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jefferson davis was able to come to terms that secesion may be the only option. This is before he is elected confederate leader.
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fter being photographed by Matthew Brady, Abraham Lincoln speaks at the Cooper Institute in New York City.
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The Democratic National Convention, meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, cannot agree on a nominee. The only thing they can agree on is to continue the debate in Baltimore the next month
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Democrats meet in Baltimore. Here they Elect Stephen Douglas, Setting up the candidates
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Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President
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Lieutenant Colonel William Hardee is replaced by Major John F. Reynolds as commander of cadets at West Point
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Governor William Henry Gist tells other southern states that South Carolina is considering secession. This was just a rumor
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Governor Gist sends a message to the Legislature that the souths way of life is in danger from the fixed North
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republican Abraham Lincoln wins the presidential election. this causes uproar in the South.
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Georgia calls for a convention of Southern states to form an independent nation.
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South Carolina's convention officially approves the Ordinance of Secession
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The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution forming the Confederate States of America
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After privately considering William Yancey, Howell Cobb, Robert Toombs, Alexander Stephens, and Robert Barnwell Rhett for President of the Confederate States of America, the Convention settles on Jefferson Davis. They select Alexander Stephens, both pro-Union and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, as vice-president
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The Coinage Bill is passed by the Confederate Congress, authorizing up to 50 million dollars in Confederate currency to be printed
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Beginning at 4:30 am on the 12th and continuing until the morning of the 13th, Confederate batteries along the shore of Charleston Harbor fire on Fort Sumter under the command of Major Robert Anderson. Anderson arranges a surrender with Texas Senator Louis Wigfall on the morning of the 13th.
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Battle of Philippi First land engagement of the Civil War between American and Confederate forces
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(First) Manassas (Confederate)
(First) Bull Run (Union) About 25 miles southwest of Washington the first major battle of the Civil War pits Irvin McDowell [US] against P. G. T. Beauregard [CS] and Joe Johnston [CS]. -
Battle of the Mules [Confederate]
Battle of Dry Wood Creek [Union] -
Winfield Scott relieved from duty as Supreme Comander of the United States.
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British mail packet Trent, carrying James M. Mason and John Slidell, Confederate commissioners to London and Paris, is halted in the Bahama Channel by the U.S. warship San Jacinto.
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Stonewall Jackson destroys the West Virginia side of Dam Number 5 on the Potomac River, disrupting the C&O Canal and impacting the Union's ability to repair the B&O Railroad.
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Battle of Pea Ridge (us)
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Battle of Elkhorn Tavern [CS]
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Battle of Pittsburg Landing [Union]
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Battle of Shiloh [Confederate]
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Ulysses S. Grant [US] defeats Albert Sidney Johnston [CS] in southwest Tennessee. P. G. T. Beauregard assumed command following Johnston's death
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After a duel with Confederate ships at English Turn, Commadore Farragut's fleet weighs anchor at New Orleans and demands the surrender of the largest city and most important port in the South. By the time Farragut arrives the city was partially on fire
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Battle of Seven Pines [US]
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Battle of Fair Oaks [CS)
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Jefferson Davis replaces wounded Army of Northern Virginia commander Joseph E. Johnston with Robert E. Lee
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General Ulysses S. Grant demands the unconditional surrender of the garrison from an old friend, Simon Bolivar Buckner
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Second Bull Run[US]
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The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect
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Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside [US} from command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
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Battle of Chancellorsville
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General "Fighting Joe" Hooker's Army of the Potomac is defeated by Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as it crosses the Rappahannock on the way to Richmond
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West Virginia becomes the 35th state to enter the United States, but the first to enter where the terms slave and free no longer mattered
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Battle of Gettysburg
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General Robert E. Lee [CS] advances into Pennsylvania where he meets George Meade [US]. First battling north of the city, by the second day Union forces had retreated south, forming a strong line as men arrived almost continuously. On the third day, the infamous Pickett's Charge marked the end of the Confederates hope for a victory the bloodiest three days in American history
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Battle of Chickamauga
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Gettysburg Address
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Battle of Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga
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109 Union officers led by Colonel Thomas Rose escape from Libby Prison on the banks of the James River in Richmond. 59 reach Union lines
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Battle of the Wilderness
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Ulysses S. Grant [US] is badly beaten on the field by Robert E. Lee [CS] but rather than retreat, Grant advances to Spotsylvania Court House.
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Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
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In an inconclusive battle, General Ulysses S. Grant [US] and Robert E. Lee [CS] battle for days southwest of Fredericksburg
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Battle of Picketts Mill
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Battle of Cold Harbor
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Robert E. Lee [CS] defeats General Ulysses S. Grant [US] and General George Meade [US]
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Battle of Johnsonville
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Battle of Nashville
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On the River Queen five men, US President Abraham Lincoln, US Secretary of State William Seward, CS Vice-president Alexander Stephens, along with John Campbell and RMT Hunter discuss peace terms at the Hampton Roads Conference near Fort Monroe. The conference was a failure.
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Battle of Fort Stedman
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Battle of Five Forks
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After attempting to break-out of the Union envelopment, Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysess S. Grant at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox Court House
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United States President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated on Good Friday by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theatre, Washington, D. C
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Secretary of War Edwin Stanton orders Union troops to stand guard at Ford's Theater to prevent it from reopening following the assasination of President Lincoln
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Mississippi conventions passes an ordinance voiding the secession ordinance of 1861
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Connecticut holds a vote to legalize black suffrage in the state: For: 27,217 Against: 33,489
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Minnesota and Wisconsin hold votes for black state suffrage.
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Alabama ratifies the 13th Amendment, the 27th state to do so
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The first formal observation of President Lincoln's birthday is held in Washington, D. C. President Andrew Johnson attends
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Texas repeals the actions of the Secessionist Convention
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The United States declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
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Congress appropriates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater. It will house the Army Medical Museum, the Office of the Surgeon General and War Department records until 1893
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Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act
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Winfield Scott dies, West Point, NY
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Connecticut approves the 14th Amendment
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President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional
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New Hampshire ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Tennessee ratifies the 14th Amendment. This quick ratification meant Tennessee would not suffer under 2nd Reconstruction
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Ohio ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Kentucky rejects the 14th Amendment
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Virginia rejects the 14th Amendment
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New York ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Michigan ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Nevada ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Missouri ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Louisiana rejects the 14th Amendment
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Wisconsin ratifies the 14th Amendment
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Russia turns over Alaska to the United States
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Edwin Stanton is illegally restored to Secretary of War by the U. S. Senate
