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Civil War Timeline
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The Lousiana State Seminary of Higher Learning
The Lousiana State Seminary of Higher Learning is established and open to the public at Pineville. Col. William Tecumseh Sherman is the Superindendant and it later becomes known as LSU. -
Jefferson Davis-Southern Confederacy
People from the seceded areas/states elected Jefferson Davis as president of the newly formed Southern Confederacy for the first time. -
Abraham Lincoln-Cooper Union Address
Abraham Lincoln speaks out at the Cooper Institute located in New York City, after being photographed by Matthew Brady. This will later be known as the Cooper Union Address. This is where he validates the Federal Government banning slavery in the new territories. Many people believed that it won him presidency because it was one of his most influential speeches. -
The Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (a meeting in Charleston, South Carolina) cannot agree on a nominee. The only agreements include continuing the debate in Baltimore for the following month. -
The Constitution Union Party
The Constitution Union Party (a meeting in Baltimore) creates a platform that was taken heavily by the U. S. Constitution. They select John Bell of Tennessee for President and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for Vice-President. -
Republican Convention
Republican Convention is held in Chicago, Illinois. William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase and Abraham Lincoln of Illinois are the leading contenders from a field of 12 candidates. Lincoln ends up winning on the third ballot. -
Southern delegates/National Democratic Convention
The southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. The party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach. -
Governor William Henry Gist
The governor, William Henry Gist, notifies other Deep South states that South Carolina is considering secession as an option. -
A message to the Legislature
Governor Gist sends a message to the Legislature that states "...our institutions are in danger from the fixed majorities of the North...". -
Presidential election
Republican Abraham Lincoln wins the Presidential election with 39.7% of the vote, defeating Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge and John Bell. -
Star of the West
Artillery fires on the ship, Star of the West, from Morris Island as it crosses into the main entrance channel to Charleston Harbor. As the ship comes about, Fort Moultrie opens fire with a cannon shot. The ship withdraws a mile and a half from Fort Sumter. -
The Convention of Seceded States
The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution which forms the Confederate States of America. -
President of the Confederate States of America
The Convention settles on Jefferson Davis for President of the Confederate States of America. They also select Alexander Stephens, a pro-Union and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, as vice-president. -
The Civil War begins
At 4:30 a.m., the Confederates under Gen. Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins. -
The Union Army/defeat at Bull Run
The Union Army, under the control of Gen. Irvin McDowell, suffers a defeat at Bull Run about 25 miles southwest of Washington. Confederate Gen. Thomas J. Jackson earns the nickname "Stonewall". Union troops fall back to Washington. President Lincoln realizes the war will be long. -
Commander of the Department of the Potomac
President Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as Commander of the Department of the Potomac, replacing McDowell. -
President Lincoln revokes Gen. John C. Frémont
President Lincoln revokes Gen. John C. Frémont's unauthorized military proclamation of emancipation in Missouri. The president later relieves the General of his command and replaces him with Gen. David Hunter. -
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was relieved from duty as a Supreme Comander of the United States. -
McClellan becomes general-in-chief of all Union forces
President Lincoln appoints McClellan as general-in-chief of all Union forces after the resignation of Winfield Scott. -
An international diplomatic crisis
The beginning of an international diplomatic crisis for President Lincoln begings due to two Confederate officials sailing toward England. These officials are seized by the U.S. Navy. England, which leads to world power, demands upon their release, and threats for war. Lincoln eventually gives in and orders their release in December. -
General Ulysses S. Grant
General Ulysses S. Grant gains a victory in Tennessee, capturing Fort Henry, and then ten days later Fort Donelson. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant now earns the nickname "Unconditional Surrender". -
President Lincoln's son
President Lincoln's eleven-year-old son, Willie, dies from a fever. It has been said that he died probably from the polluted drinking water in the White House. -
Surprise attack on General Ulysses S. Grant
The confederates have a surprise attack on General Ulysses S. Grant's unprepared troops at Shiloh on the Tennessee River. This results in a bitter struggle with 13,000 Unions killed and wounded and 10,000 Confederates. This is more men than in all previous American wars combined. -
David Farragut
17 Union ships under the commandment of David Farragut (a Flag Officer) move up the Mississippi River and then later take New Orleans, which is the South's greatest seaport. -
Battle of Seven Pines
During the Battle of Seven Pines, General Joseph E. Johnston's Army attacks McClellan's troops in front of Richmond and nearly defeats them. Johnston , howver, is badly wounded. -
General Robert E. Lee takes command
General Robert E. Lee takes command, replacing Johnston. (who is now wounded). Lee renames his force to the Army of Northern Virginia. McClellan is not impressed. -
The Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles ends with very heavy losses for both armies after Lee attacks McClellan near Richmond. McClellan later begins to withdrawal back toward Washington. -
The second battle of Bull Run
75,000 Federals (under General John Pope) are defeated by 55,000 Confederates (under General Stonewall Jackson and General James Longstreet) at the second battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia. The Union Army once again decides to retreat back to Washington. -
Lee invades the North
Lee now invades the North with 50,000 Confederates and heads for Harpers Ferry which is located 50 miles northwest of Washington.The Union Army, having 90,000 strong men, is under the command of McClellan, who pursues Lee. -
Antietam
This day marks the bloodiest day in U.S. military history as General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Armies are stopped at Antietam by McClellan, as well as numerically superior Union forces. When night hits, 26,000 men are dead, wounded, or missing. Lee ends up withdrawing to Virginia. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln releases the final Emancipation Proclamation which explains/states the idea of freeing all slaves in territories that are held by Confederates. It also emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army. The war to preserve the Union now becomes a revolutionary struggle for the abolition of slavery. -
General Joseph Hooker
The president appoints General Joseph Hooker (aka Fighting Joe) as Commander of the Army of the Potomac, replacing Burnside. -
The U.S. Congress enacts a draft
The U.S. Congress enacts a draft, which affect male citizens in the ages of 20 to 45. However, it exempts those who pay $300 or provide a substitute.Most Northerners complain, saying "The blood of a poor man is as precious as that of the wealthy". -
The Battle of Chancellorsville
The Union Army, under General Hooker, is defeated by Lee's smaller forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson is mortally wounded by his own soldiers. Hooker is then forced to retreat. The Union ends up with 17,000 killed, wounded and missing out of their 130,000. The Confederates, on the other hand, end up with 13, 000 out of their 60,000. -
Stonewall Jackson dies
The South begins to suffers a huge setback as Stonewall Jackson dies from his wounds. His last words were, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." -
Second invasion of the North
General Lee, with the help of 75,000 Confederates, launch his second invasion of the North. This invasion was heading into Pennsylvania in a campaign that will soon lead to Gettysburg. -
War turns against the South
The outcome of the war now turns against the South as the Confederates are defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg, located in Pennsylvania. -
Vicksburg
Vicksburg (the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River) surrenders to General Grant and the Army of the West after a six week siege. Now that the Union is in control of the Mississippi, the Confederacy is effectively split in two, which ultimatley is cut off from its western allies. -
Anti-draft riots
Anti-draft riots occur in New York City which include murder upon black people by poor immigrant whites. About 120 people, those including children, are killed and $2 million in damage was caused. -
A Confederate victory
A Confederate victory by General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee at Chickamauga leaves General William S. Rosecrans' Union Army of the Cumberland trapped in Chattanooga, Tennessee under Confederate siege. -
President Lincoln appoints General Grant
President Lincoln appoints General Grant to be in charge and command all the armies of the United States. General William T. Sherman, on the other hand, ends up succeeding Grant as commander in the west. -
Campaign involving all the Union Armies
This date marks the beginning of a massive, as well as coordinated, campaign which involved all the Union Armies. Grant had an Army of 120,000 in Virginia and began advancing toward Richmond to engage Lee's Army in Northern Virginia. Lee's Army now has a number of 64,000. This whole thing started a war that will include major battles such as Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor. -
Grant's costly mistake
Grant made a costly mistake which resulted in 7,000 Union deaths just in 20 minutes. This occured during an offensive against the Rebels at Cold Harbor, located in Virginia. -
The Union forces missed opportunity
Union forces miss on an opportunity that involved capturing Petersburg and cutting off the Confederate rail lines. As a result of this mishap, a nine month siege of Petersburg began with Grant's forces surrounding Lee. -
Sherman forces battle in Atlanta
Sherman forces a battle in Atlanta towards the Rebels, who are now under the command of General John B. Hood. Hood was the one who replaced Johnston. -
Atlanta captured by the Sherman's Army
Atlanta is captured by the Sherman's Army. Infacts, Sherman telegraphed Lincoln saying, "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won". This victory helps President Lincoln greatly in the bid for re-election. -
Abraham Lincoln re-elected for president
Abraham Lincoln ends up being re-elected for president, ultimatly defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Lincoln carries all but three states with 55% of the popular vote, as well as 212 of the 233 electoral votes. -
Sherman destroyed Atlanta's warehouses/railroad facilities.
After Sherman destroyed Atlanta's warehouses and railroad facilities, 62,000 of his men began a March to the Sea. President Lincoln, having advice from Grant, approved this idea. -
Hood's Rebel Army
Hood's Rebel Army, that consisted of 23,000, is crushed at Nashville by 55,000 Federals. Thes Federals included African American troops who were under the command of General George H. Thomas. -
Sherman reaches Savannah
Sherman finially reaches Savannah, Georgia. He had to leave behind a 300 mile long path of destruction which is also 60 miles wide all the way from Atlanta. He then telegraphs Lincoln again, offering him Savannah as a Christmas present. -
The 13th Amendment
The U.S. Congress approves the 13th Amendment for the United States Constitution. This Amendment states and apporoved the abolishment of slavery. It is then submitted to the states to go through ratification. -
A peace conference
A peace conference begins as President Lincoln meets with the Confederate Vice President, Alexander Stephens, at Hampton Roads in Virginia. However, this meeting ends in failure and the war will continue. -
The last offensive from Lee's Army
The last offensive regarding Lee's Army of Northern Virginia starts with an attack on the center where Grant's forces are located in Petersburg. The attack is broken 4 hours later. -
Grant's forces begin a general advance
Grant's forces begin a general advance which leads to breaking through Lee's lines at Petersburg. The Confederate General Ambrose P. Hill is killed and Lee leaves Petersburg. Richmond, the Confederate Capital, is then evacuated. Fires and stealing begin to break out. The next day, the Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. -
President Lincoln tours Richmond
President Lincoln takes a tour of Richmond when he enters the Confederate White House. He was described as having "a serious, dreamy expression," as he sat at the desk of Jefferson. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army
General Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to the control of General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows the Rebel officers to keep their sidearms, as well as permits, and the soldiers to keep horses and mules. -
Civil War ends
The remaining Confederate forces surrender and the Nation reunits as the Civil War ends. It ends up that over 620,000 Americans died in the war. Diseases killing twice as many as those lost in battle. However, 50,000 survivors return home as amputees. -
President Lincoln is shot
The flag, consisting of the Stars and Stripes, is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. Lincoln and his wife, Mary, see the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater that night. A little after 10p.m., John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors rush and attend to the president in the theater and then move him ino a house across the street. He never regains consciousness and dies the next day. -
John Wilkes Booth dies
John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot President Lincoln in the head, gets shot and dies in a tobacco barn located in Virginia. -
The 13th Amendment is passed
The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution is offically passed and ratified by Congress on January 31, 1865. Slavery is now abolished. -
The first formal observation
The first formal observation concerning President Lincoln's birthday is held in Washington, D. C. President Andrew Johnson also attends this formal observation. -
The New Freedman's Bureau bill
The New Freedman's Bureau bill was passed by Congress. Also, President Andrew Johnson ends up vetoing the bill in which authorized military trial for people who were accused of denying African Americans of Civil Rights on the same day -
President Johnson vetos Civil Rights Act of 1866
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 because he belived that it was unconstitutional. -
The United States announces a state of peace exists
The United States announces that a state of peace exists with the states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. -
Congress estimates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater
Congress estimates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater. It will be used to house the Army Medical Museum, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the War Department records until the year 1893. -
The 39th Congress approves 14th Amendment
The 39th Congress approves the Fourteenth Amendment to be in the Constitution. -
Tennessee approved 14th Amendment.
Tennessee approved the Fourteenth Amendment. This quick approval also meant that Tennessee would not have to suffer under 2nd Reconstruction. -
Congress establishes "general of the armies"
Congress establishes what's known as the "general of the armies" and Ulysses S. Grant is quickly promoted to the position of being a 4-star general. William Tecumseh Sherman assumes the rank/position of being a Lt. General. -
A proclaimation of peace
A proclaimation of peace with the state Texas is established by the United States President, Andrew Johnson. -
South Carolina rejects 14th Amendment.
On the 6th anniversary of secession, the state of South Carolina rejects the Fourteenth Amendment. -
African American males have the right to vote
Dispite President Johnson's veto, African American males in Washington DC are have the right to vote. -
Federal army & the military rule
The Federal army restores the military rule in Mississippi. -
The Tenure of Office Act
Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act which denies the right of the President to remove the officials who had been appointed with the consent of the Congress. -
Virginia rejects thousands of votes
Alexandria, Virginia ends up rejecting thousands of votes that were cast by the African Americans who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
General Philip Sheridan
General Philip Sheridan takes on the leadership of the 5th Military district which surrounds Louisiana and Texas. He designates New Orleans as his headquarters. -
William P. Seward signs a treaty
William P. Seward signs a treaty with the Russian in order to buy Alaska for 2 cents an acre. The Democrats called it "Seward's Folly". -
Congress passes a bill
Congress passes a bill that grants the states of Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina as part of the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas (having refused to ratify the 14th amendment) were refused this admittion as part of the Union. -
President Johnson requests resignation from Stanton
President Andrew Johnson requests the resignation of Edwin Stanton, who was Secretary of War at the time. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant becomes the temporary person for the Secretary of War -
Russia turns Alaska to US
Russia ends up turning over Alaska to the United States of America.