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South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
Lincoln had just won the election of 1860 and the South saw that Lincoln wanted to get rid of slavery. To avoid the end of slavery, South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860. Soon after South Carolina seceded, six other states, which were Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas, seceded to follow their example. -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
On this day, Lincoln's had given one of America's best speeches and gave his remarks to the Southern that seceded from the nation. He quotes, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
On this day, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter after learning about Lincoln's plans to ressupply the fort. After 34 hours of firing, Anderson, the Union general, and his Union forces surrended the fort to the Confederate for four years, before abandoning it after learning about William T. Sherman's capture. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
On this day, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeus corpus with the goal of giving the military the power they needed to supress dissenters and rebels. Under this order, any person who was in command could arrest a person who seemed threatening to the operations of the military. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
Occuring after Virginia seceded, the Confederacy made Richmond, the second largest city in the South, their capital. They moved to Richmond to link themselves to the American Revolution and to show their new Confederate identity in Virginia. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
This was the first major land battle of the Civil War and it is also known as the Battle of Manassas. During this battle, 35,000 Union troops attacked 20,000 Confederates and after having their flank broken by the Confederates, the Union army lost the battle. This victory was a morale booster for the South and surprised many people in the North. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of the Confederacy
On this day, Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederacy and ran uncontested. He was elected to serve a six year term as part of the Confederacy and had already been serving as the temporary president for a year. -
The Merrimac and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
This event is also known as the Battle of Hampton Roads and was the first naval battle with ironclad warships as the main fighters. The Confederates had been trying to break Union blockades and while the result of this battle was indefinite, it started a new era for naval combat. -
Battle of Shiloh
Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, the Battle of Shiloh is one of the early battles where the Confederates tried to land a suprise attack on the Union, which had been led by General Ulysses S. Grant in south Tennessee. While both sides had heavy casualties, the Union scored a victory due to the Confederates not being able to hold their position. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
On this day, Lee took command over the Army of Northern Virgnia to defend Richmond from the Union. Even though Lee wasn't having success, he tried to inspire the soldiers by saying that should keep their fame and rule or die in the upcoming battles. -
Battle of Antietam
Also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, Robert E. Lee's Confederate army went up against the Union army led by George McClellan. Lee and his army attempted to invade the North and separated his army into units that marched on specific towns. By the end of the battle, Lee and his men retreated and it became the deadliest one day battle in military history. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
On this day, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and starting on January 1, 1863, people who were enslaved that had been rebelling against the Union would be freed. Although it seemed like all enslaved people would become free, Lincoln made sure that only those were part of the Confederacy were freed. This proclamation caused the Civil War to be redefined, which changed the goal from preserving the Union into ending slavery. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
During this battle, Ambrose Burnside, the Union commander, had 120,000 of her troops cross the Rappahannock River to attack Robert E. Lee and his army. Lee and his men fought back against the Union attack with around 13,000 casualties, which was due to their high position on Marye's Heights. The Union suffered a crushing defeat and caused the morale of the Union to plummet. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
While being the battle where Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally wounded, it was a major win for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The battle occured in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and even though the Union was twice the size of the Confederate army, Lee and his army succeeded in gaining a victory by splitting their Confederate men into two armies. -
Battle of Gettysburg
After gaining a win against the Union in Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee marched his men, the Confederates, in the direction of Pennsylvania around late June in 1863. On the day of July 1, the Union crossed paths with the remaining Confederates and started a heavy battle between both sides. On July 4, Lee and his men failed to win against the Union and were forced to withdraw toward Virginia. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
After defeating Confederate forces near Jackson, Grant, the Union general, had his army move to Vicksburg and defeat a force under Pemberton, the Confederate general. Following Grant's attacks and traps on Pemberton and his army, Grant had captured Vickburg, which was due to the Confederate not being able to save Pemberton and his men once they had been defeated. -
New York City draft riots
This event occured after New Yorkers had been angered by a federal draft law that forced them to do military duty, especially after they had lost the South and their cotton. On the morning of July 13, thousands of white workers, mostly Irish, had rioted and produced one of the most destructive riots in American history. The result of these riots was the death of hundreds and mortally wounding many more. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
On this day, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches in the history of America. Although Lincoln's speech was two or three minutes, it reminded the nation why the Union was fighting in the Civil War and why the Civil War was not just a fight to save the Union, but also grant equality for all. -
Atlanta is captured
Fought just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, Union forces commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman defeated the Confederates under John Bell Hood that had been defending Atlanta. This capture of Atalnta boosted North morale and helped with the re-election of Abraham Lincoln. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
On this day, Northerners endorsed Lincoln's policies and leadership when they voted to re-elect, which was the first re-election win since Andrew Jackson. This re-election ensured that Lincoln would oversee the success of the end of the Civil War. He easily defeated his opponent George McClellan by a margin of 212-21 in the electoral, with a popular vote of 55%. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
During this event, Union General William T. Sherman and his army begun their expedition across the Georgia and torched the industrial section of Atlanta. For six weeks, Sherman and his army demolished most of the state before capturing the seaport of Savannah, Georgia. -
Freedmen's Bureau is created
On this day, Lincoln created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands when he signed a bill with the goal slowly ending slavery. This agency supervised the transition of African Americans from slavery to freedom and was given the power relief to black and white refugees in the South by providing care, medical attention, and giving back land. -
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Even though the United States was winning and slavery was close to ending, Lincoln spoke about sadness and how both sides, including the defeated rebels, had the wrong imagination about what the future would be. Lincoln tried to balance him talking about the evils of slavery and the rejection of triumph. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
For many months, General Grant had been trying to infiltrate Richmond and capture it, which turned out unsucessful every time. After Lee and his Confederate army made a desperate attack on the Union, Grant took advantage of the opportunity and crushed Lee and his army, which caused them and the Confederates to collapse. The capital Richmond, Virginia falling to the Union was one of the most apparent signs that the end of the Civil War was nearing. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
During this event, Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 soldiers to Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general, which was because they had no way to escape and were being stripped of their food and supplies. Due to constantly being harassed and being blocked from other Confederate forces by the Union, they had to abandon the capital of Richmond and the other surviving Confederate force. This is a major battle because it is said to have ended the Civil War. -
President Lincoln assassinated
On April 14, 1865, Lincoln, his wife, Henry Rathbone, and Rathbone's fiance attended the show of "Our American Cousin" and were seated in a private box. Around 10:15, John Wilkes Booth, a known actor and sympathizer of the Confederate, snuck into Lincoln's box and fired into his head with his .44 caliber single-shot derringer pistol. After shooting Lincoln, he escaped from Washington on a horse and caused one of the largest manhunts in history. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
During the night of April 14, one of the most known actors in the country, John Wilkes Booth, had assassinated Lincoln in Ford Theater. Boothe had been a supporter of the Confederacy and after assassinating Lincoln, he escaped on a horse and became a fugitive for 12 days. After those 12 days, Booth had been tracked to a farm in Virginia and was killed by Union soldiers. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
Ratified after the Civil War, the 13th amendment formally abolished slavery and sought to establish equality for black Americans. While Lincoln didn't get to experinece the end of slavery, he still had a large hand in helping to find a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery, which finally happened for all black Americans in 1865.