's first invasion of the North. Following the Union victory, Lincoln will introduce the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed every slave in the Confederate States. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
The Army of the Potomac, under General Burnside, is defeated by Lee's forces after a risky river crossing and sacking of the city. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. Applauded by many abolitionists including Frederick Douglass, there are others who feel it does not go far enough to totally abolish slavery. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Union forces under General Grant attack Confederate defenses outside the city . If Vicksburg falls, the Mississippi River will be completely controlled by the Union. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War dashes Lee's hopes for a successful invasion of the North. -
Vicksburg
After the battle of Gettysburg, the confederates surrender to the Union Army under Grant. The capture of Vicksburg gives the Union complete control of the Mississippi River, Lee begins his retreat to Virginia. -
The Siege of Chattanooga
Confederate forces under Bragg surround the city. General Grant is assigned to command the troops there and begins immediate plans to relieve the Union army. -
The Battle of the Crater at Petersburg
A massive mine was exploded under a Confederate fort in the Petersburg lines. The infantry charge that followed was poorly coordinated and by day's end, Confederate counterattacks had driven out the Union troops and the siege lines remained unchanged. -
Attack on Fort Stedman
Confederate troops under General John B. Gordon attack and briefly capture the Union fort in the Petersburg lines in an attempt to thwart Union plans for a late March assault. By day's end, the southerners have been thrown out and the lines remain unchanged. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender
After an early morning attempt to break through Union forces blocking the route west to Danville, Virginia, Lee seeks an audience with General Grant to discuss terms. That afternoon in the parlor of Wilmer McLean, Lee signs the document of surrender. On April 12, the Army of Northern Virginia formally surrenders and is disbanded. -
Lincoln assassination
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. On the same day, Fort Sumter, South Carolina is re-occupied by Union troops. -
Final battle
The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory. -
13th amendment
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." -
KKK
A group of mainly Confederate Army veterans create the KKK, a terrorist group formed to intimidate blacks and other ethnic and religious minorities. The Klan is the first of many secret terrorist organizations organized in the South for the purpose of reestablishing white authority. -
Radical Reconstruction Acts
These acts begin the period of Radical Reconstruction by enacting Military, Command of the Army, and Tenure of Office Reconstruction Acts. -
Fourteenth Amendment
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." -
Fifteenth Amendment
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Grant Declares Martial Law in South Carolina
Grant causes a mass of arrests and by the following month, prosecutors are indicting Klan members under the Klan and Enforcement Acts. -
Panic of 1873
Although originally caused by the fall in demand of silver, the failure of Jay Cooke & Company caused the fall of many other banks and railroads across the nation, aiding the retention of this depression for seven years. -
Andrew Johnson Becomes a Senator
Andrew Johnson becomes the first president to later serve in the Senate. -
Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for his second term as president in Washington, DC.