-
Jefferson Davis Inauguration
Jefferson Davis was elected to be president of the Confederacy in February 1861 and held presidency throughout the war. Davis had experience of being a soldier in the Mexican War and was also a politician in Mississippi and had always supported seccession from the Union. He had a lot on his hands as he tried to manage the Confederate war effort and the struggling economy. -
Inauguration of Lincoln
Lincoln had his inaugural address in March 4, 1861 where he became the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln took presidency during a critical time in US history where the South was seceding from the US. In his speech he tried to not worsen feeling with the South or make them feel alienated but tried to compromise and support the preservation of the Union. -
Fort Sumter
Sumter was one of the only two forts in the Southern territory that was under control by the Union. When General Beauregard found out that they would be supplying the fort he demanded that they surrender the fort which was refused. So on April 12, 1861 the South invaded the fort and gained victory, which angered the Union which would result in the beginning of the Civil War. -
Virginia Secession
Virginia which would play a large role in the war would secede from the Union in April 17, 1861 in which it would play a large role in the Civil War. Virginia didn’t secede until the Battle of Fort Sumter along with Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. There would be many soldiers to contribute to the Confederate cause when Virginia joined, more infamously would be the Army of Northern Virginia led by Robert E. Lee in the Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The battle took place on July 21, 1861 in Virginia where Lincoln sent General Irvin McDowell to attack Confederate forces who were being led by P.G.T. Beauregard. Their aim was to defeat a large amount of the Confederates and gain access to Richmond. Union troops failed and had to flee to Washington in defeat. But really neither side was well prepared and was the first major battle of the Civil War like this. This showed the US government that the Civil War wouldn’t be easy or inexpensive. -
Battle of Monitor and Merrimack
In March 9, 1862 two ships engaged in battle in the Civil War. Monitor was a Union ship while Merrimack was a confederate ship but they weren’t ordinary ships, they were ironclad warships, slower but tougher. This battle occurred in Hampton Roads, Virginia and the victor is stated as being inconclusive but was very important as it was a showing of the new era of naval warfare in the US which is still today the strongest. -
Period: to
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh took place from April 6-7, 1862 and was considered one of the early major battles of the Civil War. In the battle, Confederate forces made a surprise attack on the Union. The Confederates weren’t able to hold their forces and resulted in the Union’s victory. This battle in Tennessee resulted in 23,746 casualties and many losses on both Union and Confederate side. -
Robert E. Lee Becomes Commander of Confederate Army
On June 1, 1862 General Robert E. Lee is appointed the commander of the Confederate army of Northern Virginia. Robert E. Lee fought in many battles to the very end in the Surrender at Appomattox Court House and was a successful commander from the Confederate army. He would gain victories for the Confederates such as in the Battle of Fredricksburg and was the commander in many of the most famous battles in the Civil War and due to him being appointed the Confederates were stronger. -
Period: to
Battle of Antietam
Occurred in Maryland on September 16-18, 1862, on the Union side was McClellan and on the Confederate was Robert E. Lee. Joseph Hooker attacked Robert E. Lee’s forces and then began the bloodiest day in American military history. The war was considered a draw but the Union’s considered it as a victory as they drove Lee’s forces out of Maryland and gave Lincoln the confidence to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Period: to
Battle of Fredricksburg
The Battle of Fredricksburg occurred on December 11-15, 1862 and had the largest concentration of soldiers in the Civil War with around 200,000 soldiers. This battle was a Confederate victory in which the Union failed in it’s attempt to invade the capital, Richmond. Burnside’s loss due to an ineffective plan ended up further resulting in him being replaced by Joseph Hooker on the Union side. -
Period: to
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville occurred in Virginia on April 30 - May 6, 1863 and was between Union’s Joseph Hooker and Confederate’s Robert E. Lee. This battle was considered to be one of Lee’s greatest victories for the Confederacy but the Confederacy also in this battle lost Stonewall Jackson. The reason why this was such a large victory for the Confederacy was because their forces were outnumbered by the Union forces which were almost twice their size but also had a great loss. -
Period: to
Battle of Vicksburg
The Battle of Vicksburg was in Mississippi and occurred on May 18 - July 4, 1863 and led by Union Commander Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate commander John C. Pemberton. The aim of this battle for the Union was to gain the river fortress of Vicksburg. In victories at Champions Hill and Big Black Bridge made the Confederate weak to the point that they retreated but Grant didn’t want any more loss of life so he laid siege over the land. Pemberton’s forces surrendered and Union victored. -
Period: to
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg occurred on July 1-3, 1863 with General Robert E. Lee leading the Confederate forces and General Meade led the Union army. Lee came to Pennsylvania to take supplies and threaten northern cities to the point of peace. Lee didn’t succeed and was defeated by the Union army and led to President Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. -
Gettysburg Address
This address was delivered by President Lincoln on November 19, 1863 after the bloody Battle of Gettysburg which faced much loss on both sides. Lincoln restated the purpose of the Civil War and discussed the principles of human equality in the Declaration of Independence and the loss of soldiers as sacrifices to freedom. This address’ topic was preserving the Union but it is still one of the most important and famous speeches in America’s history. -
Grant Takes Command
On March 9, 1864, President Lincoln assigns Grant as commander of all Union armies. Ulysses S. Grant was one of the biggest military commanders of the Union during the Civil War and led to many victories such as in the Battle of Shiloh and several others. He would not only make a large impact in being the commander in the Civil War but also much so later in life when he becomes the 18th president of the United States due to the large impacts he made being a war hero. -
Period: to
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the the Wilderness occurred in Virginia on May 5-7 of 1864 which was the first stage of the Union going towards the Confederate capital, Richmond. They fought in the woods as shown by the name of the battle and because they were in the woods it was difficult to lead an organized attack in large numbers. The battle was inconclusive for both sides but Grant refused to retreat, this marked the beginning of the long campaign southward, that would in the end be successful. -
Presidential Election of 1864
On November 8, 1864, Lincoln was reelected to his second term as the president of the United States of America. During his reelection the Union was still fighting against the Confederacy and five months later the Confederacy would be restored back to the Union. This reelection was important in that it was one of the first elections of presidency during a national crisis, in this case the military crisis between the North and South. -
Period: to
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman’s March to the Sea was led by General William T. Sherman who led Union soldiers from Atlanta to Georgia through November 15 - December 21, 1864. The purpose of this campaign was to scare Georgians into not supporting the Confederacy. They literally destroyed what was in their way by burning and raiding houses of those who tried to fight back. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
The Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse was a huge event in the Civil War and occurred in Virginia on April 9, 1865 and was between Union’s Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate’s Robert E. Lee. Lee tried to escape the Union forces who surrounded them but failed and rather than risk the lives of his soldiers, they surrendered. This was the final major battle of the Civil War that resulted to the end of the seccession between the North and South.