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Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment of the Fort near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia, and the return of gunfire and surrender by the United States Army, that started the American Civil War. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
In South Carolina General Assembly called for a "Convention of the People of South Carolina" to consider secession. On December 17 it was voted unanimously, 169-0, to declare secession from the United States. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis was elected president, not of the United States of America but of the Confederate States of America. He ran unopposed and was elected to serve for a six-year term. -
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address was delivered on Monday, March 4, 1861. After taking the oath of office he served his first term as the 16th president of the United States. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
The suspension of the habeas corpus allowed military authorities the necessary power to silence dissenters and rebels. Under this order, commanders could arrest and detain individuals who were deemed threatening to military operations. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
The Confederate states decided to change the Capital City of the confederate states from Montgomery, Alabama, to the City of Richmond, Virginia. The capital was moved in recognition of Virginia's strategic importance. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia. -
The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
The battle of the Monitor and Merrimack was a naval engagement at Hampton Roads, Virginia, a harbour at the mouth of the James River. This was also the first time that "Ironclad Warships" dueled. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was one of the major early engagements of the American Civil War. The battle began when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee was named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862. He led the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 until its surrender in 1865 and earned a reputation as a skilled tactician. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was a battle of the Union General: George B. McClellan and the Confederate General: Robert E. Lee. The Union declared themselves the victors of this battle. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg on December 11, 1862, involved nearly 200,000 combatants, the largest concentration of troops in any Civil War battle. The battle resulted in a win for Lee and the confederate army. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
The Emancipation Proclamation granted freedom to the slaves in the Confederate States if the States did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863. However, freedom would only come to the slaves if the Union won the war. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a huge victory for the Confederacy and General Robert E. Lee. This is because the much larger Union army was driven from the battlefield and suffered more than 18,000 casualties. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War because Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed. During the battle, Lee lost 1/3 of his men totaling about 28,000. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
When two major assaults against the Confederate troops and fortifications caused many casualties Grant decided to besiege the city beginning on May 25. After holding out for more than forty days, with their supplies nearly gone, the garrison surrendered on July 4. -
New York City draft riots
New York City draft riots occurred when the anger of working-class New Yorkers found out about a new federal draft law during the Civil War. This sparked five days of some of the bloodiest and most destructive rioting in U.S. history. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln was asked to deliver a message at the dedication of the Gettysburg Civil War Cemetery. He did this to dedicate a national military cemetery to the Union soldiers who fell at the Battle of Gettysburg four months earlier. -
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
In his second inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln spoke of mutual forgiveness from the North and South. In his inaugural address, he touched on the main topic of the war: slavery. -
Atlanta is captured
During the battle, Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman lays siege to Atlanta, Georgia, a critical Confederate hub, shelling civilians and cutting off supply lines. The victor was the Union army in this battle. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
President Abraham Lincoln of the National Union Party defeated the Democratic nominee, former General George B. McClellan. It was a wide margin of 212–21 in the electoral college, with 55% of the popular vote. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Union General T. Sherman's March to the Sea campaign begins. Union General William T. Sherman and his soldiers did not destroy any of the towns in their path, but they stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. The 13th amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and the House on January 31, 1865. -
Freedmen's Bureau is created
Freedmen's Bureau was created by Congress in 1865 to assist in the political and social reconstruction of post-war Southern states. It also helped formerly enslaved people make the transition from slavery to freedom and citizenship. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
The Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, falls to the Union, the most prominent sign that the Confederacy is nearing its final days. the battle was so important because Richmond was a vital source of weapons and supplies for the war effort and the hub of five railroads. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 Confederate troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. This action effectively ended the American Civil War. -
President Lincoln assassinated
John Wilkes Booth became the first person to assassinate an American president when he shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in Washington. As a confederate Booth believed that Lincoln was determined to overthrow the Constitution and to destroy the South. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
John Wilkes Booth is killed when Union soldiers track him down to a Virginia farm/ This happened only 12 days after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.