-
The election of 1860
The election of 1860 was an election featuring Abraham Lincoln and John Breckenridge. This election was very controversial because the union was divided on the subject of slavery, with Abraham Lincoln supporting the abolishment of slavery and Breckenridge supporting slavery. Lincoln eventually won the election although he didn't appear on many southern brackets. After Lincoln won, Southerners we very angry and split from the Union, causing the civil war -
Period: to
Civil War Time
The span of time between the Election of 1860 and Lincolns assassination. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the Civil War. The battle of Fort Sumter took place because the South had officially split from the Union`and the now South was giving the Union and ultimatum of either surrender Fort Sumter, which guarded Charleston Harbor, or fighting. The Officer in charge of Fort Sumter (Major Robert Anderson) refused and decided to fight. The end result of the battle was the Confederate South won, and really made both sides more committed to the war -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull run was caused by people of the Union calling for a storming of Richmond. The political leaders of the Union succumbed to the pressure and decided to launch an attack on the Confederates, although the troops on both sides were very inexperienced. The Union troops tried to surprise them, but their inexperience proved too much for them and they let the Confederates get reinforcements which turned the battle into the Souths favor, leading to a South victory -
USS Merrimack V.S. USS Moniter
The Battle of USS Merrimack V.S. USS Moniter was a battle of two Ironclad ships that ended in a draw. The importance of this battle was it showed the importance of steel ships compared to wooden ships, and made wooden ships almost have no meaning to the war. This battle not only changed naval warfare during the Civil War, but for the rest of time after the war. It had a very significant difference in the war, although it ended in a draw -
Robert E. Lee becomes commander of the Confederate South
Robert E. Lee takes command of the Confederate army at Virginia on June 1st. Robert E. Lee was the son of a famous soldier for the US army, and he was also a great student at US Military Academy. When Virginia broke off of the Union, he was forced to make a tough decision whether to take a high role in the Union army or go to the Confederacy, and chose his state. He was the Confederate presidents right hand man for a while, before eventually becoming the general of the entire army -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought between General Lee(Confederate) and Major General John Pope(Union), over the fact that Pope thought he had trapped the Confederates, but he hadn't, and so when Pope tried to attack, Lee's army was able to take a stand and repel and almost defeat the Union army, but a great stand by the rear guard keeps the Union from defeat, then the Union retreats. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam was fought during only one day, making it the deadliest one day of the civil war. The battle was fought at Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle took place because General Lee was trying to invade the Union. The attack ended up as a Union victory, ad gave the Union more hope of winning the war. The battle also forced Lee to retreat because of his casualties. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an address made by Lincoln that freed all slaves. Although Lincoln didn't necessarily have the power to do that, he had the power to take property from warring countries, and since by law slaves were property, he had the power to take them from the Confederacy. Even though the proclamation didn't immediately free the slaves, it made sure that if the Union won slavery would be ultimately banned -
Enrollment Act
The enrollment act was a law that stated that able bodied men must either serve in the army, or pay money to the army as compensation. The draft was not supported by everyone. There was draft riots in New York called the New York City draft riots. During the riots, over 100 people were killed -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg took place in a very non-important city, pretty much just a coincidence. Both armies had come to the city for supplies but ended up fighting each other in a huge battle, which the Union won. The Union forces had fortified themselves on a hill, and Lee tried to break through their lines by having one of his generals (General Pickett) charge them straight on, in whats now known as Picketts Charge. Eventually Pickett was defeated and the Union won a huge victory. -
Fall of Richmond
The Fall of Richmond was a siege by the Union to capture the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. The Union was surrounding and bombarding Richmond but the Confederates were holding strong. Eventually though, sickness and other detriments made the Confederates retreat from their capital, as well as burn all the important items in the city. This was a huge moment in the war, because the Union gained a huge foothold in the South and gained a lot of confidence. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while watching a show in a theater. The killer was John Wilkes Booth, and it happened only five days after the surrender of General Lee to General Ulysses Grant. He was the first ever president to be murdered in office, and he was killed in a futile attempt to revive the Confederate cause. Many people were incredibly saddened by Lincolns death once he died in a hospital later that day. There was a search for Booth and eventually killed Booth.
