Civil War Timeline

By NeverDoubt7

  • Abraham Lincoln Elected President

    When Lincoln became president he already had to deal with an impending war.
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    Abraham Lincoln's Presidency

  • South Carolina Secedes from the Union

    Shortly after Lincoln was elected president, South Carolina seceded from the Union.

  • Mississippi Secedes from the Union

    Mississippi was the second state to secede, following South Carolina.

  • Florida Secedes from the Union

    Florida seceded next after Mississippi.

  • Alabama Secedes from the Union

    Alabama seceded next.

  • Georgia Secedes from the Union

    Though Georgia seceded from the Union, throughout the war they kept the name, "State of Georgia".

  • Louisiana Secedes from the Union

    When Lousiana seceded from the Union it denied the Union from one of the country's biggest ports, New Orleans.

  • Texas Secedes from the Union

    When Texas seceded, they had to replace their govenor, Sam Houston, because he refused to plage allegiiance to the Confederacy.

  • Jefferson Davis Elected President of Confederacy

    When Davis began his six year term as president of the Confederacy, he was incredibly popular with the masses. As time went on though, they questioned wether he really knew what they wanted.

  • Fort Sumter surrenders to the Confederacy

    Fort Sumter was a Union controlled fort in Confederate territory. The Confederates demanded that the fort be turned into their hands, but President Lincoln refused. In response, the shot upon it with it's own guns, and destroyed it. This marks the beginning of the Civil War.

  • Arkansas Secedes from the Union

  • North Carolina Secedes from the Union

  • Virginia Secedes from the Union

  • Tennessee Secedes from the Union

  • The Battle of Bull Run

    On a sweltering July day, the two armies met in their first big battle in Virginia. Hundreds of citizen just came to watch the battle,but it wasn't what they expected. It was a real battle, unorganized and confusing. The Southern troops won the battle when General Stonewall Jockson told them to "yell like furies". When they did, the Union troops were so scared that they ran off.

  • Battle of Wilson's Creek

    Fought in Missouri, the Battle of Wilson's Creek was won by the Confederates, who had superior numbers. They fought for over five hours, and throughout the entire battle it was unsure who would come out the winnner. It was the second major battle of the Civil War.

  • Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack

    The Monitor and the Merrimack were iron warships, which fought off the coast of Virginia. Cannonballs would just bounce off the sides of them, and they seemed indestructable. After hours of fighting, they parted ways, calling it a tie.

  • Conscription Begins in Confederacy

    At this time Confederate President Davis brought Conscription into a law. People were very upset, and reacted violently. They compared conscription to slavery. If you could afford it though, you could hire someone to do the fighting for you.

  • Second Battle of Bull Run

    The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought on the same ground asd the first Bull Run, but was of a much greater scale. Like the first Battle of Bull Run, the Confederates won the battle.

  • New Orleans Surrenders to Admiral Farragut

    The capture of the biggest city in Confederate territory was a major win for the Union. New Orleans was spared the destruction that many of the other cities captured felt because it was unopposed.

  • Battle of Antietam

    Th Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest battle in American history. There were about 23,000 casualties, with over half of them being Union men. The battle ended up being a tie, but President Lincoln believed that General McCellan's catious efforts lost them the battle.

  • Lincoln Releases the Emancipation Proclamation

    When Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation he made it clear that the war they were fighting was to end slavery. Though the Proclamation only applied to Rebel states, it was clear that slavery was coming to an end.

  • US Begins Conscription

    The US begins requiring three years of military service from young male adults. This act was met with great opposition, and the people were not thrilled with the idea. The wide majority of the men in the army were volunteers though, only about 2% were drafted.

  • Gettysburg

    The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point for the war. until then the Confederates had been running ramage. Though there were great casulities on both sides, the Union forces won this battle.

  • Abraham Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address

    After the great battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered his awe-inspiring speech remembering those who died. At first people thought that it was strange, spoken in Lincoln's country words, but as time went on people began to realize the magnificence of it.

  • Battle of Chattanooga

    The battle of Chattanooga was a series of battles in Tennessee and Mississippi. It was fought mostly between General Grant and Confederate General Bragg, and the victory eventually went to General Grant.

  • Battle of the Wilderness

    The Battle of the Wilderness was fought by both General Lee and General Grant in the backwoods of Virginia. The battle went on for hours, and it was unconclusive who won. This battle led up to the Battle of Spotsylvania.

  • Battle of Spotsylvania

    Following the Battle of the Wilderness there were several confrontations between General Grant and General Lee. The battle was inconclusive, but was the costliest battle of the war. It is estimated that 32,000 men were lost on BOTH the Union and the Confederate sides.

  • Lincoln Reelected as President

    Lincoln was reelected for his second term He won by a landslide, having won in all but three states.

  • General Lee Surrenders

    General Lee and General Grant fought the Battle of Appomattox Court House, just before General Lee surrendered. Lee assumed that Grant had only cavalry to fight with, but when Lee realized that he had several infantry corps, he had no choice but to surrender.

  • Abraham Lincoln Assassinated

    Lincoln and his wife were at Ford's Theatre, watching a play on April 14th, when John Wilke Booth came and shot Lincoln. He then jumped out of the booth that the president was seated in, onto the stage, and them ran away. The president died the next day in a home across from the theatre.