John Brown's Raid, 1859
Robert E. Lee, commander of the U.S.
forces that responded to the attack, describes John Brown's
attempt to capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Va.
Brown Defends His Raid, 1859
"You are guilty of a great wrong against God and humanity." Facing execution, abolitionist John Brown describes the motivation for his attempt to free the slaves.
Fort Sumter, the First Shot of the Civil War, 1861
The majority of Southern leaders did
not believe that their secession from the Union would lead
to war - Fort Sumter proved them wrong.
Views of President Lincoln, 1861
Revered today as one of America's greatest
presidents, this perspective of Lincoln was not widely held
in 1861. Read some contemporary views of America's 16th president.
An Early Casualty of the Civil War, 1861 •
"He fell forward on the floor of the hall and expired instantly, only exclaiming 'My God.' " A close friend of President Lincoln becomes one of the first casualties of America's bloodiest conflict as he loses life within sight of the White House.
First Battle of Bull Run, 1861
The first major battle of the Civil
War took place 20 miles from Washington. Union supporters
thought it would be a cake-walk - it wasn't.
Battle Of the Ironclads, 1862
The Monitor and the Merrimac square
off and make naval history. Experience the battle from inside
the Monitor's gun turret.
Battle Of Shiloh, 1862 •
The first major slaughter of the American
Father and son meet on the battlefield.
Carnage at Antietam, 1862
The bloodiest day of combat in American
President Lincoln Signs the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
"His signature was attached to one
the greatest and most beneficent military decrees of history
in the presence of less than a dozen people."
William Quantrill Raids Lawrence, Kansas, 1863
"The troops then dashed back up into the town, down the main street, shooting at every blue coat that came in sight.." A Confederate raiding party that includes future Western outlaws Jessie James and Cole Younger sacks a pro-Union town in Kansas.
Bread Riot in Richmond, 1863
"Something very sad has just happened in Richmond..." Shortages on the Confederate home front lead to violence.
Battle Of Gettysburg
memories of a 15-year-old girl as she watches Union and Confederate
troops clash in her home town.
Pickett's Charge, 1863
"General, shall I advance"” Often referred to as the South’s "High Water Mark" during the Civil War, the unsuccessful Confederate attack on Union lines during the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg was absolute carnage.
Lee's Retreat from Gettysburg, 1863
The agonizing escape of the Confederate
Army across the Potomac River.
Gettysburg Address, 1863
"It is a flat failure..." Lincoln
remarked after the audience's lack of reaction to his speech
Sherman's March to the Sea, 1864: a Southerner's Perspective
"Oh God, the time of trial has come." A
Southern woman describes the scene as her plantation is overrun
by Sherman's March to the Sea.
Lincoln Enters Richmond, 1865
President Lincoln tours the Confederate
capital after its capture.
Grant and Lee meet to end the Civil
President Lincoln is Shot, 1865
"I heard the discharge of a pistol behind me." An eyewitness sitting with the President at Ford's Theater describes his assassination.
Death of Abraham Lincoln, 1865
"The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed." The 16th President "joins the ages."
Death Of John Wilkes Booth
Lincoln's assassin is trapped and
shot in a burning barn in Virginia.
Civil War Ends
A young girl's diary reveals the impact
of the end of the Civil War and Lincoln's death on a small
South in Defeat, 1865
"We still remain in doubt as to the emancipation policy." A Georgia plantation owner's diary provides insight into life in the South immediately following the defeat of the Confederacy.