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Civil War Timeline

By emilycovarrubias
  • Emancipation Proclamation Issued

    Emancipation Proclamation Issued

    Lincoln declares all slaves in Confederate states to be free.
  • Pickett’s Charge (part of Gettysburg)

    Pickett’s Charge (part of Gettysburg)

    Failed Confederate assault on the last day of Gettysburg; major Union win.
  • Election of 1860 (Lincoln Elected)

    Election of 1860 (Lincoln Elected)

    Abraham Lincoln is elected president, leading to Southern states beginning to secede.
  • South Carolina Secedes

    South Carolina Secedes

    First state to leave the Union, starting the breakup that led to the Civil War.
  • Fort Sumter (Start of Civil War)

    Fort Sumter (Start of Civil War)

    First shots of the Civil War fired; Confederate victory.
  • 1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

    1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

    First major battle; showed the war would be long and bloody.
  • Monitor and the Merrimack (Battle of Hampton Roads)

    Monitor and the Merrimack (Battle of Hampton Roads)

    First battle between ironclad warships; ended in a draw.
  • Battle of Antietam

    Battle of Antietam

    Bloodiest single day in U.S. history; led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
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    Battle of Fredericksburg

    Major Confederate victory with heavy Union losses.
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    Battle of Chancellorsville

    Lee’s greatest victory, but Stonewall Jackson was killed.
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    Siege of Vicksburg

    Union gains control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy.
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    Battle of Gettysburg

    Turning point of the war; Union victory halted Lee’s invasion of the North.
  • Gettysburg Address

    Gettysburg Address

    Lincoln delivers a famous speech honoring fallen soldiers and redefining the war’s purpose.
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    Sherman’s March to the Sea

    Total war campaign through Georgia, weakening Southern morale.
  • 13th Amendment Passed by Congress

    13th Amendment Passed by Congress

    Abolished slavery in the United States.
  • Lee surrenders at Appomattox

    Lee surrenders at Appomattox

    Official end of the Civil War as Confederate General Lee surrenders to Grant.
  • Lincoln's Assassination

    Lincoln's Assassination

    Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth just days after the war ends.