American civil war battle 300x213

Civil War

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    Civil War

  • The Idea of Secession

    The Idea of Secession

    Jefferson Davis comes out in favor of secession for the first time.
  • Shoe Workers go on Strike

    Shoe Workers go on Strike

    20,000 northern shoe workers go on strike for higher wages.
  • Louisiana State of Seminary Learning

    Louisiana State of Seminary Learning

    Classes begin at the Seminary of Higher Learning at Pineville.
  • Democratic National Convention of 1860

    Democratic National Convention of 1860

    Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach.
  • Democrats nominate John. C. Breckinridge

    Democrats nominate John. C. Breckinridge

    Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President.
  • Election of 1860

    Election of 1860

    Abraham Lincoln is elected president. Northern colonies are pleased with the new president, while Southern colonies feel angry and threatened with the new president.
  • James Chesnut Resigns From Senate

    James Chesnut Resigns From Senate

    James Chesnut becomes the first Southerner to resign from the Senate. He is quickly followed by James H. Hammond.
  • Robert Anderson Reports Fort Sumter

    Robert Anderson Reports Fort Sumter

    Major Robert Anderson reports Fort Sumter is being threatened in Charleston as federal forces begin to improved Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the harbor.
  • Buchanan Sends a Distressed Message to Congress

    Buchanan Sends a Distressed Message to Congress

    Outgoing President James Buchanan sends a distressed State of the Union message to Congress. In it he states that secession is unconstitutional, says the federal government lacks the authority to prevent it and calls for a constitutional amendment allowing Southern states to retain slaves as property.
  • South Carolina Secession

    South Carolina Secession

    South Carolina officially leaves the country. South Carolina is the first colony to leave the country.
  • Mississippi Secession

    Mississippi Secession

    Mississippi officially leaves the country.
  • Florida Secession

    Florida Secession

    Florida officially leaves the country.
  • Alabama Secession

    Alabama Secession

    Alabama officially leaves the country.
  • Georgia Secession

    Georgia Secession

    Georgia officially leaves the country.
  • Louisiana Secession

    Louisiana Secession

    Louisiana officially leaves the country.
  • Confederate States of America

    Confederate States of America

    The Confederate States of America is formed. Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president.
  • Texas Secession

    Texas Secession

    Texas officially leaves the country
  • Inauguration

    Inauguration

    Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as president of the United States.
  • Fort Sumter

    Fort Sumter

    Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
  • Virginia Secession

    Virginia Secession

    Virginia officially leaves the country.
  • Arkansas Secession

    Arkansas Secession

    Arkansas officially leaves the country.
  • North Carolina

    North Carolina

    North Carolina officially leaves the country.
  • Tennessee Secession

    Tennessee Secession

    Tennessee officially leaves the country.
  • First Battle of Bull Run

    First Battle of Bull Run

    This was the first major land battle in the Civil War. There was a Confederate victory.
  • Battle of Shiloh

    Battle of Shiloh

    The Battle of Shiloh was one of the major early engagements of the Civil War. The result was a Union victory.
  • Conscription Act

    Conscription Act

    Confederate Congress passed the Conscription Act. The Conscription Act was a drafting method of civilians (including any white aged 18-35) to serve in the army.
  • Henry David Thoreau

    Henry David Thoreau

    Henry David Thoreau dies of tuberculosis.
  • Homestead Act

    Homestead Act

    The Homestead Act (signed into law by Lincoln) encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land.
  • Robert E. Lee named Commander

    Robert E. Lee named Commander

    Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.
  • Morrill Land-Grant Acts

    Morrill Land-Grant Acts

    The Morrill Land-Grant Acts were United States laws that allowed for land-grant colleges
  • Second Battle of Bull Run

    Second Battle of Bull Run

    The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought from August 28 to August 30. The result was a Confederate victory.
  • Battle of Antietam

    Battle of Antietam

    The Battle of Antietam was one of the reasons why McClellan was removed from his commander position. The results aren't clear over who the winner was.
  • Battle of Fredericksburg

    Battle of Fredericksburg

    The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in Fredericksburg, Virginia on December 11-15, 1862. The result was a Confederate victory.
  • Dakota War

    Dakota War

    The Dakota war that began in August between bands of Sioux and the U.S. government over late payments of annuities culminates in the jailing in Minnesota of over one thousand Dakota Sioux, and the hanging of thirty-eight in Mankato. It was the largest mass execution in U.S. history.
  • Emancipation Proclomation

    Emancipation Proclomation

    President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the United States approached its third year in the Civil War. The proclamation states "that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free.
  • National Banking Act Passes

    National Banking Act Passes

    Congress passes the National Banking Act, which was designed to create a national banking system to help resolve the financial crisis.
  • West Virginia enters the US

    West Virginia enters the US

    West Virginia becomes the 35th state to enter the United States of America
  • Lincoln Relieves Burnside

    Lincoln Relieves Burnside

    Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside [US} from command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
  • Conscription Act Passes

    Conscription Act Passes

    Congress passes the Conscription Act, which requires states to draft men to serve in the Civil War if individual states did not meet their enlistment quotas through volunteers.
  • Battle of Chancellorsville

    Battle of Chancellorsville

    The Battle of Chancellorsville is considered to be Robert E. Lee's greatest victory during the Civil War. The result was a Confederate victory.
  • Siege of Vicksburg

    Siege of Vicksburg

    In the Siege of Vicksburg, the Union Army surrounded the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi and eventually took control. The result was a Union Victory.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg

    The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important engagement of the Civil War. The result was a Union victory.
  • Draft Riots

    Draft Riots

    Draft Riots take place in New York City. There were 119-120 deaths and 2,000 injuries.
  • Order of Retaliation

    Order of Retaliation

    The Order of Retaliation ordered the intentional killing of captured Confederate prisoners of war.
  • Libby Prison Escape

    Libby Prison Escape

    109 Union officers led by Colonel Thomas Rose escape from Libby Prison on the banks of the James River in Richmond.
  • Battle of the Wilderness

    Battle of the Wilderness

    The Battle of the Wilderness was Ulysses S. Grant's first battle as general. The result is inconclusive.
  • Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

    Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

    The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. The result was inconclusive.
  • The First Burial

    The First Burial

    The first burial takes place at Arlington National Cemetery.
  • Battle of Pickett's Mill

    Battle of Pickett's Mill

    The Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought on May 27, 1864, in Paulding County, Georgia, during the American Civil War between Union and Confederate forces. Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman attempted an attack on the right flank of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. The result was a Confederate victory.
  • Battle of Cold Harbor

    Battle of Cold Harbor

    The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. The result was a Confederate victory.
  • Battle of Atlanta

    Battle of Atlanta

    The Battle of Atlanta led to the Union capture of Atlanta. The result was a Union victory.
  • Battle of Mobile Bay

    Battle of Mobile Bay

    The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Admiral Franklin Buchanan and three forts that guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay. The result was a Union Victory.
  • Sherman's March to the Sea

    Sherman's March to the Sea

    Sherman's March to the Sea was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army.
  • Battle of Nashville

    Battle of Nashville

    The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the Civil War. The result was a Union victory.
  • Capture of Columbia

    Capture of Columbia

    The capture of Columbia occurred February 17–18, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. Columbia was captured by the Union Army.
  • Capture of Fort Stedman

    Capture of Fort Stedman

    General John B. Gordon captured Fort Stedman, a Union outpost on the line around besieged Petersburg, eventually punching a hole 3/4 of a mile wide. Confederate units then made a desperate attempt to hit the federal supply base at City Point.
  • Battle of Five Forks

    Battle of Five Forks

    The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia. The result was a Union victory.
  • Official end to the CIvil War

    Official end to the CIvil War

    The official end to the Civil War took place at the Appomattox Court House, where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. The result of the Civil War was a Union victory.
  • Lincoln is Shot

    Lincoln is Shot

    Abraham Lincoln shot Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
  • Lincoln Dies

    Lincoln Dies

    Abraham Lincoln dies due to the shot in his head.
  • Booth Dies

    Booth Dies

    John Wilkes Booth is shot by Union soldiers and dies.
  • Shenandoah Seized Ships

    Shenandoah Seized Ships

    The Confederate ship Shenandoah seized eleven American whaling ships in the Bering Strait, Alaska.
  • Thirteenth Amedment is Ratified

    Thirteenth Amedment is Ratified

    The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified, which declared the slavery is abolished.
  • The KKK Founded

    The KKK Founded

    The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. The KKK is an American white supremacist hate group.
  • Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866

    Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866

    President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional
  • House Overrode Johnson's Veto

    House Overrode Johnson's Veto

    The House of Representatives vetoed Andrew Johnson's veto and passed The Civil Rights Bill of 1866
  • Congress Approve the Fourteenth Amendment

    Congress Approve the Fourteenth Amendment

    Thirty-ninth Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution
  • Congress Overrides Veto of Freedman's Bureau Bill

    Congress Overrides Veto of Freedman's Bureau Bill

    Congress overrides Andrew Johnson's veto of the Freedman's Bureau bill
  • David Farragut is Appointed to Admiral

    David Farragut is Appointed to Admiral

    Congress creates the rank of Admiral. David Farragut is appointed to that rank
  • U.S. Secret Service Investigates the Ku Klux Klan

    U.S. Secret Service Investigates the Ku Klux Klan

    The U. S. Secret Service begins an investigation into the Ku Klux Klan
  • A Proclamation of Peace with Texas is Issued

    A Proclamation of Peace with Texas is Issued

    A proclamation of peace with Texas is issued by United States President Andrew Johnson
  • New Jersey Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    New Jersey Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    New Jersey ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Fire in Philadelphia

    Fire in Philadelphia

    A fire in the Philadelphia ship-yard accidentally destroys a number of ships used during the Civil War
  • South Carolina Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    South Carolina Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    On the 6th anniversary of secession, South Carolina rejects the 14th Amendment
  • Reconstruction Acts

    Reconstruction Acts

    The Reconstruction Acts laid out the process of bringing the South back into the Nation.
  • Ohio Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Ohio Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Ohio ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to natural born persons or persons who undergo naturalization, African Americans.
  • Kentucky Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    Kentucky Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    Kentucky rejects the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Virginia Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    Virginia Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment

    Virginia rejects the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • New York Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    New York Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    New York ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Kansas Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Kansas Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Kansas ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Pennsylvania Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Pennsylvania Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Pennsylvania ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Illinois Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Illinois Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    Illinois ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • West Virginia Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    West Virginia Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment

    West Virginia ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans.
  • Alaska is Purchased

    Alaska is Purchased

    William Seward purchases Alaska from Russia.