Civil war

Civil War Timeline by Nandita V. Shankar

  • Lincoln is Elected

    Lincoln is Elected
    Abraham Lincoln is elected President.
  • States Secede from the Union

    States Secede from the Union
    South Carolina secedes from the Union. Later, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas also secede.
  • CSA Forms

    CSA Forms
    The Confederate States of America is formed and Jefferson Davis is president.
  • Abraham Lincoln's Inauguration

    Abraham Lincoln's Inauguration
    Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as 16th President of the United States of America.
  • The Attack of Fort Sumter

    The Attack of Fort Sumter
    At 4:30 a.m. Confederates fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter, prompting the start of the Civil War.
  • 1st Manassas or the First Bull Run

    1st Manassas or the First Bull Run
    The Union Army suffers a defeat at Bull Run 25 miles southwest of Washington and Confederate Gen. Jackson is given the nickname "Stonewall," as his army resists Union attacks.
  • Fort Donelson is Captured

    Fort Donelson is Captured
    General Ulysses S. Grant advance to capture Fort Donelson and on February 16th, Grant's forces capture Fort Donelson.
  • Shiloh, New Orleans

    Shiloh, New Orleans
    17 Union ships move up the Mississippi River then take New Orleans, the South's greatest seaport.
  • The Seven Days Battles

    The Seven Days Battles
    The Seven Days Battles as Lee attacks McClellan near Richmond, resulting in very heavy losses for both armies and the battle lasts until July 1st.
  • 2nd Manassas or 2nd Battle of Bull Run

    2nd Manassas or 2nd Battle of Bull Run
    75,000 Federals are defeated by 55,000 Confederates at the second battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia, lasting until August 30th.
  • Antietam

    Antietam
    The bloodiest day in U.S. military history as Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Armies are stopped at Antietam in Maryland by McClellan and numerically superior Union forces, resulting in 26,000 men dead, wounded, or missing by nightfall.
  • Fredericksburg

    Fredericksburg
    Army of the Potomac suffers a defeat at Fredericksburg in Virginia with a loss of 12,653 men after 14 attacks on Rebels on Marye's Heights.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation

    The Emancipation Proclamation
    President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and stresses the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army.
  • Chancellorsville

    Chancellorsville
    The Union Army is defeated by Lee's much smaller forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia as a result of Lee's brilliant and daring tactics and Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson is wounded by his own soldiers, while the battle lasts until May 4th.
  • Gettysburg

    Gettysburg
    The war turns against the South as the Confederates are defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, lasting until July 3rd.
  • The Gettysburg Address

    The Gettysburg Address
    President Lincoln delivers a two minute Gettysburg Address at the Battlefield as a National Cemetery.