Civil War Timeline

[Cause]: *-( Dred Scott v. Sanford )-*

Mar 6, 1857

The name Dred Scott, he was a slave, sued for his freedom after the death of his master. He believed that he should be free since his master had taken him to a free territory. The case went to the Supreme Court named Dred Scott v. Sandford, in which he loses because he is considered "property" not a human.

[Proclamation] *-( Abraham Lincoln )-*

Jun 16, 1858

Lincoln "was losing interest in politics" when the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress in 1854. This legislation opened lands previously closed to slavery to the possibility of popular sovereignty. Lincoln viewed the terms of the act as immoral. He was not an abolitionist and thought slavery was protected by the Constitution in states where it already existed.

[Advancements For Blacks] *-( John Brown )-*

Oct 16, 1859

John Brown was a man of action who wanted to abolish slavery. He led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan was to arm slaves with the weapons he and his men captured from the armory was prevented, however, by local farmers, militiamen, and Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Within 36 hours of the attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured.

[Secession] *-( Fort Sumter )-*

Apr 12, 1861

In April 1861, a skirmish at Fort Sumter, led to the 1st shots fired of the Civil War! Key to history because it was the start of the North and the South.

[Early Success] *-( Battle of Bull Run )-*

Jul 21, 1861

On the morning of July 21, hearing of the closeness of the two opposing forces, hundreds of civilians–men, women, and children–turned out to watch the first major battle of the Civil War. The fighting began with three Union divisions crossing the Bull Run stream, and the Confederate quarter was driven back to Henry House Hill.

[Gettysburg Address] *-( Gettysburg Address )-*

Nov 10, 1863

In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln was asked to deliver remarks, which later became known as the Gettysburg Address, at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. He would give a speech for the bloodiest battles in U.S history.

[Union Advancements] *-( Total War )-*

Dec 21, 1864

From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. The soldiers did not destroy any of the towns in their path, but they stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back.

[Surrender] *-( Surrender at Appomattox )-*

Apr 9, 1865

On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the front room of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War in 1865.