Civil War Timeline

  • Election of 1860

    Abraham Lincoln was elected as president of the United Sates of America. There was a huge conflict between the north ans south because of their slavery beliefs and all Lincoln wanted to do was keep his country united.
  • South Carolina Secedes

    South Carolina was the first state to secede from the United States of America because they felt unhappy with Abraham Lincoln as their president and wanted to become their own country.
  • Attack on Fort Sumter

    The Attack on Fort Sumter was the first battle of the Civil War. It was an unexpected attack by the south and that was the battle that declared the Civil War has officially begun.
  • The Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

    A fight/war broke out by a creek called bull run and from there on the fight turned into a war. The confederates won and the North was shocked. The North then started taking the war more seriously and changed their strategy's.
  • The Battle of Antietam

    This battle was know as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War due to the amount of people who died fighting this battle. Over twenty thousand soldiers died.
  • The Battle of Fredericksburg

    This Battle had a different General due to the loss of the last fight. The confederates took the high ground and had a better chance of winning, therefore the confederates won.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    During the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln found the perfect opportunity to free the slaves in the south after the major victory of Antietam. Lincoln realized freeing slaves would weaken the south even more and will give the North a better chance of winning the Civil War.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg

    The confederate tries to use the North's old strategy and invaded the North successfully. Lee's troops ran into the Union's troops and had an unplanned battle. The battle took three days!
  • The 54th Massachusetts Fight at Fort Wagner

    The 54th Massachusetts Fight at Fort Wagner was a majority African American fight. Since the Emancipation Proclamation was released it gave the right that African Americans were allowed to fight in the war. The North won this fight with the help of free slaves.
  • Gettysburg Address

    Abraham Lincoln made a speech to dedicate the 3,500 soldiers that were buried there. It was a short speech, but yet was one of the most famous speeches of all time.
  • Sherman's March to the Sea

    Sherman and his men fought a Total War. His troops were reckless and destroyed anything that crossed their path including rail road tracks and civilian's homes. They knew that railroads were important in the North so they purposely destroyed them and burned them.
  • Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

    Lee wanted to continue fighting but he knew that the confederates would fail. Eventually the confederates surrendered and Grant let them off with generous terms.

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