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Lincoln is elected president despite not even being on some of the ballots in southern states thus causing tension.
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South Carolina is the first confederate state to secede from the union.
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Mississippi secedes from the Union.
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Florida secedes from the union.
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Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States. In his address he warns the south: he will not tolerate secession.
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Union soldiers arrive at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War officially begins.
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General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate Army.
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The Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest day in United States history. Over 26,000 men are killed, wounded or missing in action on both sides. Though officially a draw, the battle stops General Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland and he retreats back to Virginia.
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Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of Black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery.
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From July 1st to July 4th, the Union Army under General Meade defeats Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, Gettysburg is a turning point, and marks the farthest advance of the Confederate Army into Northern territory.
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Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies, ending his long search for a general to command northern forces.
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Union General Sherman begins his famous March to the Sea, cutting a swath of destruction 300 miles long and 60 miles wide through Georgia.
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The United States Congress approves the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which will abolish slavery.
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Lincoln is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States.
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General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The war is over
