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Southern Secession
Eleven states in the Lower and Upper South broke off their ties with the Union. Twenty-one northern and border states kept the title as the United States, while the slave states adopted the name of the Confederate States of America. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States during the entire Civil War. He took personal charge of war plans for the Confederates. He allowed the government to continue printing more and more paper money, causing inflation in the Confederate States and weakening the economy. He was the first and last President of the Confederate States. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln Documentary
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. His leadership in the North helped to keep the nation strong during the Civil War. He pushed for the abolition of slavery. He is remembered for the Emancipation Proclamation (freeing slaves in Confederacy) and the Gettysburg Address. -
Robert E. Lee
Lee Vs. Grant Documentary
Robert E. Lee was an officer who commanded the Confederate army. Although he was offered command of the Union army by Lincoln, he was very patriotic toward his home state and decided to fight for the Confederates. He is one of the most revered figures of American military leadership. -
Union Blockade
Blockade in the American Civil War
The Union Blockade was a naval strategy to prevent the Confederacy from trading. It was proposed by Abraham Lincoln. The Blockade closed off 3500 miles of Atlantic and Gulf coastline, as well as twelve major ports (including New Orleans). The Blockade was successful, and resulted in a Union victory. -
Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson was a Confederate general in the Civil War. His leadership and military expertise made him valuable to the Confederate cause, and he is regarded as one of the most gifted tactical commanders in US history. He fought in many battles in the Civil War, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, the Valley Campaign, and the First Battle of Bull Run. -
Copperheads
The Copperheads were a group of Democrats located in the Northern states (Union) who greatly opposed the Civil War. They wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederate States. Clement Vallandigham, leader of the Copperheads, said that he wished to "maintain the Constitution as it is, and to restore the Union as it was." -
Slaughter at Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was a battle fought on April 6 and 7, 1862 in Tennessee. The Confederate leaders were Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Bauregard, and the Union leaders were Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell. The Confederates had a highly successful first day of battle, but the Union ended up victorious on the second day. -
Union Conquers New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was a successful naval action by the Union to capture the city of New Orleans. The Union leader was Admiral David G. Farragut, while the Confederate leader was General Mansfield Lovell. Lovell withdrew his forces and the city fell on April 25, 1862. -
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the first major battle in the Civil War to be fought on Union soil. Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederates, while George B. McClellan commanded the Union. Although casulaties were nearly equal for both sides, historians say that it was a strategic victory for the Union. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation Hoedown
The Emancipation Proclamation was an order given by Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves. It freed the slaves in the Confederate states that were not under Union control. Also, the Proclamation allowed for black men to fight in the Union army. -
54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
54th Regiment Documentary
The 54th Regiment was one of the first African American units in the United States during the Civil War. The infantry was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Needles Hallowell. Although they were unsuccessful, the regiment became known for their bravery and valour at the assault at Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg lasted from May 18 to July 4, 1863. It was the final military action in the Vicksburg Campaign in the Civil War. It was a decisive Union victory, giving command of the Mississippi River to the Union for the remainder of the war. Ulysses S. Grant led the Union side, and John C. Pemberton led the Confederates. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1 - 3, 1863 and took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It resulted in the largest number of casualties in the whole war. The leaders for the Union were George G. Meade and John F. Reynolds, while the Confederate leader was Robert E. Lee. The battle was a victory for the Union. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, four months after the victory for the Union at Gettysburg. It is one of the best known speeches in American history. -
Battle of Chattanooga
Battles of Chattanooga
The Battle of Chattanooga lasted from November 23 - 25, 1863. The Union leaders were Ulysses S. Grant and George H. Thomas, and the Confederate leader was General Braxton Bragg. It resulted in a Union victory and allowed for an invasion of the deep South (leading to Sherman's Atlanta Campaign in 1864). -
Prisoner of War Camp Andersonville (Camp Sumter)
Camp Sumter
Camp Sumter was the largest of many prison camps established during the Civil War. It was built so that the Confederates could move their Federal prisoners to a place with a higher amount of security. During the 14 months the prison existed, more than 45000 Union soldiers were confined in there. -
Burning Atlanta
Battle of Atlanta
The Burning of Atlanta was a part of the Battle of Atlanta. Leaders for the Union were William T. Sherman and James B. McPherson. The leader of the Confederates was John Bell Hood. It resulted in a Union victory and allowed the Union to occupy Atlanta for the remainder of the war. -
Sherman's March
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March was a campaign through Georgia from November 15 to December 21, 1864. It was led by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union army. Sherman's troops left Altanta for Savannah (capturing both) and destroying much of the South's industry, property, and economy. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the eighteenth President of the United States, and was in office from March 4, 1869 until March 4, 1877. He was a successful general for the Union in the Civil War, leading a volunteer regiment. Lincoln soon gave him control over the entire army. He was able to take Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Vicksburg (which cut the Confederacy in two).
