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Feb 3, 2010 · Civil War Timeline. Explore our timeline of the American Civil War and learn about the important events and battles that happened throughout this period of American history – from John Brown's Raid to the adoption of the 13th Amendment. View the American Revolution and War of 1812 timelines.
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- Overview
- November 6, 1860
- February 4, 1861
- April 12–14, 1861
- July 21, 1861
- March 9, 1862
- April 6–7, 1862
- September 17, 1862
- January 1, 1863
- July 1–3, 1863
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Abraham Lincoln, candidate of the antislavery Republican Party, is elected president. As a result, between December 1860 and April 1861, 11 Southern states secede from the Union.
Representatives of seceded states meet in Montgomery, Alabama, and form the Confederate States of America, electing Jefferson Davis as president. The CSA constitution ensures the extension of slavery into new states and territories.
The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, a federal outpost in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, marks the first military engagement of the American Civil War. After some 34 hours of bombardment, the fort surrenders on April 13, and Federal troops evacuate the fort the next day.
The First Battle of Bull Run, or the First Battle of Manassas, takes place near Manassas in northern Virginia and ends in a Confederate rout of Union forces.
In the first battle of ironclad warships, the Merrimack (which had been rechristened by the Confederates as the Virginia) clashes with the Union Monitor. Although the Union navy blockades 3,500 miles (5,600 kilometers) of Confederate coastline during the war, the Confederates excel at running the blockade.
In a fierce battle at Shiloh, in southwestern Tennessee, Union forces rally from almost near defeat to drive back the Confederate army. Both sides are immobilized for the next three weeks because of the heavy casualties, including more than 13,000 on the Union side and more than 11,000 on the Confederate side.
The battle at Antietam, Maryland, is regarded as a Union victory in an otherwise bleak year for Union forces in the East. However, the casualties set a grisly record. In what marks the bloodiest single day of the war, the South loses 10,316 troops, and the North suffers casualties of 12,401. Following this battle, Lincoln shifts the focus of the wa...
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It states that “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” The proclamation also allows black men to serve in the Union army. Up until this time, the Confederate government and people had expected that the English and French governments would interven...
After invading the North, Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee meet Union forces at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle rages over three days, involving heavy artillery duels and high casualties on both sides. The battle is considered a major turning point in the eastern theater. Lee withdraws and is forced to fight a defensive campaign ...
The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces opened fire on the Union-held Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is located in the middle of the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Its status had been contentious for months.
- United States, Atlantic Ocean
- November 6, 1860- The American people elect Abraham Lincoln as sixteenth president of the United States. Lincoln is the first Republican president in the nation and represents a party that opposes the spread of slavery into the territories of the United States.
- January 1861- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the United States. February 4, 1861- The southern states that had seceded assemble delegates at Montgomery, Alabama to organize the Confederate States of America.
- January 19, 1862- Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. This Federal victory weakened the Confederate hold on the state. February 6, 1862- Surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee.
- January 1, 1863- The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure that declared enslaved people in rebelling states to be free, authorized the enlistment of black troops, and outraged white Southerners.
5 days ago · American Civil War, four-year war (1861–65) fought between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. It arose out of disputes over slavery and states’ rights.
- The American Civil War was the culmination of the struggle between the advocates and opponents of slavery that dated from the founding of the Unite...
- The Union won the American Civil War. The war effectively ended in April 1865 when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to Unio...
- It is estimated that from 752,000 to 851,000 soldiers died during the American Civil War. This figure represents approximately 2 percent of the Ame...
- Important people during the American Civil War included Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, whose election prompted the seces...
- The modern usage of Confederate symbols, especially the Confederate Battle Flag and statues of Confederate leaders, is considered controversial bec...
Civil War 1861. January: The South Secedes. Immediately after Abraham Lincoln is elected President, South Carolina calls a state convention to remove itself from the United States of America. South Carolina is quickly followed by Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.
April 12–13. Fort Sumter is bombarded and surrenders to South Carolina troops led by P. G. T. Beauregard. April 15. Lincoln declares a state of insurrection and calls for 75,000 volunteers to enlist for three months of service. April 17–May 20. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina secede from the Union. April 19.
