Civil War Timeline

  • Ulysses S. Grant takes over the Union Army

    Ulysses S. Grant takes over the Union Army
    He was the 18th President of the United States following his highly successful role as a war general in the second half of the Civil War.
    significant- won many important battles, rose to become general-in-chief of all Union armies, and is credited with winning the war.
  • Abraham Lincoln elected president

    Abraham Lincoln elected president
    Lincoln led the United States through its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crises—the American Civil War—preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy
    significant- first Republican to win the presidency.
  • Union Army moves in and occupies Richmond, VA.8

    Union Army moves in and occupies Richmond, VA.8
    Abraham Lincoln called for troops from all states still in the Union in response to the Confederate capture of Fort Sumter.
    significant-The following day, the Union army moved into northern Virginia and captured Alexandria without a fight.
  • Battle at Fort Sumter

    Battle at Fort Sumter
    The bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter started the American Civil War
    significant- Confederate won and it was the beginning of the American Civil War
  • Lincoln orders blockade of the south

    Lincoln orders blockade of the south
    significant- The blockade meant that they tried to prevent any goods, troops, and weapons from entering the southern states.
  • 1st Battle of Bull Run

    1st Battle of Bull Run
    It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War.
    significant- Bull Run signaled an end to the innocence and naïveté both sides had about the war.
  • Monitor vs. Virginia naval battle

    Monitor vs. Virginia naval battle
    Was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies
    significant- it was the first meeting in combat of ironclad warships
  • Battle of Shiloh

    Battle of Shiloh
    Was a major Union Victory in the "West" (Tennessee) It was a much needed victory for at the same time Robert E. Lee and the Confederates were doing well in the East (Virginia) so Grant's win at Shiloh was a morale boost.
    significant- one of the most deadly battles in American history, Union won
  • 7 Days Campaign

    7 Days Campaign
    was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War.
    significant- Led Lee to his first successful campaign as commander.
  • 2nd Battle of Bull Run (or 2nd battle of Manassas)

    2nd Battle of Bull Run (or 2nd battle of Manassas)
    The battle of much larger scale and numbers than the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) fought in 1861 on the same ground
    significan- Confederate won
  • Antietam

    Antietam
    First major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Union soil
    significant- It is the single deadliest battle every fought by any American army
  • 13th Amendment passed

    13th Amendment passed
    For instance, slavery remained legal in the border states that had remained loyal to the Union
    significant- freed slaves under the control of the Confederate States of America—it did not abolish slavery everywhere.
  • Emancipation Proclamation issued

    Emancipation Proclamation issued
    which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery.
    significant- It was the proclamation is what led to the thirteenth amendment in the commandment, though, a year later declaring all slaves free.
  • Emancipation Proclamation takes effect

    Emancipation Proclamation takes effect
    Was an order issued to all segments of the Executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States by President Abraham Lincoln
    significant- which ends slavery in the rebelling states
  • Battle at Chancellorsville

    Battle at Chancellorsville
    Two related battles were fought nearby on May 3 in the vicinity of Fredericksburg. Was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign.
    significant- Confederate won
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg
    It was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, and is often described as the war's turning point.
    significant- turning point in the war
  • Siege of Vicksburg

    Siege of Vicksburg
    Was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War
    significant- The Confederate surrender
  • Gettysburg Address

    Gettysburg Address
    Was a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, one of the best-known in American history
    significant- Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech and one of the most quoted political speeches in United States history
  • Battle at Chattanooga

    Battle at Chattanooga
    Three Battles of Chattanooga fought in Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the American Civil War
    significant- It was a turning point for the civil war, because it gave the Union the ability to move further down South.
  • Sherman captures Atlanta

    Sherman captures Atlanta
    After a Union siege and many different attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta
    significant- After taking the city, Sherman's troops headed south-southeastward toward Milledgeville, the State capital, and on to Savannah with the March to the Sea.
  • Abraham Lincoln re-elected

    Abraham Lincoln re-elected
    Was the 20th quadrennial presidential election
    significant-Since the election of 1860, the Electoral College had expanded with the admission of Kansas, West Virginia, and Nevada as free-soil states, but the electoral process was disrupted by the American Civil War.
  • Sherman begins March to the sea

    Sherman begins March to the sea
    The campaign began with Sherman's troops leaving the captured city of Atlanta, Georgia, and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah
    significant- Sherman's forces destroyed military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property
  • Savannah, GA falls to the Union

    Savannah, GA falls to the Union
    Sherman's Union army captured Savannah, Georgia
    significant- largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia
  • Robert E. Lee surrenders

    Robert E. Lee surrenders
    Was an American career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War
    significant- It was the end of the war and he had to agree to his terms of surrender
  • Abraham Lincoln shot and killed

    Abraham Lincoln shot and killed
    The assassination occurred five days after the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army of the Potomac.
    significant- The assassination was planned and carried out by the well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth, as part of a larger conspiracy in a bid to revive the Confederate cause.