Civil War Annotated Timeline

  • Battle of Bull Run (1st)

    On July 21, 1861, the Union led by McDowell, and the Confederates led by Beauregard and Johnston, met and battled at Prince William County, Virginia. As the Beauregard's forces seemed to lose, Johnston's reinforcements arrived and pushed the Union back. During the battle, Johnston earned his name "Stonewall" Jackson for his bravery on the battlefield. The results of the Confederates winning showed that the war would be longer and more bloodier than both sides expected to be.
  • Battle of Hampton Roads

    On March 8, 1862,
  • Battle of Bull Run (2nd)

    On August 28-30, 1862, the Union and the Confederates clashed again at Prince William County, Virginia. The Union led by Pope, and the Confederates led by Lee, battled on the same ground, with almost the same casulities as the first Bull Run. The Union was easily defeated, and Pope was forced to retreat back to Centreville. The Conferates won, and the Union was badly destroyed.
  • Battle of Antietam

    On September 17-18,1862, the battle of Antietam took place. The Union led by McClellan, faced the Confederates led by Lee, at Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. The Confederates fought well, but the Union ended up winning the battle. Lee's hopes were crushed, and the defeat ended the invasion into Maryland.
  • Battle of Fredricksburg

    On December 11, 1862, Burnside's Union forces clashed with Lee's Confederate forces at Fredricksburg, Virginia. The battle was caused due to Burnside being slowed down, and Lee moving in to block the bridges into the Confederate Capital, Richmond. Despite Burnside's best efforts, the Confederates won, and the capital was saved from Union invasion. Burnside's attempt to seize Richmond turned out to be another failure in the Eastern Theater advancement.
  • Battle of Chancellorsville

    On April 30, 1863, Hooker's Union forces, and Lee's Confederate forces met and clashed at Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Lee split his army up, to deal with the Union forces at two different locations. The Confederates easily won, and the battle ended when Jackson's cavalary advanced onto Richmond. The result was the fiercest fighting, and the 2nd bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Lee's Confederate forces once again met and battled Union forces at Adams County, Pennslyvania, this time led by Meade. The results were the heavist casulities, turning point of the war, and Lee's hopes of Northern invasion crushed. The Union won, despite heavy Confederate resistance, and Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia. The Battle of Gettysburg became an important historic memory in the Union.
  • Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

    On April 14, 1865, while watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C, Lincoln was shot and killed. He was killed by John Wilkes Booth, who was hiding behind a curtain on the balcony, behind where Lincoln was sitting. After Lincoln was shot, he was carried to his house, and despite the docter's best effort, he died. Booth killed him in hopes of shaking the Union, and rallying the Confederates, but all it did was bring trouble for both sides, since Lincoln was working toward making peace.