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Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln wins the four way race for the presidency. The South was angered by this as they thought Lincoln would try and get rid of slavery. -
Period: to
Civil War
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Battle of Ft. Sumter
Was a Confederate victory. Ft. Sumter was one of two ports that was used to ship supplies and Lincoln declared that it would be Union property even after the succession. When the Confederate general wanted the Union troops out of there and they refused, the battle started. Was significant because it was basically the battle that started the war and it caused many states to join the Confederacy. -
Blockade of the South
Was a blockade designed to stop all passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms to the Confederacy. This eventually weakened their economy. It was important because it blocked the South's ways of getting the goods they needed and made it easier to overpower the South. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
First major battle of the Civil War. The Confederates won, but both armies came out very roughed up. This is important because this convinced President Lincoln that this would be a long and costly war. -
Monitor vs. Virginia
Arguably the most important naval battle of the Civil War. The USS Monitor was the Union ship and the CSS Viginia was the Confederate ship. Significant because it was the first battle where the ships were ironclads and fully armored. -
Battle at Shiloh
Was a major battle in the Western Theater of the Civil War in Southwestern Tennesee. It was a surprise attack on Grant, the Confederates had success on the first day but were eventually defeated the second day. Significant because it was the first war with such huge bloodshed and it proved to everyone that it would be a long and bloody war. -
7 Days Campaign
A series of battles over the course of one week. The Union tried to capture Richmond. They did not succeed and the Confederates were able to drive the Union army out. Important because it was a very long battle and it meant the war would keep going for another 3 long years. -
Battle at Antietam
Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Was the first battle of the Civil War to be fought on Union soil. The battle lasted for a whole day. Significant because it was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with over 23,000 casualties. -
Emancipation Proclamation Issued
The Emacipation Proclamation was a document that did not necessarily free all slaves. It more specifically freed the slaves in the states that were not under Union control. Important because it was the first document of its kind. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
Was a very important battle that the Confederates won. Was important because it was the decisive battle in the Northern Viginia campaign for the Confederates. -
Emancipation Proclamation Takes Effect
The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves that were still in rebellion on January 1, 1863. It was met with much opposition, as many Northerners did not want to fight for the freedom of blacks. Significant because it helped keep European powers out of the Civil War so it could be settled between the Union and Confederates. -
Battle at Vicksburg
Grants army attacked Vicksburg and entrapped a Confederate army under Liutenent Pemberton. On July 4 Vicksburg surrendered after long siege operations. This was the greatest culmination of the best military campaigns of the war. Significant because it gave control over the Mississippi River over to the Union. -
Battle at Chancellorsville
Confederate victory with about 24,000 casualties. The darkness and the disorganization of both sides ended the fight. Significant because it is considered to be General Lee's greatest victory and Stonewall Jackson died. -
Battle at Gettysburg
This was a battle that lasted until July 3, 1863. The Union won and this was the second time the General Lee's attempt to invade the North had failed. Sigficant because it was a major turning point in the war when the North had its first victory. -
Gettysburg Address
Probably Lincoln's most well-known speech and he gave it about four and half months after the Union army defeated the Confederates at Gettysburg. It was given in dedication to the Soldiers' National Cemetary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Significant because it brought our country back togther as one nation. -
Battle at Chattanooga
Was fought in Chattanooga, TN and was a Union Army victory. They cut off supplies for the South and that helped them gain the victory. It was important because it helped the North be able to get down further into the South and start fighting there. -
Ulysses S. Grant Takes Over the Union army
Abraham Lincoln appoints Grant as commander of all Union armies, and General Sherman takes over as commandor of the armies in the west. Significant because it ended Lincoln long search for a decent general to command the northern forces. -
Battle of Atlanta
Sherman eventually forced Hood to abandon Atlanta, the munitions center for the Confederacy. Sherman stayed there for two months to rest his army as well. Significance was that this was the final blow for the Confederacy and this was when things started to fall apart. -
Lincoln Gets Re-Elected
After Lincoln was re-elected, any hope of a settlement with the Confederacy had vanished. Many voted for him again because of his work on the Emancipation Proclamation. Significant because it was the first time an election had still been held during a military emergency. Five months after this, the Confederacy collapsed. -
Sherman's March to Sea
Sherman left Atlanta and headed straight towards the Atlantic Ocean. He then ended up in Savannah, GA. When him and his forces went through with almost no one to stop them as they left destruction in their path. Significance was that Sherman was able to strike the Confederacy right in their heart and his victory along with others were the beginning of the end of the Confederacy. -
Savannah, GA Falls to the Union
General Shermans Union army succeeded in capturing Savannah, GA. This hampered the Confederates efforts to move supplies through the area, as the Union now had a military barrier that stretched from the west coast to the east coast. Significant because it crumbled Georgias economy and Sherman sent a famous telegram to Lincoln saying Savannah was his christmas present. -
13th Amendment
The thirteenth amendemet prohibited and abolished slavery with in turn caused freedom for everyone! Significant because it fulfilled to promise made to the world in the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Occupy Richmond
The Union managed to capture Richmond, but the Confederates also managed to burn all of their supplies before they left. Significant because the Union had capture Richmond, the last major Confederate city. -
Lee Surrenders
Lee had no other option as Richmond which was the Confederate capital had been captured, blocked from joining the surviving Confederate force in North Carolina, and harassed constantly by the Union forces, he had no other choice. Significance was that Lee had to surrender to his own terms of surrendering and he was surrounded on 3 sides. -
Lincoln's Assassination
President Lincoln is shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln was attending a play at Fords Theater when Booth shot him in the back of the head near the left ear. This is important because it was the first presidential assasination and it had a lasting affect on everyone.
