Curated timeline

American Civil War

The defining conflict of US history. A war of brother against brother over slavery and the Union. Covers Lincoln, Lee, Grant, Gettysburg, and Emancipation.

• Lincoln Elected President (November 6, 1860)

  Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United States, prompting Southern secession fears.

• South Carolina Secedes (December 20, 1860)

  South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union.

• Confederate States of America Formed (February 8, 1861)

  Confederate States of America formed; Jefferson Davis elected President.

• Lincoln Inaugurated (March 4, 1861)

  Abraham Lincoln inaugurated as 16th President of the United States.

• Fort Sumter (April 12-13, 1861)

  Confederate forces attack federal fort in Charleston Harbor; Civil War begins.

• First Bull Run (July 21, 1861)

  First major battle of the Civil War; Confederate victory shocks the North.

• Monitor vs Virginia (March 9, 1862)

  First battle between ironclad warships at Hampton Roads.

• Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862)

  Bloody Union victory in Tennessee; Grant emerges as key general.

• Seven Days Battles (June 25-July 1, 1862)

  Lee's first major campaign saves Richmond from Union capture.

• Second Bull Run (August 29-30, 1862)

  Lee defeats Union forces again at Bull Run/Manassas.

• Antietam (September 17, 1862)

  Bloodiest single day in American military history; Union strategic victory.

• Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)

  Lincoln's proclamation frees slaves in rebellious states, transforming war aims.

• Chancellorsville (May 1-4, 1863)

  Lee's greatest victory; Stonewall Jackson mortally wounded.

• Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863)

  War's turning point; Union victory ends Lee's invasion of the North.

• Vicksburg Falls (July 4, 1863)

  Grant captures key Confederate stronghold, controlling Mississippi River.

• Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)

  Lincoln delivers famous speech dedicating Gettysburg battlefield cemetery.

• Grant Becomes General-in-Chief (March 12, 1864)

  Ulysses S. Grant promoted to command all Union armies.

• Overland Campaign Begins (May 5, 1864)

  Grant launches sustained offensive against Lee in Virginia.

• Cold Harbor (June 1-12, 1864)

  Lee's last major victory; Grant suffers heavy casualties.

• Siege of Petersburg (June 15, 1864 - April 2, 1865)

  Grant begins nine-month siege of Petersburg, Lee's supply center.

• Atlanta Falls (September 2, 1864)

  Sherman captures key Confederate city, boosting Lincoln's reelection chances.

• Lincoln Reelected (November 8, 1864)

  Lincoln wins reelection, ensuring continuation of war effort.

• Sherman's March to the Sea (November 16 - December 21, 1864)

  Sherman's destructive march through Georgia to Savannah.

• Lee Surrenders at Appomattox (April 9, 1865)

  Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the war.

• Lincoln Assassinated (April 14, 1865)

  John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre.

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