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Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1st - July 3rd, 1836. During the 3 day battle, about 165,000 soldiers fought in and around the small town of Gettysburg. When the battle was over, there were over 51,000 casualties. Many of the wounded and dead were left in places around Gettysburg. Farm fields and even private homes became makeshift hospitals. -
Battle of Sabine Pass
As the Union gunboats approached Fort Griffin, they came under cannon fire. The Confederate gunners at the fort had been sent there as punishment. Fort Griffin’s small force of 44 men, under command of Lt. Richard W. Dowling, forced the Union flotilla to retire and captured the gunboat Clifton and about 200 prisoners. There were very few deaths at this battle. -
Election of Lincoln
On November 6th, 1860, Lincoln won the presidential election. The election of Lincoln was one of the main reasons for the war that broke out a year later. Lincoln probobly wouldn't have won his election if the South didn't split their party in half. He was president from 1860-1865. -
Texas secedes from union
Texas was the 7th state to leave the Union. On, February 1st, Texans met in Austin and voted 166 to 7 for secession. The Union commander of the Department of Texas was Brigadier General David Twiggs. Twiggs was from Georgia. Texas was the last to secede before the firing at Fort Sumter. -
Houston kicked out of office
The reason why Sam Houston was kicked out of office was because of the secession of Texas. The Texas legislature demanded that public office holders swear an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. Sam Houston didn’t want Texas to leave the Federal Union so he refused to swear the oath. The legislature immediately removed him from office. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
The battle at Fort Sumter lasted 2 days ( April 12-14th ). This battle started the American Civil War. The first shots were fired by the South. The fort was near Charleston, South Carolina. -
Battle of Galveston
The Confederates entered Galveston on New Year's night, January 1st 1863, and opened fire before dawn. The Confederate "cottonclads" struck from the rear of the Union squadron. Their 1st target was the Union's Harriet Lane. The lone surviving Confederate Cottonclad, the Bayou City, was outnumbered 6 to 1 among the armed vessels in the harbor. -
the begining of the Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign, which included the largest combined army-navy operation of the war, was the last victory for the Confederates. The Red River flows from the north west of Texas, across the state then into Louisiana, then south east where it meets with the Mississippi. It was an easy way to enter Texas from New Orleans for Union troops. The Confederates dropped the level of the Red by digging channels to divert water out of it. -
the end of the Red River Campaign
Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey, Chief Engineer for the 19th Corps, decided to build a damn to help raise the water level. On May 2, 1864 they began to cut trees in the nearby forrest. The damn worked, the water rose and the boats were finally able to move again. -
End of Civil War
Approximately 620,000 soldiers died during the Civil War. They died either from combat, accident, starvation or disease. The North was victorious, and the rebellious states returned to the Union. More than 400,000 soldiers were captured during the war. Towards the beginning of the war, captured troops were sometimes exchanged for one another. This helped to keep the total number of prisoners manageable on both sides. -
Battle of Palmito Ranch
Bad weather delayed the crossing to Point Isabel as instructed so the expedition crossed at Boca Chica. At 2:00 am, on May 12th, the expeditionary force surrounded the Rebel outpost at White’s Ranch, but found no one there. Having been up most of the night, Branson had his men sleep in a thicket on the banks of the Rio Grande. Around 8:30 am, people on the Mexican side of the river informed the Rebels of the Federals’ whereabouts. -
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas. The holiday is usually celebrated locally. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and readings by noted African-Americans. In addition to readings there is also singing of traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing". -
Reconstruction Ends
Reconstruction is the period from the end of the Civil War until 1877, when the United States worked to put the country back together again. The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were written in this time. The Planters, who were the minority but who were the richest and most connected, were battling it out with the Freedmen who wanted equality and to own land. Eventually Sharecropping was created – Freedmen worked on Planter’s land and were paid a share of the crop at the end of the year.
