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THE CIVIL WAR
1861 – 1865
THE CIVIL WAR
• When war began in 1861, both sides were
confident in their ability to win. What they did
not realize was that four long, perilous years lay
ahead of them in what would become the
deadliest war in American history. By the time the
war ended, over 600,000 lives were lost.
THE CIVIL WAR
• During the war, farms became battlefields and
homes were turned into hospitals. Towns were
divided, and sometimes families were too.
Brothers fought against brothers, fathers and
sons were on opposing sides, and schoolmates
and old friends often faced each other in battle.
THE CIVIL WAR
• In 1861, citizens gathered in town squares all
across the country to hear speeches about
freedom, states’ rights, and glorious death on the
battlefield. In the North, many men jumped at
the chance to fight for the Union. In the South,
men also volunteered to defend their rights and
their land. The country was divided in two….
THE CIVIL WAR
THE CIVIL WAR
THE CIVIL WAR
THE CIVIL WAR
*1861*
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 1: January -- The South Secedes
• When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of
slavery, was elected president, the South
Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling
a state convention, the delegates voted to
remove the state of South Carolina from the
union known as the United States of America.
The secession of South Carolina was followed
by the secession of six more states -Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, and Texas.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 2: February -- The South Creates a
Government
• At a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, the
seven seceding states created the Confederate
Constitution, a document similar to the United
States Constitution, but with greater stress on
the autonomy of each state. Jefferson Davis
was named as president of the newly formed
Confederate States of America (aka the
Confederacy).
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 3: March -- Lincoln's Inauguration
• At Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, the new
president said he had no plans to end slavery
in those states where it already existed, but he
also said he would not accept secession. He
hoped to resolve the national crisis without
warfare.
Lincoln’s Inauguration
“I have no purpose,
directly or indirectly, to
interfere with the
institution of slavery in
the States where it
exists. I believe I have
no lawful right to do so,
and I have no
inclination to do so. “
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 4: April -- Attack on Fort Sumter
• The day after he was inaugurated, Lincoln received a dispatch
for Major Robert Anderson, the commander of Fort Sumter in
Charleston, South Carolina. He was low on supplies and the
Confederates were demanding he surrender the fort.
• Lincoln informed the governor that he was sending supplies
but would not “throw in men, arms, or ammunition” unless
they were fired upon. Confederate president Jefferson Davis
ordered his forces to fire on the fort early on April 12. Union
forces held out for 33 hours before surrendering.
FORT SUMTER
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 5: April-June -- Four More States Join the
Confederacy
• The attack on Fort Sumter prompted four more
states to join the Confederacy. Beginning in
April, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and
Tennessee all seceded from the Union. With
Virginia's secession, Richmond was named the
Confederate capitol.
THE CONFEDERACY
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 6: June -- More States Choose a Side
• Residents of the western counties of Virginia did
not wish to secede along with the rest of the state.
This section of Virginia was admitted into the
Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20,
1863.
• Despite their acceptance of slavery, Delaware,
Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri did not join the
Confederacy. Although divided in their loyalties,
these states chose not to secede.
WEST VIRGINIA
BORDER STATES
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 7: July – First Battle of Bull Run
• The first major battle took place in Manassas Junction
near Bull Run River. Inexperienced Union troops
attacked inexperienced Confederate troops. At first,
they were able to drive the Rebels back but after
receiving reinforcements from General Thomas
Jackson, the Rebels surged forward with a scream that
became known as the “Rebel yell”. Jackson fought “like
a stone wall” and was afterwards known as Stonewall
Jackson. The Union army was forced to hastily retreat
back to Washington, D.C.
BATTLE OF
BULL RUN
BATTLE OF
BULL RUN
BATTLE OF
BULL RUN
BATTLE OF
BULL RUN
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1861
• Event 8: December -- The Union Blockade
• In 1861, the Union launched its blockade of
southern ports. By the end of the year, most
southern ports were closed to foreign ships. As
the blockade shut down its ports, the
Confederacy asked Britain for help in
protecting its ships. The British refused and as
a result, the South could not export its cotton
to Europe nor import needed supplies.
*1862*
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 9: February -- Early Union Victories
• One goal of the Union was to gain control of the
Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers; this would split the
South in two and hinder their ability to transport goods.
Union commander Ulysses S. Grant was ordered to move
against Confederate forces in February. With the aid of a
fleet of ironclads, Grant captured Fort Henry on the
Tennessee and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River.
When the Confederate commander at Fort Donelson
asked Grant for his terms, Grant’s reply was “no terms
except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be
accepted”.
GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 10: March -- Monitor vs. Merrimack
• The Confederacy seized a Union ship called the
Merrimack and rebuilt it using iron plates on
top of the wood. They then attacked a group of
Union ships off the coast of Virginia. The
North’s wooden ships couldn’t damage the
ironclad so the North sent the Monitor, their
own iron-clad ship to fight the Merrimack.
Neither ship sank.
IRONCLADS
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 11: April -- The Battle of Shiloh
• On April 6, Confederate forces attacked Union forces
under General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee.
By the end of the day, the Union troops were almost
defeated. During the night, reinforcements arrived,
and by the next morning the Union commanded the
field. When Confederate forces retreated, the
exhausted Union forces did not follow. Casualties were
heavy -- roughly 20,000 men were killed or wounded
in the two day battle.
BATTLE OF SHILOH
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 12: April -- New Orleans Falls
• A few weeks after Shiloh, the North won
another important victory. On April 25, David
Farragut captured New Orleans, Louisiana, the
South’s biggest city. This defeat meant that the
Confederacy could no longer use the
Mississippi to carry its goods to sea.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 13: March-June -- McClellan Hesitates
• In the East, General George B. McClellan led
the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Their goal
was to capture Richmond, Virginia (the
Confederate capitol). McClellan hesitated and
took weeks as opportunities to attack slipped
away. The delays gave the Confederates a
chance to prepare their defense of Richmond.
GENERAL MCCLELLAN
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 14: June -- The Seven Days' Battles
• At the end of June, Union forces finally met the
Confederates in a series of encounters called
the Seven Days’ Battles. Confederate General
Robert E. Lee was in command of the army
opposing McClellan’s. Lee’s cavalry leader
circled around the Union army, gathering
information about Union positions.
Confederate forces drove the Yankees back and
Union troops failed to capture Richmond.
GENERAL
ROBERT E. LEE
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 15: August -- Second Battle of Bull Run
• Although Union forces were pushed back from
Richmond, they were still only 25 miles away.
Lincoln ordered McClellan to move his army
back and join forces with Major General John
Pope. Stonewall Jackson’s forces had moved
north to attack Pope’s and joined up with Lee’s
forces. The two armies met in a battle that
resulted in a Confederate win and now Rebels
were within reach of Washington, D.C.
“Stonewall” Jackson
MAJOR GENERAL JOHN POPE
SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN
SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN
SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1862
• Event 16: September -- Battle of Antietam
• On September 17, Confederate forces under General Lee were
caught by General McClellan near Sharpsburg, Maryland. This
battle proved to be the bloodiest day in American history with
roughly 23,000 casualties. The battle had no clear winner, but
because General Lee withdrew to Virginia the next day,
McClellan was considered the victor. Lincoln, who had told
McClellan to “destroy the rebel army” was furious when
McClellan chose not to pursue the retreating Confederate
troops; he removed McClellan from his command and replaced
him with General Ambrose Burnside. The battle convinced the
British and French, who were contemplating official recognition
of the Confederacy, to reserve action. This battle also marked a
change in Northern goals as Lincoln used the win to take action
against slavery.
MAJOR GENERAL JOSEPH
HOOKER
• “In the time that I am writing
every stalk of corn [in the
cornfields to the north] was cut
as closely as could have been
done with a knife and the slain
lay in rows precisely as they had
stood in their ranks a few
moments before.”
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
Antietam
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
ANTIETAM
*1863*
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 17: January -- Emancipation Proclamation
• Although Lincoln considered slavery immoral, he was
reluctant to move against it because of the border
states. Lincoln knew that making an issue of slavery
would divide the people and make the war less popular.
Up until this point, the main goal of the war was to
preserve the Union, not end slavery. As the war went
on, more and more Northerners believed that slavery
was helping the South’s effort to win. Enslaved people in
the South raised crops used to feed the armies and did
the heavy work in the trenches at the army camps. The
North began to realize that ending slavery would be
create many obstacles for the South.
EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION
• “If I could save the Union
without freeing any slave, I
would do it; if I could save it
by freeing all the slaves, I
would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and
leaving others alone, I
would also do that. What I
do about slavery…I do
because I believe it helps to
save the Union.”
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 17: January -- Emancipation Proclamation
• The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on
January 1st. It stated that all slaves living in states that
were in rebellion against the United States were to be
considered now and forever free. Although the effects
of the decree were limited, by the end of the war, onesixth of the slave population had fled into areas
controlled by Union armies to escape the bonds of
slavery.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 18: April -- First Conscription Act
• In April, the Confederate Congress passed a
draft law requiring men between 18 and 25 to
serve in the army for three years. The North
passed a similar law called the First
Conscription Act, requiring men 20 - 45 to
register their names in the pool. Violent
protests broke out in New York City as many
were angered by the draft and opposed to
fighting to free African Americans.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 19: May -- The Battle of Chancellorsville
• In May, Union General Hooker launched a
campaign against General Lee. Lee split his
army, attacking a surprised Union army in
three places and almost completely defeating
them. Hooker withdrew across the
Rappahannock River, giving the South a victory,
but it was the Confederates' most costly
victory in terms of casualties; they also lost
Stonewall Jackson.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 20: May-July -- The Vicksburg Campaign
• The city of Vicksburg sat on a high bluff above
the Mississippi River, which the Union was still
working to gain total control of. For weeks,
Grant had laid siege to the town. Finally, on
July 4, Vicksburg surrendered. With the
surrender of Port Hudson in Louisiana, the
Union now held the entire Mississippi. Texas,
Louisiana, and Arkansas were sealed off from
the rest of the Confederacy.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 21: July -- The Battle of Gettysburg
• Despite their loss of Jackson, Lee moved north in June with
an army of 75,000. He hoped a victory on Union soil would
persuade Britain and France to aid the Confederacy.
• Meanwhile, General George Meade was put in charge of
the Army of the Potomac. His army met Lee’s on July 1,
1863 near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After a brief skirmish,
Meade’s men occupied four miles of high ground along an
area known as Cemetery Ridge. About a mile west, 75,000
Confederate troops gathered.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 21: July -- The Battle of Gettysburg
• The battle went on for three days. On the second day, the
Confederates worked to find weak spots in the Union
position, but the Union lines held firm. Meade set up
headquarters atop a small hill called Little Round Top and
laid his men out in a defensive position resembling a fish
hook around the hill. Despite heavy losses, the Union held
their line.
• On the third day, Lee ordered an all-out attack. Cannons
filled the air with smoke and thunder. Confederate Major
General George Pickett led 15,000 soldiers across the low
ground that stood between the two armies. His charge
marked the northernmost point reached by southern
troops but his men suffered heavy losses at the hands of
Union soldiers.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 21: July -- The Battle of Gettysburg
• Lee knew that after Pickett’s Charge, the battle was lost.
These men had been easy targets for the Union soldiers
and barely half of the Rebels returned from the charge. “It’s
all my fault”, Lee told his troops as they retreated back to
Virginia. From here, he would only wage a defensive war on
southern soil.
• The losses at Gettysburg were staggering; the most of any
Civil War battle. Between the three days of fighting, there
were somewhere between 40 - 50 thousand casualties
including roughly 10,000 deaths.
GETTYSBURG
GETTYSBURG
GETTYSBURG
GETTYSBURG
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1863
• Event 22: November -- The Gettysburg Address
• On November 19, at a ceremony dedicating a cemetery at
Gettysburg, President Lincoln beautifully expressed what
the war had come to mean. The “great civil war” was
testing whether a nation “conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal…can long endure.” He called on Americans to remain
“dedicated to the great task remaining before us…that
these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation
shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this
government, of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth.”
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
• “Four score and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth on this continent, a new nation,
conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal. ”
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
• “Now we are engaged in a great civil war,
testing whether that nation, or any nation so
conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We
are met on a great battle-field of that war. We
have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a
final resting place for those who here gave their
lives that that nation might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we should do this. ”
*1864*
*1865*
Winter 1864
(Jan. – April)
Winter 1864
(Jan. – April)
Winter 1864
(Jan. – April)
Winter 1864
(Jan. – April)
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1864
• Event 23: May-June -- Grant’s Plan
• General Grant devised a plan to attack the
Confederacy on all fronts. The Army of the Potomac
would try to crush Lee’s army in Virginia. General
William Tecumseh Sherman’s army would advance to
Atlanta and crush Confederate forces in the Deep
South. If the plan worked, they would destroy the
Confederacy. During a series of battles - Wilderness,
Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, the Confederate lines
held, but Grant always resumed attack quickly. His
assault turned in to a nine month siege.
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
Grant’s Wilderness Campaigns
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1864
• Event 24: November -- Lincoln is Reelected
• Any hope for the South now lay in the defeat
of President Lincoln in the election of 1864.
Lincoln was doubtful he would win reelection
but two northern victories came just in time to
reassure voters that the conflict was soon to
be over. Lincoln won with fifty-five percent of
the popular vote.
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1864
• Event 25: December -- Total War
• Leaving Atlanta in ruins, Sherman convinced Grant to let him
try a bold plan called “total war”. As Sherman’s army
advanced, it lived off the land, troops took what they needed,
and destroyed railroad lines along the way in an effort to
weaken the South in any and all ways possible. They left a
path of destruction fifty miles wide and devastated states.
• Meanwhile, Grant planned a final attack on Richmond. On
April 1, Union forces finally broke through Confederate lines
to capture the city. Lee told his officers, “There is nothing left
for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would
rather die a thousand deaths.”
SHERMAN IN ATLANTA
SHERMAN IN ATLANTA
SHERMAN IN ATLANTA
SHERMAN IN ATLANTA
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1865
• Event 26: April -- Surrender at Appomattox
• Grant’s terms of surrender were generous. Confederate
soldiers could go home safely if they promised to no longer
fight. They could take supplies and weapons with them. He
also ordered that Lee’s half-starved men receive food.
• Union troops began to shoot their guns and cheer wildly in
celebration. Grant told them to stop celebrating. “The war is
over,” he said, “the rebels are our countrymen again.”
RICHMOND
RICHMOND
RICHMOND
RICHMOND
RICHMOND
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1865
• Event 26: April -- The Assassination of Lincoln
• On April 14, as President Lincoln was watching a
performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in
Washington, D.C., when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth,
an actor from Maryland obsessed with avenging the
Confederate defeat. Lincoln died the next morning. Booth
escaped to Virginia. Eleven days later, cornered in a burning
barn, Booth was fatally shot by a Union soldier. Nine other
people were involved in the assassination; four were
hanged, four imprisoned, and one acquitted.
Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln’s Assassination
CIVIL WAR TIMELINE: 1865
• Event 28: December -- 13th Amendment
• By December of 1865, the Thirteenth
Amendment was officially adopted. It said
that, “Neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude…shall exist within the United States,
or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
• Slavery was finally abolished in the United
States!