Events of the Civil War

By brendamcwhorter

  • "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published

    Harriet Beecher Stowe's book helped turn many people against slavery.

  • John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia

    This showed that people were willing to use violence to end slavery. The raid started on Oct. 16 and went through the 18th in 1859.

  • Abraham Lincoln elected president

    Many Southern states were unhappy about Lincoln's election and decided to seceed from the Union.

  • Civil War begins

    Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, S.C.

  • Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation

    The proclamation only applied to slaves in Southern states that were involved in the war. It made the Civil War all about slavery.

  • Battle of Gettysburg

    This battle was the turning point of the war. Losing this battle made the South realize they stood no chance of winning the war.
    The battle lasted from the 1st of July to the 3rd of July.

  • Gettysburg Address

    President Lincoln visited the battlefield at Gettysburg, dedicating part of it as a cemetery. He gave his famous speech, known as the Gettysburg Address, here.

  • The Atlanta Campaign

    General William T. Sherman's campaign brought death and destruction, along with the burning of Atlanta. The Atlanta Campaign lasted from May through September of 1864.

  • Sherman's March to the Sea

    After burning Atlanta, General Sherman began their march to the sea destroying everything in their path and devestating the South. Upon arriving at the coast on December 21, Sherman notified President Lincoln that he was presenting him the city of Savannah as a Christmas gift.

  • The War Ends

    General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Southern forces to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, ending the Civil War.