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Civil War Timeline
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Abraham Lincoln elected president
Abraham Lincoln is elected becoming the first republican president. He wins 180 of the 330 electoral votes and 40% of the popular votes. This is the last straw for the south. -
Battle for Fort Sumter
At 4:30 a.m. Confederates fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins. -
Lincoln orders blockade of the south
The blockade helped keep supplies out of the rural south. This made it very hard for the south to compete against the industrialized north. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Union is defeated by the Southern army which is led by Stonewall Jackson. President Lincoln realized it is going to be a long war. This is the one of the first major battles of the war. -
Monitor vs. Virginia naval battle
The Confederate ironclad Virginia (aka Merrimac) sank two union wood ships on the eighth. On the ninth it got in a battle with the union ironclad Monitor. The two ironclads fought each other to a draw. This changed the way naval warfare was viewed. This battle put an end to wood ships. -
Battle of Shiloh
April 6th confederates launched a surprise attack on the Unions unprepared troops that were camping on the Tennessee river. The Union troops fought off the confederate attack but suffered heavy losses. The south loses hope of defending northern Mississippi. -
7 Day Campaign or Peninsula Campaign
June 25 1862
Gen. Robert E. Lee and his army attacked McClellan and his army near Richmond, Virginia. Both sides suffered lots of casualties and McClellan and the union army retreated towards Washington. The operation lasted until July first. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
75,000 union soldiers are defeated by 55,000 confederates at the second battle of bull run. The battle last until the 30th. The union troops retreat to Washington D.C. THis is a major victory for the south. -
Battle of Antietam
Antietam was the first major battle of the war that was fought on union soil. It is the bloodiest battle in american history to this day. There were about 23,000 casualties on both sides combined. This is a major victory for the union because they kept the Confederates from advancing. -
Emancipation Proclamation issued
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by President Lincoln freeing all slaves in confederate held territory that was not returned to the union by January 1st, 1863. It was the first bill passed by the union that freed slaves. -
Emancipation Proclamation takes effect
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by President Lincoln freeing all slaves in confederate held territory that was not returned to the union by January 1st, 1863. It was the first bill passed by the union that freed slaves. This was the next step towards the 13th amendment. -
Battle at Chancellorsville
The union army is defeated by Robert E. Lee and his much smaller force. The union retreats and suffer 17,000 casualties. Stonewall Jackson is mortally wounded by one of his own men. This proves that numbers don’t always matter. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg changed the tide of the war in the union's favor. The confederates were defeated. The battle lasted until July 3rd. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The besieged garrison at Vicksburg surrendered to the union after a six week siege. Vicksburg was the last Confederate stronghold on the MIssissippi. Now that the union has the MIssissippi under control the confederacy is cut it two. This is a major blow to the Confederacy. -
Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln delivers a two minute speech known as the Gettysburg address. It is at a ceremony dedicating the gettysburg battlefield as a national cemetery. It is one of the most iconic speeches in American history. -
Second Battle of Chattanooga
The confederate siege of Chattanooga ends when the besieged union army breaks free and chases back the confederates. The battle lasts until the 25th. This boosts spirits for the union army. -
Ulysses S. Grant takes over the Union Army
President Lincoln appointed Grant to lead all the armies of the United States Of America. This helped the union war plan because Grant was a good general. He later went on to be the 18th president of the USA. -
Sherman captures Atlanta
Atlanta is captured by Sherman and the union. The victory helped Lincoln's re-election campaign. -
Abraham Lincoln re-elected
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected president, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Winning 212 of 233 electoral votes. This helps the civil war keep going. -
Sherman begins march to the sea
The Savannah campaign (or Sherman's march to the sea) began when Sherman and his troops left Atlanta and headed towards the sea. Sherman and his troops traveled towards the ocean destroying farms and all industry in their path. This crushes the south's economy. -
Savannah, GA falls to the Union
Sherman reached Savannah on the twenty first. He left a 300 mile long, 60 mile wide strip of destroyed and damaged land in his path. He telegraphed Lincoln and presented him Savannah as a Christmas present. The south is doomed and can not win. -
13th Amendment passed
The Thirteenth Amendment is passed by Congress on January 31, 1865. Slavery is abolished in the united states. Everyone is free. -
Union Army occupies Richmond, VA
Union forces Capture the Confederate capital of Richmond Virginia. Richmond was the last stronghold the confederates had. They surrender 6 days latter. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The civil war is over. The Union has won. -
Abraham is Lincoln shot and killed
Lincoln and his wife Mary go to see the play see the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Lincoln dies the next morning.
