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After Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860, South Carolina made the decision to secede from the United States.. On December 20, 1860, they seceded and created the Confederacy. The South knew that if Lincoln won the election, a new nation would be formed. That meant that slavery would be a pressing issue that would most likely be abolished. The South heavily relied on slavery and were completely against getting rid of it. They believed in popular sovereignty. -
In Lincoln's address, given on March 4, 1861, he talked a lot about he felt about the North and how he supported it. He made sure to not really talk about the South because he didn't want to further upset them.He didn't include anything about the Republican Party Platform. He also opposed any plan on the part of his administration to interfere with the placement of slavery in the places that it was happening. He essentially assured the South that he wasn't going to take away their slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln expressed his plan on resupplying the Fort Sumter which made General P.G.T. Beauregard bombard the fort kicking off the battle. The battle lasted a total of 34 hours before General Robert Anderson surrendered. It was a Confederate victory. -
On April 27th, 1861, Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, which is the requirement that a person who is arrested has to be taken to see a judge in court before being imprisoned. Lincoln suspended this so that military authorities could silence rebels and dissenters, without breaking the law. People who seemed like threats to the military were imprisoned without a court trial. -
Richmond, Virginia became the Capital of the Confederacy on May 8th, 1861. After seceding, Virginia was viewed as a new identity for the Confederacy. It was a state that had many benefits; economically, population-wise, agriculturally, weaponry, etc. After becoming the Capital, the state profited immensely. -
The First Battle of Bull Run was fought on July 21, 1861. It is known as the first major land battle of the Civil War. The Union and Confederates fought in Manassas Junction, Virginia. It was a Confederate victory after the Confederates were able to break the Union right flank, sending them running to Washington. It gave the South hope and also made the North nervous that the Union wasn't as strong as it seemed. -
Jefferson Davis was elected the President of the Confederacy on November 6, 1861. He served a six-year term, unopposed. A year, prior, he had been serving as a temporary president, so he had an idea of how to govern. -
This Battle of the Hampton Roads, more commonly known as the Battle of the Iron Clads, occurred on March 9th, 1862, between the Merrimack and the U.S.S. Monitor. It was the first battle between iron clad ships. The Confederates were trying to break the Union blockades across the Southern ports around Virginia. The battle was the introduction of a new naval warfare era. -
The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6, 1862 and ended April 7, 1862. The Confederate army initiated a surprise attack on the Union, under General Ulysses S. Grant in the South-West of Texas. At first, the Confederates were successful, but weren't able to hold their positions and the Union ended up getting a victory. Both parties had multiple casualties, 23,000 total, and the violence surprised both the North and the South. -
Robert E. Lee who was formerly the commander of the Confederate Army of the Potomac, renamed his confederate Army: The Army of Northern Virginia. On June 1st, 1862, he resumed his position as commander. He and his re-named army fought to defend the capital of the Confederacy; Richmond, Virginia, against the Union forces. -
The Battle of Antietam is known as the bloodiest single day in American History. It was fought on September 17th, 1862. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginians led by Robert E. Lee were fighting against the Union which was led by General George McClellan's Army of the Potomacs and was the climax of Lee trying to invade the North. The outcome of this battle would be necessary for shaping the future of America. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought on December 13, 1862. It involved 200,000 combatants which was the largest amount of people in any Civil War battle. Ambrose Burnside, the commander of the Union Potomac Army led a two prong attack against the Confederates. There were extreme casualties on both sides. It was a Confederate victory. -
The Emancipation Proclamation was announced on January 1, 1863. The Proclamation declared that anyone who was a slave within "the rebellious states" were set free! It was specifically applied to the seceded states. The Proclamation, unfortunately, didn't end slavery entirely. But, it changed the way people looked at the upcoming war. Freedom would only come to the freed slaves if the Union won the war. -
The New York Draft Riots happened in July of 1863.The working-class of New Yorkers were furious about a new federal draft law, during the Civil War. For 5 days, the most destructive, violent, bloody, riots in United States History, occurred. African Americans were the common target of violence from the rioters. Hundreds of people died. -
The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought from April 30 to May 6 of 1863. It was a significant victory for Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. Lee and his army faced off an army twice it's size, let by General Joseph Hooker of the Union. General Lee split his army in half using a surprising tactic that ended in a win for the Confederates. -
The Battle of Gettysburg started on July 1st and ended on July 3rd, 1863. The battle was the turning point of the war, fought between the Union and the Confederates, which ended up having the most casualties of the entire Civil War. General Robert E. Lee was intending to invade the North with his army, but was defeated by Major General George Meade. -
On July 4th, 1863, the Confederates, led by General John C. Pemberton, surrendered to the General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant and his army of 70,000 troops defeated all 29,000 troops of Pemberton's before seizing Vicksburg. Many of the people living there fled to avoid the constant invasions and eventually, Pemberton finally surrendered. -
The Gettysburg Address is said to be one of the most famous speeches given in United States history. Abraham Lincoln delivered it at the Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19, 1863. The speech expressed the importance of human equality that was written in the Declaration of Independence. He attached the sacrifices made during the Civil War to the idea of freedom being born. He mentioned the preservation of the Union and it's self government. -
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman seized Atlanta Georgia on August 24th, 1864. Atlanta was a vital hub for the Confederacy, so after it was captured, the Confederates fell back, destroying the city's weapons and military artillery on their way out. This was a major accomplishment for the Union, considering they had just gotten one of the primary Confederate places, and could now defend their nation even further. -
Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as President of the United States on November 8th, 1864. George McClellan was the democrat nominee for Presidency. McClellan was a general and commander of the Union Army of Potomac. Most of the Union troops voted for McClellan, but in the end, Lincoln was re-elected, with 212 votes to McClellan's 12. 5 months after the re-election, the Confederacy finally collapsed. -
General William T. Sherman, of the Union, begin his journey across Georgia. He destroyed the state for six weeks before capturing the Confederate sea port in Savannah. Sherman's only goal was to scare Georgia into abandoning the Confederacy. By destroying the state, that meant stealing food, burning down house, taking their live stocks, and proving that they were threatening. -
The Freedmen's Bureau was established in 1865, but was formally known as the Bureau of Refugees. It was intended to assist the poor white people and former black slaves after the Civil War. It provided housing, food legal assistance, medical assistance, and even education opportunities. This even attempted to settle slaves on confiscated land after the Civil War. Unfortunately, it couldn't be fully carried out due to a shortage of funds and more. -
The 13th Amendment, which was passed on January 31, 1865. The 13th amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, unless being used as punishment for any sort of crime. This was a major stepping stone in the strides toward freedom for black people. -
Abraham Lincoln gave his 2nd Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1865. He talked about the Civil War and what he was able to comprehend about it. Specifically mutual forgiveness of the North and the South. He stressed the idea that the future of the nation lied in the hands of forgiveness and unity. If the North and the South could somehow make piece, the Country could continue to prosper. -
Richmond, the rebel capiton of Virginia, fell to the Union on April 2nd, 1865. General Ulysses S. Grant had been failing at invading Richmond for 10 months, when finally he readied his army to play a major offensive attack. The Confederates ended up collapsing after Grant took out General Lee's lines in the South. The Confederates ended up fleeing RIchmond with the Union soldiers entering the city. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders all of his 28,000 troops to the Union on April 9th, 1865. This was the effective ending of the American Civil War. Lee had no other option than to just surrender, considering that Richmond was captured, he was blocked from joining the North Carolina Confederacy, and was in constant battles with the Union. -
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on the evening of April 14, 1865, while watching a performance with his wife, he was shot. John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, managed to get away despite getting injured along the way of his escape; broke his leg jumping off of the railing. President Lincoln died 9 hours after.While Lincoln was shot, Booth's accomplice Lewis Powell, attacked the secretary of state, William Henry Steward, slashing his throat and almost killed him. Luckily, he survived. -
John Wilkes Booth was killed on April 26, 1865. 12 days after assassinating President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth had been on the run, hiding with his accomplice, David Herold. They were able to get help from people along the way of their escape, for example someone who helped Booth with his broken leg, and people who allowed them shelter. Finally though, Federal troops found Booth and Herold in a barn, which they set fire to, and shot Booth in the process. He died after 3 hours.
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