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Election of Lincoln
When the Democratic party split because of dissagreements, they picked 2 different representatives. This event vreated more votes for Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had no support from any southern states, but still won. This election caused the southern states to secede one by one. -
Houston is Kicked out of Office
Houston served 2 presidencies for the Republic of Texas. After Texas was annexed, Houston became the govener. He attempted to keep Texas from seceeding , but failed. Houston was thrown out of office because he wouldn't pledge loyalty to th Confederate side. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
On April 10, Brig. Gen. Beaureguard (Confederate) demanded surrender. The commander, Anderson (Union), refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort. Fort sumter was unable to defend themselves. on April 13, Anderson surrendered the fort and evacuated. -
Battle of Galveston
After deciding it would be difficult to defend Galveston agianst a Union attack, Confederate forces left Galveston and retreated to the mainland. Commander Jonathan M. Wainwright (Union), took possession of the city and raised the U.S. flag.However, on January 1st, 1863, Confederate troops attacked Galveston. The Union never tried to take Galveston back, but they reinforced their blockades to make Galveston useless as a seaport. -
Battle of Gettysburg
On the evening of July 1, most of Lee's army reached Gettysburg. Meanwhile, most of the 90,000-man Union army of General George Meade arrived at Gettysburg that same night. On July 2, Lee tried to attack from the left and right flanks, but northern troops repelled the attack. The next day, the Union army reinforced its flanks. But Lee launched a front attack, which came as a surprise. Some 15,000 Confederate troops Held firm and defeated the union attack. -
Battle of Sabine Pass
On September 8th, 1863, the Union army steamed up the Sabine River with 4 gunboats and 7 troop transports to reduce Fort Griffin and begin occupying Texas. They came under fire from cannons of 44 Confederate soldiers who happened to be practice firing at river markers. The union was forced to retreat, and their gunboat and 200 prisoners were cap turned. This caused the union to halt operations for a month, and also raised the morale of the confederate soldiers. -
Red River Campaign
Th Red River Campaign was lead by Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. The purpose was to establish a line of advance for Union troops based around New Orleans to use to enter Texas. Low water levels restricted gunship travle. Lack of communication between individual regimens led to the failure of the campaign. -
The End of the Civil War
Lee’s army fought a series of battles against Grant that stretched his lines of defense thin. Lee's extended lines were small sections of thirty miles of strongholds. His troops became exhausted defending this line because they were so thinned out. Grant took advantage and launched attacks on the front. This ultimately led to the surrender of Lee and his army. -
The Battle of Palmito Ranch
On May 11, 1865, Col. Theodore Barret broke a gentleman's agreement not to fight on the Rio Grande with the Confederate army and dispatched 300 soldiers to attack rebel outposts. On May 13 they attacked Palmito Ranch, but were then attacked by Confederates, after stopping to eat and rest their horses. Barret sent reinforcments who torched Palmito Ranch, then engaged in many small fights with Confederate forces. They finally returned to Boca Chica. This was the last battle of the Civil War. -
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a celebration in Texas commemorating the end of slavery. News of the Emancipation Proclamation becoming official didn't reach Texas until a group of Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Gramer delivered the news. There were not enough Union soldiers in Texas to enforce the law, so it took over 2 years for the news to reach Texas. One theory why it didn't reach Texas is that the news was with held to gain free labor. -
Reconstruction Ends
After the war, all white Southern legislatures passed "Black Codes" which took away the right to purchase or rent land from the African American. The efforts to make former slaves to work on plantations led Congressional Republicans to seize control from President Andrew Johnson. They also kicked out representatives from the Confederate states their Congressional seats and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and create the 14th Amendment. This gave citizenship rights to African Americans.
