Shorthand thumbnail b 1910x1260

Civil War Timeline

  • Republican Party is formed

    Republican Party is formed

    Made to oppose the spread of slavery.
  • Kansas-Nebraska Act passed

    Kansas-Nebraska Act passed

    Demolished the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories and allowed for popular sovereignty.
  • Lincoln elected President

    Lincoln elected President

    16th President ever elected into office.
  • South Carolina Votes to Secede from US

    South Carolina Votes to Secede from US

    Secedes because of slavery
  • Confederate forces fire of Fort Sumter

    Confederate forces fire of Fort Sumter

    34 hours of gun fire resulting in the surrender of the fort.
  • Lincoln suspends habeas corpus

    Lincoln suspends habeas corpus

    Commanders could arrest people who are explained as a threat to military operations.
  • Richmond becomes capital of Confederacy

    Richmond becomes capital of Confederacy

    Recognized Virginia's importance
  • First Battle of Bull Run is fought

    First Battle of Bull Run is fought

    Confederate victory which scared the North
  • Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy

    Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy

    Ran for a 6 year term.
  • The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia Coast

    The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia Coast

    First Battle with Naval Warfare
  • Battle of Shiloh

    Battle of Shiloh

    Human Loss toll was the greatest it has ever been. Union troops broke through Confederates interior.
  • Robert E. Lee named commander of Army of Northern Virginia

    Robert E. Lee named commander of Army of Northern Virginia

    During battle he becomes commander defending the city of Richmond from the Union forces.
  • Battle of Antietam

    Battle of Antietam

    Confederates invade Maryland
  • Battle of Fredricksburg

    Battle of Fredricksburg

    First major urban warfare.
  • Emancipation Proclamation is announced

    Emancipation Proclamation is announced

    All slaves became free people.
  • Battle of Chancellorsville

    Battle of Chancellorsville

    Confederate victory, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was mortally wounded.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg

    Robert E Lee's plan to end the war failed.
  • Confederates surrender at Vicksburg

    Confederates surrender at Vicksburg

    Many casualties and loss of supplies led to surrender.
  • New York City draft riots

    New York City draft riots

    People did not want African Americans to take over businesses.
  • Gettysburg Adress

    Gettysburg Adress

    It set a new standard for the Constitution and freedoms. The Union is marked as one again.
  • Atlanta is captured

    Atlanta is captured

    Atlanta was a huge target for the Union as because of its position it was a huge operation center for the Confederates.
  • Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan and wins re-election

    Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan and wins re-election

    He explained that he would make the Civil War end.
  • Sherman begins his March to the Sea

    Sherman begins his March to the Sea

    Union General takes an expedition across Georgia,torching and pulling supplies from Atlanta.
  • Congress passes the 13th Amendment

    Congress passes the 13th Amendment

    Abolished Slavery
  • Freedman's Bureau is created

    Freedman's Bureau is created

    This was created to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical services, and land to displaced Southerners and newly freed African Americans.
  • Lincoln gives his second inaugural address

    Lincoln gives his second inaugural address

    Lincoln spoke in forgiveness as this was the nations worst event.
  • Richmond falls to the Union Army

    Richmond falls to the Union Army

    Confederacy is near its end and the war is almost over.
  • Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox

    Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox

    Lee wanted to prevent necessary destruction of the south and prevent more deaths.
  • President Lincolns Assassination

    President Lincolns Assassination

    A pro slavery man killed Lincoln because he believed Lincoln was trying to ruin the Constitutional rights.
  • John Wilkes Booth is killed

    John Wilkes Booth is killed

    He had killed President Abraham Lincoln. He begged for someone to kill him.

Want to make a timeline like this?

Use Timetoast to turn dates, events, milestones, and phases into a clear visual timeline you can build and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.