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Confederate Victory
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Civil War Timeline
1861
Date
April 14
Event
Fort Sumter
Casualties Summary
0
Forty hours of continuous shelling before the fort fell to the South. By this time one-fifth of the fort was
on fire. The Southern commander gave permission for all the Union troops to leave safely and the
Southern troops took over the fort.
President Lincoln asked for only three months' service from each volunteer.
Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of the South.
Richmond, Virginia was chosen for the Confederate Capital.
This was the first great battle of the Civil War. The battle was fought at Manassas Junction near Bull Run
Creek, only 30 miles south of Washington, D. C. Many Congressmen and their wives watched from behind
the battle lines. The North was defeated and retreated to the capital. President Lincoln asked for more
volunteers.
April 19
President Lincoln Call
for Army Volunteers
Blockade
May 21
Confederate Capitol
July 21
First Battle of Bull Run 2,900
April 15
1862
Date
Event
Casualties Summary
February 6
(Fort
Henry)
Fighting on the
February 16 Mississippi
(Fort
Donelson)
17,398
March 9
Ironclad Ships Battle
After capturing Fort Henry along the Tennessee River the Union army with 15,000 men led by
Ulysses S. Grant attacked Fort Donelson, a Confederate fort on the Cumberland River. At Fort
Donelson Grant sent the message, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can
be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." The North had six gunboats.
The fighting lasted three days. Grant took 12,000 Confederate prisoners and 40 cannons from
Fort Donelson. This cut off the Confederate supply line from the western territories.
For the first time in history two ironclad ships battled. The battle lasted for hours. Neither side
won the battle. The Confederate ironclad was an old wooden ship called the Merrimac which
had been rebuilt with iron all around the boat. The Merrimac had sunk several Union ships in
the past months. The North decided to build an ironclad ship to fight it. The Northern ship was
called the Monitor.
April 6
Shiloh
23,746
After Grant had captured several forts in Tennessee his armies moved south toward Mississippi.
The Confederate army met Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee. Grant had not expected the attack. At first
he seemed to be losing. Then more Northern troops arrived and Grant defeated the Southerners.
All men between the ages of 18 and 35 must serve in the army.
0
Unknown
181
Farragut attacked and captured New Orleans.
McClellan's Union troops occupied Yorktown, Virginia and advanced on Richmond.
Northern army occupy Corinth, Mississippi
Memphis fell to the Union armies
In a series of battles the Southern army led by Generals Joseph E. Johnston and Robert E. Lee,
the South managed to drive back the Union army. Lee breaks McClellan siege of Richmond.
The Union led by General John Pope was defeated at Bull Run Creek while trying to reach
Richmond. The Union army retreat to Washington.
Lee took command telling the Confederate forces that he planned to carry the fight to the enemy.
He crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, but was blocked from Washington, D. C. by
Union troops in a bloody battle at Sharpsburg near Antietam Creek. Lee realized that his army
was in a bad position to receive supplies and withdrew his troops over the Potomac to Virginia.
President issued a proclamation freeing all the slaves in the South. Lincoln's document called
the Emancipation Proclamation because it emancipated the slaves.
Buell's forces ended Bragg's invasion of Kentucky in the Battle of Perryville.
Lincoln replaced General McClellan with Ambrose Burnside. Burnside's men were slaughtered
at Fredericksburg.
April 18
May 4
May 30
June 6
Confederate Army
Calls for Men
New Orleans
Yorktown
Corinth
Memphis
June
Seven Days' Battle
June 25
Second Battle at Bull
22,180
Run
April 16
September
Battle of Antietam
17
September
22
October 8
December
11
Lincoln Frees all the
Slaves
Battle of Perryville
Fredericksburg
23,100
7,407
17,429
1863
Date
Event
Casualties Summary
January 2 Battle of Stones River 22,576
April 30
Chancellorsville
20,000
May 18
Vicksburg
35,835
Union troops under Rosecrans forced the Confederates to retreat after the Battle of Stones River.
General Lee fought against General Joseph Hooker. Although outnumbered two to one, Lee
won the battle. During the battle General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was killed.
In Vicksburg, Mississippi a strong fort overlooked the river. Grant surrounded the fort and began
a siege. On July 4 Vicksburg surrendered. This gave the North control of the Mississippi River.
July 1
Gettysburg
51,000
July 8
Port Hudson
12,208
September
Chickamauga
18
34,624
November
Gettysburg Address
19
November
Chattanooga
23-25
Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in June 1863. He was hoping to threaten Washington and
Philadelphia, to breed Northern morale, and to gain recognition and independence for the
Southern
Confederacy. At Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia met the Army of
the Potomac. It was under the command of General George G, Meade. This famous battle lasted
three days. The Southerners were turned back and again retreated into Virginia.
Northern forces occupied Port Hudson, Louisiana.
The Confederate Army led by General Braxton Bragg won against the Union army at
Chickamauga Creek in Tennessee. General George Thomas commanded the Union army which was trapped in Chattanooga.
Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
12,485
Grant and Thomas led Union armies to victory in the Battle of Chattanooga.
1864
Date
Event
March 9
Grant appointed
Commander-in-Chief
May
Sherman's march to 12,140 in
the Sea
Atlanta
May 5 - 6
Battle of the
Wilderness
May 8 - 12 Spotsylvania
Casualties Summary
18,000 in
Union troops
14,000 in
Union troops
May 31
Cold Harbor
15,500
June 20
August 5
Siege of Petersburg
Mobile Bay
104,000
1,822
President Lincoln appointed Grant became general in chief of the North. Grant then appointed
General William T. Sherman to command the Western armies, while General George G. Meade
remained the command of the armies of the East.
William T. Sherman left Tennessee with 100,000 troops. He marched to Atlanta, Georgia.
He then marched from Atlanta to the Atlantic Ocean. During this 300 mile march Sherman's
soldiers burned and destroyed everything in a width of 60 miles.
This was the first in a series of battles. The first Union attack was made in an area about
50 miles from Richmond. The Union gained little and lost much in casualties.
Grant ignored the losses in the Battle of the Wilderness and ordered Meade to move on toward
Spotsylvania Court House.
Grant kept moving toward Lee's army after Spotsylvania. They fought the Southern army at
Cold Harbor in an advance upon Richmond. After many casualties, the Union army called off
the attack.
This was the beginning of a nine-month siege with Grant's men surrounding Lee's army.
Farragut won the Battle of Mobile Bay. This closed the last Confederate Gulf port.
September
Atlanta
2
October 19 Shenandoah Valley
November 8 Election of Lincoln
November
Battle of Franklin
30
December
Nashville
15-16
December
Savannah
21
Northern troops under Sherman captured Atlanta after a forty-day siege of the city. Sherman
burned much of the city on November 15 before leaving to begin his march to the sea.
Sheridan led his troops on a rampage of destruction in the Shenandoah Valley.
Lincoln was reelected President for a second term.
8,587
Schofield's Union forces inflicted heavy losses on Hood in the Battle of Franklin.
6,602
The Battle of Nashville smashed Hood's army.
Sherman's troops occupied Savannah, Georgia.
12,140
1865
Date
Event
Casualties Summary
February 6 Lee becomes general
April 2
Petersburg and
Richmond
7,750
April 9
Appomattox
Courthouse
700
April 14
Lincoln's assassination
April 26
Johnston surrenders
Confederate's
surrender
Davis's capture
Confederate's
surrender
May 4
May 11
May 26
Lee became general in chief of the South.
General Grant and General Meade's Army moved to the south of Richmond. During the winter
of
1864-65 the Union army attacked many times, but could not break through. After nine months
General Lee was forced to retreat toward Lynchburg giving up both Petersburg and Richmond.
General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.
On Good Friday, April 14 Lincoln was assassinated. He was attending a performance at
Ford's Theatre in Washington, D. C. The assassin was and actor named John Wilkes Booth.
After twelve days of running Booth was fatally shot.
Johnston surrendered to Sherman.
Confederate forces in Alabama and Mississippi surrendered.
Jefferson Davis was captured near Georgia.
The last Confederate troops surrendered.