What: “The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important avenue for the invasion of the South. The Union's success also elevated Brig.” -Wik

When: Feb 11, 1862 – Feb 16, 1862

Length: 5 days

Winner: Union (US Army)

Where: Fort Donelson, Tennessee, Stewart County

Why Significant:  “Victory at Fort Donelson forced the Confederacy to give up southern Kentucky and much of Middle and West Tennessee. These gave access to rivers, railroads and supply lines that were vital to the Federals. Making Nashville a huge supply depot for the Union army in the western parts.”

What: “President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -Wik

When: January 1st 1863

Where:” It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Union control.” -Link

Why Significant: “The Emancipation Proclamation was the necessary legislation that gave slaves their opportunity to free life in the United States.  It was the proclamation that President Abraham Lincoln made that really was about, “freeing slaves”. “

 

What: “Union troops repelled a massive artillery assault on Cemetery Ridge during the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania. During the early morning hours Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered General Longstreet to prepare General Pickett's troops for the assault.”-Link

When: July 1st-3rd 1863

Where:  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Why Significant: “Gettysburg ended Confederate general Robert E. Lee's ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation.”-Link

What: “On August 28, 1864, Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman lays siege to Atlanta, Georgia, a critical Confederate hub, shelling civilians and cutting off supply lines. The Confederates retreated, destroying the city's munitions as they went.”-Link

When: July 22nd, 1864

Where: Atlanta Georgia United States

Why Significant: “Atlanta was a critical city in the South – transportation hub, industrial center, and warehouse for food, ammunition, supplies, uniforms, and other military material crucial to Confederate Armies.”-Link

What: On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states (three-fourths) ratified it by December 6, 1865. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."-Link

When: January 31st, 1865

Where: The Union, Applies to all states now. 

Why Significant: “With the adoption of the 13th Amendment, the United States found a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery. The 13th Amendment, along with the 14th and 15th, is one of the trio of Civil War amendments that greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans.”-Link

What:  “Trapped by the Federals near Appomattox Court House, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union general Ulysses S. Grant.”- Link

When:  Apr 9, 1865

Where: Appomattox County, VA

Why Significant: “Precipitating the capitulation of other Confederate forces and leading to the end of the bloodiest conflict in American history.”-Link

What: On, “Secretary of State William Seward announced to the world that the United States had constitutionally abolished slavery — the 13th Amendment had been ratified.”-Link

When: December 18, 1865

Where: “Having been ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states (27 of the 36 states, including those that had been in rebellion), Secretary of State Seward, on December 18, 1865, certified that the Thirteenth Amendment had become valid, to all intents and purposes, as a part of the Constitution.”-Link

Why Significant: Finally Slavery had been abolished completely in the United States. (Constitutionally wise)

Which battle of the civil war was the bloodiest?

Why was Abraham Lincoln such an important person during the civil war, and what happened following his assassination?