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Abraham Lincoln Is Inaugurated As President 

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Abraham Lincoln Is Inaugurated As President 

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On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln offered the South a hand of friendship in his inaugural address, but he also made it plain that he intended to uphold federal law in the seceded states.Seven states had departed the Union as of November 1860, the month after Lincoln's election. The lower South seceded and created the Confederate States of America out of fear that the election of a Republican would jeopardize their privileges, particularly slavery. Some of those states even seized federal assets like forts and armories throughout the process. War loomed large by the time Abraham Lincoln flew into Washington, D.C., for his inauguration. Lincoln was cautious in his speech and didn't make any direct threats to the Southern states. He therefore had some latitude in his efforts to preserve the Union in the upper South, which included North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.Lincoln pledged in his inaugural speech to not interfere with the practice of slavery where it was already legal and to temporarily halt federal government operations in hostile areas. He did, however, strongly oppose both secession and the confiscation of federal property. Lincoln emphasized that the government would "hold, occupy, and possess" its assets and levy taxes. He powerfully recalled the nation's shared history as he concluded his speech.The crucial matter of civil war is in your hands, not mine, fellow citizens. No one from the government will attack you. Conflict cannot exist if you do not act as the aggressors. You don't have an oath in Heaven to overthrow the government, but I will, and it will be a solemn one, to uphold, defend, and preserve it. We are friends rather than foes. We cannot be adversaries. Although passion may have stressed our relationships, it must not sever them. When the better angels of our nature once again touch them, as they undoubtedly will, the mystic chords of memory that run from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone throughout this vast land will still swell the chant of the Union.The Civil War started six weeks later when the Confederates opened fire on Charleston, South Carolina's Fort Sumter.

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Representatives of succeeded States Meet in Montogomery Alabama and form the Confederate States Of America   

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Representatives of succeeded States Meet in Montogomery Alabama and form the Confederate States Of America   

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Following President Abraham Lincoln's election, a group of 11 states known as the Confederate States of America broke away from the Union in 1860. The Confederacy, which existed from 1861 to 1865 under the leadership of Jefferson Davis, fought for legitimacy but was never acknowledged as a legitimate state. The Confederate States of America lost the Civil War and went extinct as a result of their humiliating defeat. Davis requested legislation authorizing three-year enlistments because he anticipated a protracted war. However, the military affairs office approved the ability to call up troops for only one year of service since they thought the battle would be brief. In order to join the volunteers in South Carolina, Davis summoned 7,700 volunteers from five states on March 9. 62,000 soldiers had been organized and were stationed in former Union bases by mid-April.

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 Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter, South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War

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 Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter, South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War

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April 12 a  blazing mortar volley explodes above Fort Sumter around 4:30 in the morning. Confederate guns from floating batteries and fortifications surrounding Charleston Harbor roar to life at this signal. Anderson waits until about 7:00 a.m. to respond despite being outnumbered, outgunned, short on supplies, and nearly encircled by German batteries. The 32-pound shot from the first cannon, which Captain Abner Doubleday offers to fire, bounces off the Iron Battery's roof and is fired at the Confederates on Cummings Point. The two sides continue their unfair competition for almost 36 hours. The American flag is struck by a shell and knocked to the ground at Fort Sumter before being quickly raised back up the pole. Confederates launch hotshots at Fort Sumter from Fort Moultrie. Within the fort, buildings start to fire. Anderson hands over Fort Sumter to the Confederate army because he is out of resources. Fort Sumter is initially captured by Confederate soldiers of Company B of the First South Carolina Artillery Battalion and a volunteer company of the Palmetto Guard, a local militia organization, on April 14, 1861, following the evacuation of Major Robert Anderson and his Federal garrison. The fort is held by the Confederacy for the following four years, up until the evening of February 17, 1865, when all Confederate forces leave Charleston. Anderson and his men are welcomed as heroes when they disembark in New York, despite having submitted. "All the passing steamers saluted us with their steam-whistles and bells," writes Captain Abner Doubleday in a later account, "and cheer after cheer went up from the ferry boats and vessels in the harbor." The Union commends Anderson's bravery in the attack and devotion to service.  Additionally praised for this first Confederate triumph is Beauregard. Later, he receives the order to lead the forces at Bull Run.

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On July 21, McDowell's Union force launched an attack, firing the opposition across Bull Run as additional troops attempted to attack the Confederate left flank by fording the river at Sudley Ford. 10,000 Federals pushed 4,500 rebels back over the Warrington Turnpike and up Henry House Hill during the course of two hours. Reporters, congressmen, and other spectators who had come from Washington and were viewing the battle from the neighboring countryside prematurely hailed a Union triumph, but reinforcements from both Johnston and Beauregard's army swiftly descended on the battlefield to enlist the Confederate troops. In the vicinity of Henry House Hill, both sides exchanged attacks and counterattacks in the afternoon. As the Federals failed to coordinate the assaults of various regiments, more and more Confederate reinforcements began to arrive under Johnston and Beauregard's instructions. At Bull Run, there were perhaps 18,000 soldiers engaged on each side at four o'clock in the afternoon, and Beauregard then ordered a counterattack throughout the entire line. The Confederates were able to penetrate the Union line by yelling as they moved forward the "rebel yell" that would become well-known among Union soldiers. Hundreds of Washington residents who had been watching the battle while having a picnic on the fields east of the river were forced to flee quickly as McDowell's Federals fled haphazardly across Bull Run.Despite their triumph, Confederate forces lacked the organization needed to maintain their lead and chase the Yankees, who reached Washington by July 22. There were roughly 3,000 Union deaths in the First Battle of Bull Run (known as First Manassas in the South), compared to 1,750 for the Confederates. Its outcome stunned northerners who had anticipated a speedy, crushing win and gave jubilant southerners false hope that they too could achieve a decisive victory. Both sides would soon have to accept the reality of a protracted, arduous battle that would have a devastating impact on the nation and its citizens.

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Above the waterline, the Confederates clad the ship in thick armor plating and armed it with potent weapons. When it was launched in February 1862, it was given a new name: the Virginia. Franklin Buchanan, its commander, served as the Confederate Navy's lone full admiral during the Civil War.It sank the U.S.S. Cumberland and ran aground the U.S.S. Congress before igniting her off Hampton Roads in southeast Virginia on March 8, 1862, as it proceeded down the Elizabeth River.The U.S.S. Monitor entered the Chesapeake Bay the following day to defend the rest of the Union's wooden fleet, which included the U.S.S. Minnesota. Three days prior, the Monitor had departed Brooklyn under the direction of Lieutenant John L. Worden. The watercraft, created by Swedish engineer John Ericsson, had an exceptionally low profile, rising only 18 inches above the water. Two 11-inch Dahlgren guns were mounted in a 20-foot cylindrical turret that rose from the center of the ship's flat iron deck.The Monitor could navigate the narrow harbors and rivers of the South thanks to its draft of less than 11 feet. On February 25, 1862, it was given a commission. It got to Chesapeake Bay just in time to fight the Virginia. On March 9, at first light, Worden promised the captain of the Minnesota, "I will stand by you to the very end if I can help you."The Virginia and the Monitor engaged in combat for four hours on March 9 in the morning. The ships maneuvered around one another, vying for position as they exchanged gunfire. The cannon balls just missed the iron ships, though. The Virginia returned to Norfolk in the early afternoon. Although neither ship sustained significant damage, the Monitor effectively put an end to the Confederate ironclad's brief period of fear over the Union fleet.Despite their brief existence, the naval conflict between the two ironclads marked the beginning of a new era in naval warfare. Over 70 ironclads were launched by the Confederacy and the Union by the time the Civil War came to a close, bringing an end to wooden warships.

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Johnston organizes his troops at Corinth in order to streamline his force and be ready for operations against Grant. Grant, whose Army of the Tennessee needs time to get ready for its own offensive up the Tennessee River, welcomes the Confederate retreat. At Pittsburg Landing, Grant's army sets up camp as it waits for Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell's Army of Ohio and spends time training recruits. Grant is instructed not to confront the Confederates until Buell's army, which is traveling overland from Nashville to meet him, has bolstered him. The two armies will unite and move south toward Corinth.Johnston and his 44,000-man Army of Mississippi are planning to destroy Grant's army at Pittsburg Landing before Buell can show up with more Union troops because they anticipate a Federal attack on Corinth. Johnston sets his soldiers in motion on April 3, but the attack is postponed by severe downpours. By the end of the day on April 5, his force had been set up for fight only four miles southwest of Pittsburg Landing, and that evening, pickets from both sides tensely traded shots in the forested area.April 6. Grant's forces were caught off guard as three Confederate infantry corps sprang out of the woods at dawn and swept into the southernmost Federal barracks. Shiloh Church is the focal point of fierce action as the Confederates clear the Union line from that region. Union troops launch a counterattack while being heavily fired upon, but they gradually lose territory and retreat northeast into Pittsburg Landing. Grant's forces are forced to take up defensive positions throughout the morning at Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and a perilous stand of oaks that the fortunate survivors later dubbed the Hornets' Nest.April 6. As three Confederate army corps burst out of the woods at dawn and charged towards the furthest southern Federal barracks, Grant's soldiers were caught off guard. The Confederates push the Union line out of that area, and Shiloh Church is the center of fierce combat. Despite being heavily shot upon, Union troops make a counterattack but progressively lose ground and withdraw northeast towards Pittsburg Landing. At Shiloh Church, the Peach Orchard, Water Oaks Pond, and a dangerous stand of oaks that the fortunate survivors later dubbed the Hornets' Nest, Grant's soldiers are compelled to take up defensive positions throughout the morning.Shiloh, which strangely means "place of peace" in Hebrew, saw a terrible loss of life on both sides. But the conflict also had some unfortunate side effects. Confederate morale suffered as a result of Johnston's passing, especially under President Jefferson Davis, who held Johnston in high regard both personally and professionally. After the war, Davis penned the following: "When Sidney Johnston fell, it was the turning point of our fate; for we had no other hand to take up his work in the West."Grant was attacked in the media despite winning the battle after being found unprepared at Pittsburg Landing on April 6.  While some urged for his dismissal, Abraham Lincoln stood up for the general, saying, "I can't spare this man, he fights." By the end of May, Corinth had been captured by the Union, allowing Grant to concentrate on taking over the Mississippi River.

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The American Civil War's Battle of Antietam, often referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg, took place on September 17, 1862, close to Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek. Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia made their first foray into the North, coming up against Union General George McClellan and his Army of the Potomac. With over 22,000 victims, it was the bloodiest single-day conflict in American history. Lee's march was blocked, and he was compelled to retire to Virginia along with other Southern soldiers who were making their way up north. The Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln issued in response, declared all slaves in the rebellious states free and gave them new meaning.

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President Abraham Lincoln releases a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, setting a deadline for the release of the nation's more than 3 million slaves and redefining the Civil War as a conflict against slavery. Lincoln insisted that the Civil War was not about slavery when it started in 1861, just a few months after his appointment as America's 16th president. Despite the demands of abolitionists and radical Republicans as well as his own conviction that slavery was immoral, he refrained from making an anti-slavery proclamation right away. Lincoln opted to proceed cautiously instead until he could secure broad popular support for such a proposal. Lincoln notified his cabinet in July 1862 that he would issue an emancipation proclamation, but that it was the final Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Lincoln on January 1, 1863, said that "all persons held as slaves" within the rebel states "are, and henceforth shall be free." The declaration also mandated the creation of Black military groups within the Union army and their recruiting. 18,000 African Americans served in the navy, and an estimated 180,000 enlisted in the army.Supporting the Confederacy was perceived as promoting slavery after the Emancipation Proclamation. It became hard for anti-slavery countries that had previously supported the Confederacy, such Great Britain and France, to intervene on the South's behalf. The Republicans, Lincoln's party, were also brought together and empowered by the proclamation, which helped them maintain power for the following 20 years.Lincoln next worked to get an anti-slavery amendment added to the US Constitution as the proclamation was a presidential decree rather than a law passed by Congress. Slavery was abolished in all of America with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, but Black people would still have to fight for equal rights in the U.S.A. for another century after the 13th Amendment's enactment.The Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed Lincoln's handwritten draft of the final Emancipation Proclamation. The National Archives in Washington, D.C. currently holds the original authorized copy of the document.

would not apply to the so-called border states, which continued to support the Union while harboring slaveholders. His cabinet convinced him to hold off on making the announcement until the Union has won. After the Union triumphed at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln was given his chance. On September 22, the president said that enslaved individuals in regions that were still in revolt would be freed in 100 days.

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A significant American Civil War engagement known as the engagement of Gettysburg took place in and around the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg from July 1 to July 3, 1863. It was fought between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee and the Union Army of the Potomac under Major General George Meade. With an estimated 50,000 dead, the combat saw the most deaths during the whole conflict.Because it put a halt to Lee's second invasion of the North and raised the morale of the Union soldiers, it is frequently seen as the turning point of the war.On July 1, Confederate forces attacked Union cavalry after coming into them close to Gettysburg. However, they were outnumbered and outflanked by the Confederates, who drove them back through the town to a defensive position on Cemetery Hill. The Union troops were shortly bolstered by two infantry corps.
In an effort to break through and envelop the Union line, Lee ordered attacks on both of its flanks on July 2. At Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, and the Peach Orchard, the Confederates attacked the Union left, but they were repulsed with significant casualties. Confederate attacks on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill on the Union right were likewise fruitless.On July 3, Lee made the decision to conduct Pickett's Charge, a major frontal assault against the Union line's center. Under intense artillery and rifle fire, almost 12,000 Confederate soldiers moved across an open field, but just a few made it to the Union position. The conflict came to an end after the charge, which failed miserably.After the battle, Meade's troops pursued Lee as he fled back to Virginia. Meade failed to take advantage of his position, however, and was unable to destroy or capture Lee's force. Union had a clear victory in the war, but it cost a lot of lives. Both sides lost a great deal of fatalities, and many injured men perished or contracted illnesses.

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Atlanta was taken by General Sherman's army on September 2, 1864. This was a significant victory as Atlanta served as the Confederacy's economic heartland and home to munitions manufacturers, foundries, and warehouses that supplied the army with supplies including food, ammunition, and other items. It stood in the way of the Union Army's two most desired objectives, Charleston to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. It was also a representation of Confederate might and pride, and when it fell, even the most devoted Southerners began to question whether they could win the war. (I have felt as if we are going to be wiped off the earth since Atlanta," South Carolinian Mary Boykin Chestnut wrote in her diary.) The Confederate army moved west into Tennessee and Alabama after losing Atlanta, targeting Union supply lines along the way. But Sherman divided his soldiers into two divisions because he didn't want to embark on a pointless expedition through the South. Major General George Thomas led about 60,000 soldiers to confront the Confederates in Nashville, while General William T. Sherman led the remaining 62,000 soldiers on an offensive march across Georgia to Savannah, "smashing things" (he wrote), "to the sea."Sherman thought that the strength of the Confederacy came not from its military might but rather from the financial and moral support of sympathetic Southern whites. He reasoned that the Confederate war effort would fail if he could destroy the factories, farms, and railroads that supplied the supplies needed by Confederate forces. While this was going on, his men could lower Southern morale by making Georgian civilians' lives so miserable that they would demand an end to the conflict.
In order to do this, Sherman's forces advanced in two directions, each roughly 30 miles apart, toward Savannah. The Union soldiers and 3,500 Confederate cavalries engaged in a fight at Griswold Ville on November 22, but it turned out so badly 650 Confederate soldiers were killed or injured, compared to 62 Yankee casualties that Southern troops refused to engage in further combat. Instead, they fled South before Sherman's men arrived, causing their own destruction along the way. Before the Union army could find them, they destroyed bridges, cut down trees, and set ablaze barns that contained supplies.The Union forces were equally ruthless. They pillaged farms and plantations, seizing as much food as they could carry, including bread and potatoes as well as stealing and butchering cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and hogs. (These foraging bands of soldiers, known as On December 21, 1864, nearly three weeks after they departed Atlanta, Sherman's soldiers arrived in Savannah. When they arrived, the city was undefended. (The ten thousand Confederates that were to garrison it had already left.) Sherman gave President Lincoln the city of Savannah and its 25,000 cotton bales as a Christmas gift. Sherman and his soldiers left Savannah in the early months of 1865 and destroyed and pillaged their way through South Carolina to Charleston. The Confederacy submitted in April, ending the conflict.Sherman's "total war" in Georgia was violent and devastating, but it accomplished exactly what it was meant to: it damaged Southern morale, prevented the Confederates from fighting to their fullest potential, and perhaps accelerated the conclusion of the war. One of Sherman's subordinates stated, "This Union and its Government must be sustained, at any and every cost." "In order to maintain it, we must wage war against and eliminate the organized rebel forces we must cut off their supplies and disrupt their communications...... instill in the Georgian people a profound understanding of the personal suffering that comes with war, as well as their "rulers'" complete helplessness and incapacity to defend them. If fear, grief, and even need contribute to the paralysis of their husbands and fathers .

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Robert E. Lee's 28,000 Confederate soldiers are turned up to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, thereby ending the American Civil War. Lee had little choice but to flee the Confederate capital of Richmond since he was compelled to do so, was unable to join the remaining Confederate force in North Carolina, and was continually being followed by Union cavalry.The Army of Northern Virginia had struggled through the desolate Virginia countryside on its way out of the Union army's Appomattox Campaign. General Philip Sheridan's Union cavalry forces briefly outran Lee's army, obstructing their withdrawal and capturing 6,000 soldiers at Sayler's Creek. Daily desertions increased until, by April 8, the Confederates were trapped and had no chance of escape. Lee informed Grant about his willingness to surrender in a telegram on April 9. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the two generals gathered in the Wilmer McLean house's parlor.Having the highest positions in their respective armies, Lee and Grant awkwardly exchanged personal questions while only having a passing acquaintance. Lee had shown there in full dress gear with a sash and sword, while Grant appeared in his typical muddy field garb. Lee requested the terms, and Grant hastily scribbled them down. The horses, which could be used for a late spring planting, were the most valuable private property that would be returned to all officers and men along with their pardons. Lee's famished soldiers would receive Union food, and officers would retain their sidearms.

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At Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on the evening of April 14, 1865, actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth snuck into the president's box and shot him in the back of the head. Although he was taken to a boardinghouse across from the theater, Lincoln never recovered consciousness and passed away early on April 15, 1865.Lincoln became a national martyr as a result of his murder. His casket departed Washington, D.C. on April 21 in order to travel by train to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be laid to rest on May 4. The funeral train for Abraham Lincoln passed through 180 cities and 7 states so that mourners may pay respects to the deceased leader. Today, on President's Day, which occurs on the third Monday of February, both the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are commemorated.