-
Abraham Lincoln elected president
Abraham Lincoln was able to win the election with all of the states in the North and almost no support from the South. Because of Lincoln's ideas of abolishing slavery and weaking of what the South lived about caused the South to engage the North in war. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The American Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. -
Lincoln orders blockade of the South
The Union Blockade was the closure of 3,500 Confederate Coastline from port. -
First battle of Bull Run
Union and Confederate armies fight near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Known as the First Battle of Bull Run. -
Monitor vs. Virginia naval battle
One of the most famous naval battles in American history occurs as two ironclads, the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia fight to a draw off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The ships pounded each other all morning but their armor plates easily deflected the cannon shots, signaling a new era of steam-powered iron ships. -
Battle of Shiloh
The battle began when the Confederates launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant in southwestern Tennessee. After initial successes, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced back, resulting in a Union victory. Both sides suffered heavy losses and the level of violence shocked North and South alike. -
7 Days Campaign
The Seven Days' Battles continue at Glendale , Virginia, as Robert E. Lee has a chance to deal a decisive blow against George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had already won the Seven Days' Battles, but the Confederates' attempt to rout McClellan cost many Southern casualties. -
Battle at Chattanooga
Union forces routed Confederate troops in Tennessee at the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, known collectively as the Battles for Chattanooga. The victories forced the Confederates back into Georgia, ending the siege of the vital railroad junction of Chattanooga, and paving the way for Sherman's Atlanta campaign and march to Savannah, Georgia. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run proved to be the deciding battle in the Civil War campaign waged between Union and Confederate armies in northern Virginia in 1862. -
Antietam
Robert E. Lee and George McClellan faced off near Antietam creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, in the the first battle of the American Civil War to be fought on northern soil. Though McClellan failed to utlilize his numerical superiority to crush Lee's army, he was able to check the Confederate advance into the north. -
Emancipation Proclamation Issued
President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery. -
Emancipation Proclamation takes effect
On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signs the final Emancipation Proclamation, which ends slavery in the rebelling states. -
Union army moves in and occupies Richmond, VA
Richmond, Virginia was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It also served as the capital of Virginia, although when the city was about to fall to Union armies. -
Battle at Chancellorsville
Facing an enemy force nearly twice the size of his own, Lee daringly split his troops in two, confronting and surprising Union Gen. Joseph Hooker. Though Hooker still held numerical superiority, he did not press this advantage, instead falling back to defensive positions. When Lee once again split his forces and attacked, Hooker was forced to retreat across the Rappahannock River. -
Battle of Gettysburg
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Union General Ulysses S. Grant surrounds Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. -
Gettysburg Address
President Abraham Lincoln was invited to deliver remarks, which became known as the Gettysburg Address, at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War. -
Ulysses S. Grant takes over the Union army
President Abraham Lincoln signs a brief document officially promoting then-Major General Ulysses S. Grant to the rank of lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, tasking him with the job of leading all Union troops against the Confederate Army. -
Sherman captures Atlanta
Sherman faced off against Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Hood in a series of battles in northern Georgia. -
Abraham Lincoln re-elected
Northern voters overwhelmingly endorse the leadership and policies of President Abraham Lincoln when they elect him to a second term. With his re-election, any hope for a negotiated settlement with the Confederacy vanished. -
Sherman begins march to the sea
-
Savannah, GA falls to the Union
Sherman lays siege to Atlanta, Georgia, a critical Confederate hub, shelling civilians and cutting off supply lines. The Confederates retreated, destroying the city's munitions as they went. Sherman's troops burned much of the city before continuing their march through the South. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders
Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln shot and killed
The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln took place when the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after Robert E. Lee, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army. -
13th Amendment passed
The thirtheenth amendment outlawed all slavery and involuntary servitude from the United States.
