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The Compromise of 1850 includes laws dealing with the slavery issue in the United States of America. This was passed in September of 1850. Some of the compromises include ending the slave trade in Washington D.C. and making it easier for the Southern Slave owners to recover runaway slaves. California also got known as a Union-free state. This changed how slaves worked.
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The Fugitive Slave Act was passed on September 18th, 1850, by Congress. The act required slaves to be returned to their owners even if they are in a free state. The act also included the federal government to be responsible for finding and returning escaped slaves. If a person helped a slave escape, then they would be prosecuted. This rule was added because the Northern states already took out that law, and now that it was back, they would help slaves escape.
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In February of 1861, the Southern states in the United States of America decided to form their own country called the Confederate States of America. The Northern States did not agree to this decision and it caused a huge conflict. The first state to leave the United States was South Carolina, and then the following states also left Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. This was the initial start of the Civil War.
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On April 12, 1861 Fort Sumter was attacked in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. General P.T Beauregard sent Major Anderson a message announcing that if they did not surrender, they would then bomb Fort Sumter. Major Anderson did not surrender, so Beauregard’s Confederate troops caused a 34- hour artillery fire. This cause Major Anderson to surrender and caused the first battle of the Civil War
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The Battle of the Bull Run occurred on July 21, 1861. The Confederates, led by General P.T Beauregard and General Joseph E. Johnston, figured that if they won this battle then the Unions would give up. The Unions, led by General Ivan McDowell and General Robert Patterson, figured that if they took the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, then they would win. The union's soldiers were younger and had a hard time following the orders, so the Confederates ended up winning.
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in March 1852. This book tells a story about a slave, Uncle Tom. Tom was a very nice man who never told on the other slaves for escaping even if he had to take the punishment for it. This made the public very upset and brought more attention on how having slaves were unfair.
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From February 11th to 16, 1862, Ulysses S. Grant went to battle with General Simon B. Bucker to capture Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River right near the Tennessee and Kentucky border. This occurred after the Unions captured Fort Henry, so they already had leverage. General Simon B. Bucker, the Confederates General, was trying to make the Union surrender but didn't work out. After the long fight, the Unions Won. This Win was the first largest win for the Union in the American Civil War.
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The Merrimack and The Monitor were two ironclad ships that went into battle on March 8th and 9th of 1862. The whole battle the cannonballs would just bounce off the ironclad material. At the end, both ships left because neither ship was sinking. Although no side won or no ship sunk, both sides learned that the best material for naval warfare was ironclad because of how strong it is.
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The Battle of Shiloh lasted from April 6, to April 7, of 1862. The Confederate Army, lead by General Albert Johnston and P.G.T, attacked the Union Army at Shiloh near Pittsburg landing. Prior to the Battle, General Ulysses S. Grant was able to capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. This left the Confederates to retreat from Tennessee. General Grant camped at the Tennessee River waiting to attack. The attack was successful until P.G.T Beauregard realized he was outnumbered. The Unions had won.
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From April 24th to 25th, 1862, The Union forces, led by David G. Farragut, put chain cables under Mississippi. This was a defense towards the Confederates. The Mississippi River was important because it was used for travel and ports. During the battle, Confederate General Mansfield Lovell went northward. The next day, the city fell apart. This declared a loss for the Confederates which made them unable to use the Mississippi River for travel and ports
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The Antietam battle, also known as the battle of Sharpsburg, took place on September 17, 1862, in Antietam Creek which is near Sharpsburg, Maryland. General Robert E. Lee was hoping to invade the North up to Pennsylvania. General Lee thought if it was successful then that would finally convince France and Great Britain to recognize the Confederacy as a nation. This was one of the bloodiest battles, and it ended up with no side winning.
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The Battle of Fredericksburg took place from December 11th to 18th of 1862. President Lincoln told General Ambrose Burnside, leader of the Unions, to attack Fredericksburg, Virginia towards the Confederates. They were going to sneak attack General Robert E. Lee across the Rappahannock River. The confederates arrived way earlier and waited for the Union soldiers to cross the bridge as an attack back. It was a victory for the South.
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The Emancipation Proclamation was an order given to free the slaves on January 1, 1863. At first, not all slaves were freed. It went through a slow process, and some states still kept their slaves. The slaves in the Confederate states which were not in the Union’s control were freed. The rest of the slaves that were in the Southern states would not have been freed until the Union was able to fully defeat the Confederacy.
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From April 30th to May 6th, 1863, The Battle of Chancellorsville begun in Chancellorsville, Virginia. General Lee planned to guard the Confederate Capital of Richmond. Union General Joseph Hooker planned to attack General Lee, force him to retreat then invade the Capital. He would take part in his army and sneak up from the side. The Battle went according to the plan, but instead of retreating, General Lee attacked back. The Confederates won which ruined the Union’s plan to invade the Capital.
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The Commander of the Unions, General Grant, had attacked Confederates, led by General John Pemberton, on May 18th to July 4th of 1863. Grant continuously bombed the city of Vicksburg until the Confederates ran out of food and resources. Conditions got so bad they had no choice, but to surrender and it was a victory for the Unions. All of Mississippi River is now in Union's control.
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The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 to July 3 of 1863. After winning at Chancellorsville, General Robert. E Lee took his confederates to Northern Virginia and almost into Pennsylvania to raid the North for leverage. Coincidentally, Union’s Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G., met the confederates at the crossroads town of Gettysburg. Both sides were aiming for the same road in Gettysburg which left conflict and is how the War of Gettysburg started.
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From May 8th to May 19th of 1864, The Union Army was trying to push the Confederates deep into Virginia and the siege of Petersburg trying to end the Civil War. General Grant was hoping to slowly wear down Lee’s army over time since they had so many more soldiers. During the war, Thousands of soldiers lost their lives, and it became known as the Bloody Angle. Because of both sides losing many soldiers, neither side won the war
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From November 15th till December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led soldiers on a march from Atlanta to Savannah, and then Georgia. The purpose of this march was to frighten the people in Georgia so that they would abandon the Confederate states. It was risky because he was running out of supplies, but he was able to take livestock from the farmers nearby. He destroyed cotton gins, lumber mills, and anything that was on the path of their march. This was a long but important march.
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On April 9th of 1865, General Lee and General Grant met at the town of Appomattox Court House, Virgina. They met up because General Lee, also the leader for the confederates, wanted to surrender. The confederates were low on supplies and troops so surrendering was the best option. Even though this date was the official end of the war, some smaller battles occurred after.
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On April 14, of 1865, the 16th president of United States, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated by John Wilkes. John Wilkes was a Confederate sympathizer and believed that if he wanted the South to win he would have to do something huge. He was going to kidnap him at first, but when that didn’t work out he decided to murder him. On April 14, Abraham Lincoln went to Ford’s theater in Washington D.C. which is when John came behind him and shot him in the head.
