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Civil War Timeline
The bloodiest four years in American history. -
National Democratic Convention
Southern delegates held a National Democratic convention in Richmond, Virginia. Party leaders advocate a "wait and see" approach. -
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston appointed Quartermaster General -
South Carolina is Considering Secession
Governor William Henry Gist notifies other Deep South states that South Carolina is considering secession as an option -
Abraham Lincoln for President
On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected as the sixteenth president of the United States. He was the first president to oppose slavery and the was the first Republican president. -
First Southerner to Resign from Senate
James Chesnut becomes the first Southerner to resign from the Senate. Soon after he is followed by James H. Hammond. -
Georgia Calls for a Convention
Georgia calls for a convention of Southern states to form an independent nation. -
1st Secession Convention
The first Secession Convention meets in the Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. This opened arguments for the state to leave the Union. -
South Carolina Secedes From the Union
On December 20, 1860 South Carolina was the first state to secede from the union. The secession convention meeting was held in Charleston, South Carolina. -
S.C. Withdraw From U. S. House
South Carolina representatives withdraw from the U. S. House -
War is Coming
Charleston is notified by telegraph that a man of war with troops is on the way. -
More Secede
Six additional southern states secede from the Union in January, 1861. -
Mississippi Secession
Mississippi secedes from the Union. -
CSA is Formed
The southern states that seceded from the Union had created a government on February 8th and 9th, 1861. This was created at Montgomery, Alabama, and the Confederate States of America are formed. -
Confederate Constitution Signed
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama. -
American Civil War Has Begun
On April 12, 1861 the American Civil War has begins. Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. -
Union Surrender at Ft. Sumter
Major Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces after two days of bombardment. -
Lincoln Stops the Rebellion
President Lincoln issues a public declaration that an rebellion exists. He calls for 75,000 militia to stop the riot. Lincoln responds on May 3 with an additional call for 43,000+ volunteers to serve for three years, making the size of the Regular Army larger. -
North Carolina Secedes
North Carolina secedes from the Union, the eleventh and last state to do so. -
Union Forces Cross
Union forces cross the Potomac River and settled in Arlington Heights, the home of future Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It is during the occupation of nearby Alexandria that Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, commander of the 11th New York Infantry and a close friend of the Lincolns, is shot dead by the owner of the Marshall House just after removing a Confederate flag from its roof. -
Battle of Bethel
Battle of Big Bethel, the first land battle of the war in Virginia. -
The Battle of Bull Run
On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The engagement began when about 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate force of 20,000 along a small river known as Bull Run. -
Surrender of Fort Donelson
Surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee. This primary southern fort on the Cumberland River left the river in Union hands. It was here that Union General Ulysses S. Grant gained his nickname "Unconditional Surrender". -
Monitor vs. Merrimack
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. -
Battle of Shiloh
Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces are surprised at the town of Shiloh in Tennessee. The ensuing battle results in 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate casualties, more than in all previous American wars combined. -
Battle of Shiloh continued
This battle went on for two days. -
Robert E. Lee Assumes Command
General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. -
The Seven Days
Over the course of seven days of fighting, General Robert E. Lee attacks George McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac near Richmond, Virginia. Huge casualties cause McClellan to withdraw north towards Washington. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run is a huge victory for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Union General John Pope is blamed for the loss and is thankful of his duties after the battle. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the single day of the civil war. The result of the battle ends General Lee's first invasion of the North. Following the Union win, President Lincoln will establish the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed every slave in the Confederate States. -
Premiminary Emancipation
Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This declared his intention to free all slaves in any new territory captured by the North Army. -
Fredricksburg
The Union Army under General Ambrose E. Burnside suffers a horrible defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia. Fourteen individual assaults on an entrenched Confederate position cost the Union 13,000 casualties. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery. -
General Grant in Command
Gen. Grant is positioned in command of the Army of the West, with orders to capture Vicksburg. -
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. -
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. -
Chancellorsville
Over the course of three days, General Robert E. Lee divides his army in the face of a larger enemy, and manages to defeat the Union Army led by "Fighting" Joe Hooker. The North suffers 17,000 casualties, the South 13,000. -
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. -
Pickett’s Charge
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee orders General George Pickett to assault entrenched Union positions. In what would become known as "Pickett's Charge," More than half of the 12,000 Confederate soldiers who participate in the charge are slaughtered as they walk slowly across a 3/4-mile field into a hail of gunfire. -
Vicksburg
Far to the West on the Mississippi River, General Ulysses S. Grant takes Vicksburg after a long siege. At this point, the Union controls the entire river, cutting the Confederacy in two. -
Draft Riots
When the government attempts to begin conscription, riots break out in New York and other northern cities. In New York, 120 men, women and children, mostly black, are killed before Union troops returning from Gettysburg restore order. -
Battle of Chickamauga
Union General William Rosecrans is defeated by Confederate General Braxton Bragg at the Battle of Chickamauga, in Tennessee. -
President Lincoln Appoints Gen. Grant
President Lincoln appoints Gen. Grant to command all of the armies of the United States. Gen. William T. Sherman succeeds Grant as commander in the west. -
Battle of the Wilderness
During the Battle of the Wilderness, thousands of men burn to death as the woods in which they were fighting catch fire. -
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 sapping results in the deaths of nearly 50,000 Union soldiers. -
Battle of Spotsylvania
Continuing his advance, Union General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces at Spotsylvania. Grant loses more soldiers than Lee. Still, General Lee is forced to retreat south. This went from May 8, 1864 - May 12, 1864 -
Battle of Cold Harbor
The bloody battle of Cold Harbor is a disaster for the Union. General Ulysses S. Grant makes a series of tactical mistakes that result in the deaths of 7,000 Union in twenty minutes. This went from Jun 1, 1864 - Jun 3, 1864. -
Siege of Petersburg
With the beginning of the Siege of Petersburg, south of Richmond, the mobile war of the past month ends, replaced by a nine-month siege. -
Atlanta is Captured by Sherman's Army
Atlanta is captured by Sherman's Army. "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won," Sherman telegraphs Lincoln. The victory greatly helps President Lincoln's bid for re-election. -
Begins March to the Sea
After wrecking Atlanta's warehouses and railroad facilities, Sherman, with 62,000 men begins a March to the Sea. -
Hood's Rebel Army is Demolished
Hood's Rebel Army of 23,000 is demolished at Nashville by 55,000 Federals. The Confederate Army of Tennessee halts as an effective fighting force. This went from the 15th to the 16th of December. -
Sherman reaches Savannah in Georgia
Sherman reaches Savannah in Georgia leaving behind a 300 mile long path of destruction 60 miles wide all the way from Atlanta. Sherman then telegraphs Lincoln, offering him Savannah as a Christmas present. -
13th Amendment Ends Slavery
The United States Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which will abolish slavery. -
Peace Conference
A peace conference is held as President Lincoln meets with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens at Hampton Roads in Virginia, but the meeting ends in failure, he war will continue. -
Second Lincoln Inaugural
Lincoln is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. -
Siege of Petersburg Ends
The Siege of Petersburg ends as Ulysses S. Grant's army breaks through Confederate lines and marches towards Richmond. -
Fall of Richmond
The Union Army captures Richmond, Virginia, which is nearly leveled by shelling and fire. -
Lincoln is Shot
Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. -
Lee Surrenders
General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The war is finally over. -
Lincoln Dies by Assassination
Lincoln does not regain consciousness after being shot at Ford's Theater. He dies from his wound. -
Johnston Surrenders
General Joe Johnston, leading the largest Confederate Army still in existence, surrenders in North Carolina. -
Slavery is Abolished
The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified by the States. Slavery is abolished. -
New Freedman's Bureau Bill
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 -
Vetos Civil Rights Act
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional -
State 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 pays $100,000
Congress pays $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
Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act -
Winfield Scott Dies
Winfield Scott dies, West Point, NY -
14th Amendment
Thirty-ninth Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution -
KKK
The U. S. Secret Service begins an investigation into the Ku Klux Klan -
Proclamation of Peace
A proclaimation of peace with Texas is issued by United States President Andrew Johnson -
Fire Destroys a Number of Ships Used During the Civil War
A fire in the Philadelphia ship-yard accidently destroys a number of ships used during the Civil War -
African American Males are given the right to Vote
African American males are given the right to vote in Washington D.C. Congress over came President Johnson's veto to give the African Americans this right. -
First Reconstruction Act
The first reconstruction act sets up five military districts in the South, each under the control of a military commander. The Army Appropriations Act is passed, taking away some of Johnsons' control on the army. The final act passed is The Tenure Office Act which says that Johnson cannot remove cabinet members without the Senate's consent. -
Ride Ins
African Americans stage a ride on streetcars in New Orleans to protest segregation. -
Alaska
President Andrew Johnson announces the purchase of Alaska. This would be the second to last state added to the United States of America. -
Third Reconstruction Act
Johnson vetoes the third reconstruction act which spells out election procedures in the South and reasserts congressional control over the Reconstruction. Congress overrides Johnsons' veto, -
Johnson suspends Stanton
Johnson suspends Stanton as Secretary of War after the two clash over reconstruction plans. Johnson places Ulysses S. Grant in the position. -
Midway Island
The United States takes control of Midway Island. -
Alaska is formerly acquired
The United States officially takes possession of Alaska from Russia. $7.2 million is paid for it. -
Johnson's Impeachment
Congress looks into impeaching Johnson for his lack of effectiveness and unwillingness to follow through with reconstruction. -
Grange
Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry. Today this order is known as the farmers organization Grange.
