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Period: Apr 12, 861 to
US Civil War
The US Civil War timeline -
1860 Election
The 1860 election between Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln, Democratic (Southern) John Breckenridge, Constitutional Union John Bell, and Democratic Stephen Douglas. Abraham Lincoln would then win the election without any votes from the south. -
The Declaration of Causes of Seceding States
Five southern states in the US that did not like the fact that President Lincoln won the election and did not like the threat of slavery being taken away from them while Southern states depended on slavery with the cotton business skyrocketing. The five states were Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia. -
The creation of the Confederate States of America
Once the Declaration of Causes of Seceding States happened, The Confederate States of America was created in the south. Some of the politicians in the south believed that Abraham Lincoln winning the 1860 election was a sign for war. -
Lincolns Inauguration
On March 4th, 1861, Abraham Lincoln had his Inauguration. With that, he officially became the 16th president of the United States. President Lincoln was careful during his speech knowing that there could be a possible Civil War coming soon. President Lincoln did not want to abolish slavery but instead would have rather slavery just naturally die out. -
Beginning of the Civil War
On April 12, 1861, a fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina named Fort Sumter was taken over in a surprise attack by Confederate forces. After that attack, the Civil War began. -
The First Battle
The first official battle of the Civil War was The First Battle of Bull Run or also known as the battle of Manassas on July 21st, 1861. In this battle, union soldiers marched from the nation's capital down to the Manassas junction, Virginia to take on confederate soldiers along a small river called bull run. Despite being outnumbered, the Confederate soldiers were able to win the battle. People were shocked and thought the South had a chance to win the war. -
The Trent affair
On November 8th, 1861, British public opinion was divided over the Civil War, but economic ties with America are still strong and the British are keen to regain an influence in the New World. Two Confederate commissioners that were on their way to persuade the British to support the Southern cause, are halted by a Union naval commander. Britain reacts strongly, threatening a war that neither Britain nor the Union wants, but is eventually appeased by Union efforts. -
Enlisting Black Soldiers
On July 17th, 1862, the thirty-seventh Congress approves of the enrollment of black troops in the Union militias. Having black soldiers in the Union army was a great move made by the Union which helped them out number the Confederacy. There was over 180,000 black soldiers who had to join the fight against the Confederacy. The black soldiers were also told they would be making equal amount of money as the white soldiers but it turns out they were only getting paid $10 a month. -
The second battle of Bull Run
From August 28th to August 30th, 1862, the second battle of Bull Run took place. A Union force led by John Pope, The union waited for the rebel soldiers. General Lee sent half of his army to the supply bases at Manassas, Virginia. The rebels took the supplies and burned down the depot. The rebels hid in the woods waiting for Union soldiers to come. Pope’s men fought the rebels and General Lee sent his other half of his soldiers to fight and it helped the rebels win the battle. -
The Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam took place September 17th, 1862. The battle is remembered as the bloodiest battle of the entire war. Like the Second Battle of Bull Run, strategies were used in this battle but it was flipped. General Lee sent all his soldiers in battle while General McClellan only sent in little over half of his soldiers. Outnumbering the rebel soldiers two to one, The Union won the battle after there was a total of over twenty-two thousand soldiers that were killed, wounded, or missing. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declared that as of January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in the states engaged in rebellion against the Union would be "forever free." Lincoln did not free all slaves. The Proclamation freed slaves that were in Confederacy states. Emancipation would not be granted until 1865. -
The Battle Of Gettysburg
The three-day battle was one of the most important battles of the entire war. With the Confederates wanting to keep the fighting away from the South, they decided to invade Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After a late push made by the Union, they were able to defeat the Confederates after three days of fighting. -
Siege of Vicksburg
General Ulysses S Grant led Union soldiers to take the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. This was not General Grant’s first time trying to take over the city since his first attempt was not successful a year prior. This battle was important because The Mississippi River was a primary conduit for supplies through the south as well as a vital lifeline for goods going to the north. The Union was able to win the battle and the town of Vicksburg shifting the war. -
The New York Riots
The New York Draft Riots happened on July 1863, when the anger of working-class New Yorker's over a new federal draft law during the Civil War ignited five days of some of the bloodiest and most destructive rioting in U.S. history. Hundreds of people were killed, many more seriously injured, and African Americans were usually targeted by rioters. The government had to send Union troops from Gettysburg to calm down the riots. -
The Gettysburg Address
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War. Lincolns speech was remembered as one of the most important speeches in US history with “A new birth of freedom.” It was also remembered to be a short speech with less than 300 words. -
Lincoln Re-elected
On November 8th,1864, President Abraham Lincoln was re-elected to stay as President of the United States. The Unions military success during the Civil War helped him get re-elected back into presidency yet President Lincoln had many challenges to face still. Like how he was going to finally end the Civil War. The war has been going on for four years and the Confederates have not yet given up. -
Last days of the Confederacy
By January of 1865, Fort Fisher on the North Carolina shore was the final stand for the Confederacy. Knowing that The Confederacy was lacking in war supplies due to The South being notorious for the cotton and tobacco business. So, the Union charged the fort and was able to capture it and that became a fatal blow to the Confederacy. -
Confederacy Surrenders
On April 9th, 1865, General Robert Lee surrendered his Confederate army to the Unions General Ulysses S Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. Lee’s surrender would be the end of a bloody four-year Civil War with the Union coming out victorious. -
Lincoln's assassination
On April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while watching a show in Ford’s theater. Lincoln was killed by famous actor John Wilkes Booth. The assassination took place five days after General Robert Lee surrendered. -
The Thirteenth Amendment
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1865 in the aftermath of the Civil War, abolished slavery in the United States. The thirteenth amendment played a role in Lincolns assassination due to John Wilkes Booth being a supporter of slavery.