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Jefferson Davis in Favor of Secession
On January 5th, 1860, Jefferson Davis came out in favor of secession for the first time. -
Pre-emption Bill Accepted
On March 12th, 1860, Congress accepted the Pre-emption Bill, freeing the land in the west for the colonists. -
Democratic National Convention Meeting
On April 23rd, 1860, The Democratic National Convention had a meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. They could not agree on a nominee so they ended up continung the debate in Baltimore the next month. -
National Democratic Convention
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach. -
Breckinridge Nominated for President
Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President -
Commander of Cadets at West Point Hardee
Lieutenant Colonel William Hardee is replaced by Major John F. Reynolds as commander of cadets at West Point -
Abraham Lincoln is Elected President
On November 6th, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. He was the first Republican president in the nation who represents a party that opposed the spread of slavery in the territories in the United States. -
The First Secession Convention Meets in South Carolina
On December 17th, 1860, the First Secession Convention met in Columbus, South Carolina. They met in the Baptist Church to open arguments for the state to leave the Union. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina became the first slave state in the south to declare that it had seceded from the Union. -
Harriet Tubman's Last Mission
On December 28th, 1860, Harriet Tubman, Civil Rights activist, arrived in Auburn, New York on her last mission to free the slaves that had avoided being captured for 8 years on the Underground Railroad. -
Mississippi Secession
On January 9th, 1861, Mississippi secedes and became independent from the Union. -
Florida Secession
On January 10th, 1861, Florida seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Alabama Secession
On January 11th, 1861, Alabama seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Georgia Secession
On January 19th, 1861, Georgia seceded and became independent from the Union
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Louisiana Secession
On January 26th, 1861, Louisiana seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Texas Secession
On March 2nd, 1861, Texas seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Confederate Constitution Signed
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Union Surrender at Fort Sumter
Major Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces after two days of bombardment. -
Virginia Secession
On April 17th, 1861, Virginia seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Arkansas Secession
On May 6th, 1861, Arkansas seceded and became independent from the Union. -
Battle of Mill Springs
On January 19th, 1862, The Battle of Mill Springs took place in Kentucky. The Union's victory weakened the Confederacy's hold on the state. -
Surrender of Fort Henry
Fort Henry in Tennessee was surrendered and the loss of this southern fort gave the Union control of the Tennessee River. -
Military Draft
Congress enacts the first draft in American history, requiring every man to serve in the army unless he can furnish a substitute or pay the government $300. These escape provisions are wildly unpopular with workers and recent immigrants, and lead to draft riots in New York and other northern cities. -
Monitor vs. Marrimack
The Confederate ironclad USS Merrimack battles the Union ironclad USS Monitor in Chesapeake Bay. The battle is a draw but it makes wooden ships obsolete and ushers in the era of steel warships, changing naval warfare forever. -
Homestead Act
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. -
General Robert E. Lee Assumes Command
General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run is a resounding victory for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Union General John Pope is blamed for the loss and is relieved of his duties after the battle. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, or present day Sharpsburg, Maryland, was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War. -
Preliminary Emancipation
Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declares his intention to free all slaves in any new territory captured by the Union Army. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
The army of Potomac was defeated by general Lee's forces after crossing a river and attacking the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. -
Emancipation Proclmation
Lincoln, aware of the public's growing support of abolition, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all slaves in areas still in rebellion were, in the eyes of the federal government, free. -
Battle of Galveston
Battle of Galveston, Texas-Confederates recapture the city -
Homestead Act in Effect
1st homestead under the Homestead Act claimed, near Beatrice, Nebraska -
Stonewall Jackson Dies
Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson dies from wounds sustained when he was mistakenly shot by his own troops at Chancellorsville. -
Gettysburg
From July 1 to July 4, the Union Army under General Meade defeats Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, Gettysburg is a turning point, and marks the farthest advance of the Confederate Army into northern territory. -
Indian Wars
Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, promising to stop harassing the emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah. -
Battle of Chickamauga
Union General William Rosecrans is defeated by Confederate General Braxton Bragg at the Battle of Chickamauga, in Tennessee. -
Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at a ceremony dedicating the Battlefield as a National Cemetery. -
Battles for Chattanooga
From November 23 to November 25, 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-65), Union forces routed Confederate troops in Tennessee at the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, known collectively as the Battles for Chattanooga. -
Amnesty Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issues his Amnesty Proclamation and plan for Reconstruction of the South. -
Grant Takes Command
Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies, ending his long search for a decent general to command northern forces. General William T. Sherman takes over as commander in the West. -
Virginia Campaign
Beginning a drive aimed at ending the war, Ulysses S. Grant and 120,000 troops march south towards Richmond, the Confederate capital. Over the course of the next six weeks, a brutal war of attrition results in the deaths of nearly 50,000 Union soldiers. -
Battle of the Wilderness
During the horrific Battle of the Wilderness, thousands of men burn to death as the woods in which they were fighting catch fire. -
Cold Harbor
A costly mistake by Grant results in 7,000 Union casualties in twenty minutes during an offensive against fortified Rebels at Cold Harbor in Virginia. -
George McClellan
Democrats nominate George B. McClellan for president to run against Republican incumbent Abraham Lincoln. -
Sherman Burns Atlanta
Union General Sherman captured Atlanta and burns it to the ground. Before Atlanta went up in flames, Sherman forced all the residents out, most of them not having anywhere else to go. -
Battle of Fisher's Hill
The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, near Strasburg, Virginia, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. -
Shenandoah Valley
A decisive Union victory by Cavalry Gen. Philip H. Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley over Jubal Early's troops. -
Lincoln Re-election
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected president, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Lincoln carries all but three states with 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 of 233 electoral votes. "I earnestly believe that the consequences of this day's work will be to the lasting advantage, if not the very salvation, of the country," Lincoln tells supporters. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Union General Sherman begins his famous March to the Sea, cutting a swath of destruction 300 miles long and 60 miles wide through Georgia. "All war is hell," he comments. -
Slavery is Abolished
The U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states for ratification. -
Peace Conference
A peace conference occurs as President Lincoln meets with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens at Hampton Roads in Virginia, but the meeting ends in failure - the war will continue. -
Lincoln Inauguration Ceremonies
Inauguration ceremonies for President Lincoln in Washington. "With malice toward none; with charity for all...let us strive on to finish the work we are in...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations," Lincoln says. -
Siege of Petersburg Ends
The Siege of Petersburg ends as Ulysses S. Grant's army breaks through Confederate lines and marches towards Richmond. -
Richmond Falls
The Union Army captures Richmond, Virginia, which is nearly leveled by shelling and fire. -
Union Troops Enter Raising Stars and Stripes
Grant's forces begin a general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. -
General Lee Surrenders
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules. -
Lincoln Assassination
The Stars and Stripes is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. At 10:13 p.m., during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across the street. He never regains consciousness. -
Lincoln's Death Becomes Official
President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning. Vice President Andrew Johnson assumes the presidency. -
Johnston Surrenders to Sherman
Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Sherman near Durham in North Carolina. -
John Wilkes Booth Death
John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin is shot and killed in a tobacco barn in Virginia. -
New Freedman's Bureau Bill Passed by Congress
New Freedman's Bureau bill passed by Congress. President Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill that authorized military trial for those accused of "depriving Negroes of the Civil Rights" on the same day -
Texas Repeal
Texas repeals the actions of the Secessionist Convention. -
Johnson and Civil Rights Act
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. -
Declaration of Peace
The United States declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia -
Congress Buys Ford's Theater
Congress appropriates $100,000 to buy Ford's Theater. It will house the Army Medical Museum, the Office of the Surgeon General and War Department records until 1893 -
Congress Overrides Johnson
Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act. -
Cholera Epidemic Begins
Cholera epidemic begins in New York when an infected passenger arrives in New York. -
Winfield Scott Death
Winfield Scott dies, West Point, NY -
14th Amendment Approved
Thirty-ninth Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution -
General of the Armies
Congress establishes "general of the armies" and Ulysses S. Grant is immediately promoted to 4-star general and put in this position. William Tecumseh Sherman assumes the rank of Lt. General. -
Kentucky rejects the 14th Amendment
Kentucky rejects the 14th Amendment -
African Americans Can Vote
Blacks in Washington D. C. gain the right to vote in a bill passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto -
Nebraska becomes a state
On March 1st, 1867, Nebraska officially becomes a state -
Tenure of Office Act
Congress passes the Tenure of Office Act, denying the right of the President to remove officials who had been appointed with the consent of Congress. -
Second Reconstruction
Federal army restores military rule to Mississippi (2nd Reconstruction). -
Reconstruction Acts
The First Reconstruction Act, also known as the Military Reconstruction Act, passed into law on March 2, 1867 over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. -
Virginia Rejects Negro Votes
Alexandria, Virginia rejects thousand of votes cast by Negroes, who were granted universal suffrage under the Reconstruction Act. -
Seward's Folly
William P. Seward signs a treaty with Russia buying Alaska for 2 cents an acre. Democrats called it "Seward's Folly" -
Acceptance Into the Union
Congress passes a bill admitting Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, having refused to ratify the fourteenth amendment, were refused admission into the Union -
Ulysses S. Grant becomes a Secretary of War
Ulysses S. Grant becomes a Secretary of War
