-
Abe Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates: Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas, a U.S. senator for Illinois. -
The Confederate States are Formed
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860. South Carolina asked the other slave states to join together in forming a new nation. By February 1861 six other states from the lower south followed South Carolina. They were Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. These seven states formed a new union called the Confederate States of America. The South gave three reasons for leaving the Union: 1. The Confederate States felt the Unit -
Attack on Fort Sumter
On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engag -
First Battle of Bull Run
This is the first major battle of the Civil War. It was also a victory for the confederates. Since it was such a major battle, it brought the reality of the war to the citizens. -
Trent Affair
The Trent Affair was the diplomatic crisis that potentially brought Great Britain and the United States closest to war during the first year of the American Civil War. Although war seemed possible, both sides managed to avoid an armed conflict, and in the process gained greater confidence in one another. -
Battle of Shiloh
On the morning of April 6, 1862, 40,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston poured out of the nearby woods and struck a line of Union soldiers occupying ground near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. The overpowering Confederate offensive drove the unprepared Federal forces from their camps and threatened to overwhelm Ulysses S. Grant’s entire command. -
Union Captures New Orleans
At the start of the American Civil War New Orleans was the largest city in the Confederacy. Her position near the mouth of the Mississippi had turned her into a major international port, where the goods of the north-west and cotton from Louisiana and Mississippi could be transferred to ocean going ships from the low draught riverboats suitable for use on the Mississippi. The city’s defences were concentrated downriver, at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, themselves thirty miles upstream from th -
The Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks)
Marked as the beginning of the Seven Days battle, The number of casulties during these battles took away some of the confederates confidence and also marked the highpoint of General McClellans Peninsuala Campaign -
Seven Days Battle
McCllelan's forces advanced to within 15 miles of Richmond. On June 26th, Lee's forces attacked Union forces at Mechanicsville. The Union forces were victorious, but McClellan ordered a withdrawal to Gaines' Mill. There, Confederate forces broke Union lines the next day. McClellan then ordered a general withdrawal. Three more battles were fought, including one at Malvern Hill, in which Confederate troops were slaughtered, in an ill advised attempt to scale it. In the end however, McClellan withd -
Second Battle Of Bull Run
After the Union defeat at Manassas in July 1861, Gen. George B. McClellan took command of the Federal forces in and around Washington and organized them into a formidable fighting machine- the Army of the Potomac. In March 1862, leaving a strong force to cover the capital, McClellan shifted his army by water to Fort Monroe on the tip of the York-James peninsular, only 100 miles southeast of Richmond. Early in April he advanced toward the Confederate capital. -
Battle of Antietam
Considered the single bloodiest day of the Civil War, the Battle of Antietnam was more in favor of the Union. This battle inspired President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The document issued by President Lincoln, this historical document stated that all slaves in 10 out of 14 rebel states would be forever free. This even more angered the southerners. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
In Virginia, The confederates gain a victory but at the same time, lose their great leader : Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Although it was a Union victory, they lost 10,000 plus soldiers during the fight. This war led to Ulysses S. Grant's promotion to Major General of the Union Army. Also very demoralizing for the South. -
Battle of Gettysburg
General Robert E. Lee (confederates) attempted to invade the North in Gettysburgh, PA. They failed and the Union gained a victory, This is a very demoralizing battle for the South. -
The Battle of Chickamaugua
This battle took place in Georgia and was led by General George H. Thomas for the Union and Lt. James Longstreet for the Confederates. The Union won and there was 34,624 casulties in all, 16,170 of which were Union soldiers. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
In Spotsylvania county, Virginia, Ulysses S. Grant led the Union against Robert E. Lee and the battle resulted in 30,000 total casulties. The winner of this battle is unknown. Although, 18,000 of the casulties were Union soldiers. -
Battle Of COld Harbor Creek
Shortly after dawn on June 3, 1864, the Union Army of the Potomac launched a massive frontal assault against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Intended to break the battered Confederate army and open the road to Richmond, the attack would serve as the conclusion and climax of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland campaign against General Robert E. Lee. The main part of the assault would take slightly less than an hour and, according to some accounts, wo -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
The final battle of the Civil War, the Union wins with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee. -
Assination of President Lincoln
Shortly after 10 p.m. on April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. As Lincoln slumped forward in his seat, Booth leapt onto the stage and escaped through the back door. A doctor in the audience rushed over to examine the paralyzed president. Lincoln was then carried across the street to Petersen's Boarding House, where he died early the next morning.
