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Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as the 16th president of the United States.
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Confederate forces open fire on Fort Sumter with fifty canons at 4:30 a.m., marking the start of the Civil War
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Union Gen. Irwin McDowell is defeated by the Confederacy 25 miles southeast of Washington, and Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson earns his nickname.
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The iron Confederate ship, the Merrimac, sinks two wooden Union ships, changing naval warfare strategy forever.
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75,000 Union troops are defeated by 55,000 Confederates in Northern Virginia under Stonewall Jackson
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Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves is issued.
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Confederate Gen. Lee surrenders his army to Gen. Grant at the Appattomox Courthouse in Virginia.