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Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in all Confederate territories. This deliberately does not apply to the border states, in fear of causing them to turn to the Confederacy. Despite the Emancipation being virtually ineffective, all hope for the British and French helping the Confederacy vanishes.
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General Grant is ordered to repeal his General Order #11, which banished all Jew from his area of operations.
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General Hooker replaces General Burnside as head of the Army of the Potomac.
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Lincoln writes the first draft of the war, requiring all men from the age of 20 to 45 to serve in the war. This could be avoided by hiring a substitute or paying the government $300.
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Lee's army crushes Hooker's army, although General Stonewall Jackson is wounded and dies several days later. This is Lee's greatest victory.
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Described as Lee's finest battle, Lee overwhelmed Hooker after dividing his army into three pieces and crushing the Union army, forcing them to retreat across the Rappahannock River, although the Confederacy lost Stonewall Jackson.
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After a head-on assault on Vicksburg fails, Grant begins a siege of the city, trapping several thousand Confederates within the city walls in the hope of starving them out.
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Charles Read and his ship, the Tacony, captured 5 federal fishing ships off the New England coast.
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Often described as the turning point of the war, the battle was a Union victory, led by General Meade.
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After 2 months of siege, the city of Vicksburg, key to the control of the Mississippi River, is captured.
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In opposition to the draft law for the war, riots broke out in New York City, lasting for 4 days and killing 119 people. It was the bloodiest riot in American history. Soldiers from the army of the Potomac had to come in to stop the rioting.
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July 18th was the Battle of Fort Wagner, where a failed union attack happened. The importance of this battle is to show the effectiveness and the view of blacks in battle.
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Lincoln declares the last Thursday of November Thanksgiving Day.
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Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg address.
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A political cartoon called "Angel of Peace" was featured in Harper's Weekly. It showed Fernando Wood as an angel, a symbol for the Peace Democrats. But the cartoon at the same time showed traits of a devil as a symbol for Fernando.
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Arkansas, which was a slaveholding state that stayed in the Union, created a new antislavery constitution
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The battle finished when captured African-American troops were massacred under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
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Grant, with a force of 120,000 troops, heads towards Richmond, preparing for battle with Lee, with a force of 60,000.
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This battle was a one of the Civil War's most unbalanced wars. The Union forces continually charged at the Confederate lines, and were shot down continuously.General Lee admired their courage, while General Grant's critics called him a "butcher".
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On June 1st to 3rd, the Union forces and Confederate fought the battle of Cold Harbor. It was known as America's bloodiest battle and fought by General Lee and Grant. Both sides suffered great losses as reinforcements arrived later on. The South made more barricades that stopped the North from being successful in assualting. This ended with no changes but heavy losses on both sides
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A gathering of the War Democrats. Lincoln garnered almost unanimous support, although the vice president did not share in Lincoln's feelings, and wanted out of the ticket.
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This was the last time General Grant and General Lee would cross swords during the Civil War. In June 18th, Lee sent his force of 20,000 into entrenchments while Grant's force of 100,000 began a long siege of Petersburg.
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Salmon Chase resigns as Secretary of the Treasury.