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Civil War
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Cooper Union Address
This speech, given by Abraham Lincoln, was given at Cooper Union in New York City. At this point, he was not the Republican presidential nominee yet. -
Henry Repeating Rifle
Benjamin Henry perfects this rifle, which was manufactured by the New Haven arms Company. The Union Army used this weapon during the Civil War. -
The Pony Express
Mail service using horseback riders. Stations were located across plains, deserts, and mountains in the Western United States. -
1860 Democratic Convention
Members of the Democratic party met in Charleston on this date. Out of the northern Democrats, Stephen Douglas was thought of as the favorite. -
Stone's Prairie Riot
On this date, approximately 10,000 people gathered in Stone's Prairie to take part in a day long rally. Both political parties were invited, and there was a lot of people. It became very chaotic. -
Election of 1860
Republican Abraham Lincoln ran against democrat John C. Breckinridge, democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. Lincoln won the election. -
Nomination of John Bell
Because of his support of Union and his temperate support for slavery, he was a presidential nominee for the Constitutional Union Ticket of this year. -
Secession Convention
The first Secession Convention meets. It took place in Columbia, South Carolina. -
Crittenden Compromise
John J. Crittenden, a senator from Kentucky, proposed this compromise. Its purpose was to have a compromise between pro slavery and antislavery factions. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina is the first state to secede from the Union. -
Mississippi Secedes
Mississippi is the second state to secede. -
Florida Secedes
Florida is the third state to secede. -
Alabama Secedes
Alabama is the fourth state to secede. -
Georgia Secedes
Georgia is the fifth state to secede. -
Louisiana Secedes
Louisiana is the sixth state to secede. -
Texas Secedes
Texas is the seventh state to secede. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Union fort located in Charleston, South Carolina. At the fort, the Confederacy wanted the Union to surrender For Sumter, but Lincoln refused to abandon it. No lives were lost, but this led to the first battle. -
Virginia Secedes
Virginia is the eighth state to secede. -
Arkansas Secedes
Arkansas is the ninth state to secede. -
North Carolina Secedes
North Carolina is the tenth state to secede. -
Tennessee Secedes
Tennessee is the eleventh, and final, state to secede. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run took place 25 miles from Washington D.C. The battle ended in a Confederate victory. This was the first official battle of the war. -
Jefferson Davis Elected Confederate President
Although he was already serving as temporary president for a year, he was officially elected president on this date. -
Fort Henry
Fort Henry was located in Tennessee. It was an important victory for the Union. -
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was located in Tennessee. It ended in a Union victory. Ulysses S. Grant earned his nickname, “Unconditional Surrender”, here. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle was one of the major early battles in the Civil War. It took place when the Confederates surprised the Union in southern Tennessee. There were more than 23,000 casualties total during this battle. -
First Battle of Winchester, Virginia
General Stonewall Jackson attacks the Union at Winchester. He is successful in driving them away from the city. -
Battle of the Seven Pines
This battle was located near Richmond, Virginia. Robert E. Lee replaces General Joseph Johnston who was wounded. -
The Seven Days' Battle
Lee’s army attacks “Army of the Potomac”, which was under George McClellan. The battle ended in Confederate victory. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The larger second battle took place in Northern Virginia. The Confederates took the victory. -
Battle of Antietam
This was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War, with more than 26,000 casualties. The Union army played very defensively. This battle led to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. -
Harpers Ferry
General Robert E. Lee leads his Confederate army to Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is located 50 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. It ended in a Confederate victory. -
Fredericksburg
Located in Virginia, Ambrose Burnside attempted to capture Mary's heights under General Robert E. Lee’s direction. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation and frees slaves from rebellious states. -
Battle of Stones River, Texas
The Union Army of Cumberland, which was under General William Rosecrans, fought the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under General Braxton Bragg. The battle ended in a Confederate victory. The battle ended on this day. -
Conscription in the North
In the North, the drafting of soldiers, or conscription, is put into play. The previous year, the South used conscription. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This was General Lee’s greatest victory. Stonewall Jackson dies soon after a result from an injury he received during the battle. -
Flanking Lee's Army
The Union in the east begin a new campaign in Virginia. This campaign is to flank Lee’s army, which is located in Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg. (Would not let me put the month, which was April) -
Gettysburg Day 1
The Union and Confederacy, by chance, meet at a small farm town in Pennsylvania. John Buford, who was in Gettysburg, orders his men to take high ground. The Confederates, led by A.P. Hill, were in search for shoes and Lee when they ran into the Union army.
Both sides requested for reinforcements. The North had 95,000 men under Meade’s command. They secured Cemetery Hill. The South had 75,000 men, under Lee’s command, and the secure the town. -
Gettysburg Day 3
Lee was confident he’d break the Union lines. Longstreet orders his troops to advance, but are severely hurt and stopped by the Union Artillery. The Union didn’t counterattack. The three day event gave the North a morale boost. -
Battle of Chickamauga
Union Army, under General William Rosecrans, is defeated by the Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by General Braxton Bragg. The Union army is forced to retreat to the supply base at Chattanooga, Tennessee. -
Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln’s two minute long speech. It consecrated the battlefield. The speech was an attempt the unify the nation. -
Battle of Chattanooga
When Union forces break, the Confederates siege the city in successful attacks. The Union sends the Confederates south and into Georgia. -
Commander Ulysses S. Grant
President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to lieutenant general. Grant also went by the name “Unconditional Surrender”. -
Battle of Weldon Railroad
These battles were located near Petersburg, Virginia. The Union attempted to capture this railroad, which went into Petersburg. They were stopped by the Confederates, but the Union was victorious. -
Battle of Ream's Station
During the Union’s destruction of the Weldon Railroad, located near Ream’s Station, the Confederates launched a surprise counterattack. They were not successful in defending the Railroad, although it briefly stopped destruction. -
Fall of Atlanta, Georgia
General Hood’s Confederate troops were evacuated from the city of Atlanta. On the following day, General Sherman’s army occupies the city and its defenses. -
Battle of Fisher's Hill
In Virginia, this battle took place. The Union Army, under General Philip Sheridan, attacked Confederates near Fisher Hill. The Union army was victorious. -
Lincoln's Second Term
Abraham Lincoln is reelected as president of the United States. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
General Sherman and his army begin their March to the Sea. It was conducted through Georgia. They attacked and took Union supply lines as they traveled. -
Battle of Franklin, Tennessee
As a result of Sherman’s March to the Sea, the Union army confronted him, led by John Bell Hood. The Union retreats after losing too many men, including six generals. -
Completing the March to the Sea
Sherman’s March to the Sea is completed on this day. It ended in Savannah, Georgia. His troops take For McAllister and force the Confederates to evacuate the city. -
Battle of Nashville, Tennessee
The Confederate Army, under John Bell Hood, is defeated. This ends the threat to Tennessee. -
Second Battle of Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher, located in North Carolina, was assaulted and captured. The Union victorious. -
Capturing Columbia
In the beginning of February, Sherman left Savannah and began marching through the Carolina's. On this day, he captures Columbia, South Carolina. The Confederate defenders evacuate Charleston, South Carolina at this time. -
Attack on Fort Stedman
The attack took place in Petersburg, Virginia. It was considered “Lee’s last offensive”. Under John B. Gordon, the Confederates attacked and briefly captured the fort. But, the Union took to victory in the end. -
Battle of Five Forks
The Confederates were defeated at Five Forks. This initiated Lee’s decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. -
Fall of Petersburg and Richmond
General Robert E. Lee abandons both Petersburg and Richmond. He brings his army west, hoping to join forces with the Confederates under General Johnston, who is in North Carolina. -
Union Takes Petersburg and Richmond
Just the previous day, the Confederate army under General Lee, abandoned Petersburg and Richmond. On this date, Union troops occupy the cities. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
In Virginia, the Confederates attempted to block the Union, who was travelling west to Danville Virginia. Lee and Grant meet up, and Lee signs the document of surrender. -
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. They were inside the Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC. -
The Final Battle (Battle of Palmito Ranch)
The final battle of the Civil War was located in Palmito Ranch, Texas. The Confederates won this battle. -
The Official End of the Civil War
General Simon Bolivar Buckner enters for terms of surrender for the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, which is agreed on June 2, 1865. The Civil war is officially over. -
James-Younger Gang
Jesse James and his brother Frank James participate in many crime acts. One specific one is their first armed robbery, during the day. It took place in Liberty, Missouri. -
Memphis Race Riot
Police and white civilians kill 46 African Americans. They also destroy 90 houses, schools, and four churches. This event took place in Tennessee. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
African Americans now have equal rights. They are given citizenship. -
Indian Wars Continue
The Sioux Tribe, led by Red Cloud, goes into battle against white settlers in Montana and Wyoming on the Bozeman Trail. Attacks like this one continued for two years until the army forced the tribes back into their reservations. -
Judicial Circuit Act
On this date, the Judicial Circuit Act was signed into law by President Andrew Johnson. The Act reorganized the circuit courts, and it provided the gradual elimination of several seats on the Supreme Court. -
Tennessee is Readmitted
The state of Tennessee was readmitted to the Union on this date. It was the first state to be readmitted. -
General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was named general of the armies on this day. This rank had only been achieved by General Washington. -
New Orleans Race Riot
Similar to the Memphis Race Riot, police kill more than 40 black and white Republicans. More than 150 were wounded. -
Ku Klux Klan
The secret organization, also known as the KKK, is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. The organization intends to intimidate African Americans, and to restore white rule. -
National Union Convention
The National Union Convention, also known as the Loyalist Convention, met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on this date. The purpose of this convention was to help President Johnson in the mid-year elections of 1866. -
Peabody Funding Established
The Peabody Funding provided money for construction, endowments, scholarships, teachers, and industrial education for newly freed slaves. Peabody was considered to be one of the first truly modern philanthropies. The picture attached is George Peabody, the founder. -
Nebraska Becomes A State
Nebraska was admitted into the country on this date. It became the 37th state. -
First Reconstruction Act
The military in broken into five military districts, thanks to Congress, requiring African Americans to vote. -
Tenure of Office Act
Federal law with the purpose of restricting presidential power to remove certain office-holders without Senate approval. It was enacted on this date over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. -
Peonage Outlawed
A peonage is a system where an employer compels a worker to pay off a debt with work. It is also known as debt slavery or debt servitude. -
Second Reconstruction Act
Since the first Reconstruction Act left the south in confusion, the second Reconstruction Act helped resolve confusion, in addition to making changes. For example, it required every voter to recite the registration oath, which promised their support to the constitution and that they will obey the law. -
Purchase of Alaska
Secretary of State, William Seward, negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. It was purchased for $7.2 million. -
Invention of Dynamite
Alfred Nobel invents dynamite. He was the first to safely manage explosives, which are stronger than black powder. On this date, and a few others, he obtained patents for his invention. -
Third Reconstruction Act
The Third Reconstruction Act gaev supreme power to the five Union generals who oversaw Reconstruction in the five southern districts. -
Robert T. Freeman
Freeman was the first African American to graduate the Harvard Dental School. He was one of the first African American dentists in the United States.
