-
In Lincoln's first inaugural speech he says, "
In your hands my dissatisfied fellow country and not in mine is the issue of Civil War." Lincoln is talking about the oncoming civil war and saying that he (the north) will not be the first ones to strike, but instead wait for the south to make the first move. -
The first shots of the war were fired at Fort Sumter in the South Charleston Harbor and is known as the start of the Civil War even though it is not officially the first battle. -
The Union sent their navy down to the coast of the Confederates to block their trading points. This gave the Union a advantage because they had enough resources and the south was cut off from trade. This was also known as the Anaconda plan because it suffocated the south. -
The Confederacy moved their capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia. They did this to show Virginia's part of the Confederacy. -
West Virginia splits off from Virginia because West Virginia wanted to be part of the union. States like these that were on the border of the south and the north and are part of the union are called border states. -
The first official battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Bull Run also known as Manassas. There were about 65,000 troops fighting at Bull Run and there were about 5,000 casualties. The Confederates won the battle and things didn't look so good for the Union. -
At the battle of Franklin, the Union took Nashville from the CSA. This was the first state capital that the Union took. -
The first battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac was a battle of ironclads, a new type of battle ship. They were battleships made out of iron, and they fought without end. This was also called the battle of Hampton Roads. -
The battle of Shiloh was the deadliest two-day battle of its time. The highest ranking officers on either side was killed there. This was Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnson. -
The Homestead Act gave 160 acres of land in the west to adult heads of families. They did this because they wanted more population in the west and this was the easiest way to do it. -
The Battle of Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle, was a major victory for the Union and indirectly led to the Emancipation Proclamation -
The Emancipation Proclamation, made by Abraham Lincoln, made it so that all slaves in rebellious (confederate) states were hence free. -
The largest ever battle in North America, the battle of Gettysburg, was the biggest battle of the Civil War and sparked Lincoln's famous speech, "The Gettysburg Address." This was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and did not happen on purpose. The Union and Confederate troops happened to meet there because Gettysburg was the center of the roads. -
The 20th Maine defended Little Round Top with a bayonet charge that drove away two confederate regiments. -
Pickett's Charge, also know as "The High Water Mark of the Rebellion," was the farthest point that the confederates got into Union territory. Gen Robert E. Lee's troops had done surprisingly well, and being outnumbered, Lee decided to charge with his troops. His troops' luck ran out. It was a fail. -
The Vicksburg Siege was a Union victory that gave them the Mississippi and split the south in two. This was led by Ulysses S. Grant and was a major victory for the Union that helped seal the deal. -
The Gettysburg Address was a speech by Pres. Lincoln at the Dedication Ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg that suggested the preservation of the Union and the ideals of self-government. This speech starts out with "Four Score & Seven years ago..." and that is a reference to when the U.S became a nation. -
After Grant's success at Vicksburg's Siege, he was named General of the Union which later on helped him become president. -
From November 15th to December 21st, General William T. Sherman led 60,000 troops on a 285 mile march to scare Georgia's citizens into abandoning the Confederate state. -
Lincoln's second inaugural speech was about the end of the war and it says, "With malice towards none, with charity to all." This means that you should not hate anyone, and be forgiving to everyone. This is how Lincoln wanted to solve the problem of reconstruction. -
At Appomattox Lee surrendered his only army of Northern Virginia to Grant marking the end of the Civil War. -
Lincoln was attending a play at Ford's theater when John Wilkes Booth found out, snuck behind him, and shot him in the back of the head.