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A Civil War Timeline and History
|A short history of the American Civil War
The American civil war was fought in the United States
of America between the northern states, popularly referred
to as the "Union", and the seceding southern states (in
the U.S., The South), calling themselves the Confederate
States of America or the "Confederacy". There is considerable
debate about causes that may have motivated the states to
war, such as state's rights with respect to the federal
government, taxation, and imbalance of trade. But there
is no question that the salient issue in the minds of the
public and popular press of the time, and the histories
written since, was the issue of slavery. Slavery had been
abolished in most northern states, but was legal and important
to the economy of the Confederacy, which depended on cheap
The war is also known in the South as the War Between the
States or (now half-humorously) as the War of Northern Aggression.
More obscure or regional names were The War of Southern
Independence, The Second American Revolution, and the War
in Defence of Virginia. Northern sources after the War often
referred to it as the War of the Rebellion.
The states which seceded consisted of Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Several 'slave
states' did not secede: Delaware, Maryland, and Kentucky.
Although Kentucky did not secede, it declared itself neutral
in the conflict. Delaware and Maryland were garrisoned by
Union forces throughout the war to prevent their secession.
Missouri's government split, with a Unionist government
in the capitol and a secessionist government-in-exile run
from Camden, Arkansas and Marshall, Texas. The state of
West Virginia was created by the secession from Virginia
of its northwestern counties, and added to the Union in
The Union was led by President Abraham Lincoln and the Confederacy
by President Jefferson Davis.
It started with Lincoln's victory in the presidential election
of 1860, which made South Carolina's secession from the
Union a foregone conclusion. The state had long been waiting
for an event that would unite the South against the antislavery
forces. Once the election returns were certain, a special
South Carolina convention declared "that the Union now subsisting
between South Carolina and other states under the name of
the "United States of America' is hereby dissolved." By
February 1, 1861, six more Southern states had seceded.
On February 7, the seven states adopted a provisional constitution
for the Confederate States of America. The remaining southern
states as yet remained in the Union.
Less than a month later, on March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln
was sworn in as president of the United States. In his inaugural
address, he refused to recognize the secession, considering
it "legally void." His speech closed with a plea for restoration
of the bonds of union. But the South turned deaf ears, and
on April 12, guns opened fire on the federal troops stationed
at Fort Sumter in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor.
A near-immediate march by Union troops on the Confederate
capital of Richmond, Virginia, was halted in the battle
of First Bull Run, whereupon they were forced back to Washington,
DC by Confederate troops under the command of Generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston. Major General George McClellan took control of the Union Army of the Potomac
(he was briefly given supreme command of all the Union armies,
but was subsequently relieved of that post in favor of Maj.
Gen. Henry Halleck), and the war began in earnest in 1862.
McClellan reached the gates of Richmond in the spring of
1862, but when Lee defeated him in the Seven Days Campaign,
he was relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac. His
successor, John Pope, was beaten spectacularly by Lee at
Second Bull Run in August. Lincoln then restored McClellan,
who won a bloody, almost Pyhrric victory at the Battle of
Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862.
Lee's army, checked at last, returned to Virginia.
When McClellan failed to follow up on Antietam, he was replaced
by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Burnside suffered near-immediate
defeat at the Battle of Fredricksburg, and was replaced
by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. Hooker, too, proved unable to
defeat the enemy, and was relieved after the Battle of Chancellorsville
in May 1863. He was replaced by Maj. Gen. George Meade,
who again checked Lee on an invasion of Union-held territory
at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), inflicting
28,000 casualties on Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and
again forcing it to retreat to its namesake state.
While the Confederate forces had some success in the Eastern
theater holding on to their capital, fortune did not smile
upon them in the West. Confederate forces were driven from
Missouri early in the war, holding that key strategic state
for the Union. Nashville, Tennessee fell early in 1862.
The Mississippi was opened up to Vicksburg with the taking
of Island No. 10 and New Madrid, Missouri and then Memphis,
Tennessee. New Orleans was captured in January, 1862, allowing
the Union forces to begin moving up the Mississippi as well.
The Union's key stratgist and tactician was Ulysses S. Grant,
who won victories at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Mississippi,
and Chattanooga, Tennessee, driving Confederate forces out
of Tennessee. Grant understood the concept of total war
and realized, along with Lincoln, that only the utter defeat
of Confederate forces would bring an end to the war. At
the beginning of 1864, Grant was given control of all the
Union armies. He chose to make his headquarters with the
Army of the Potomac although Meade remained the actual commander
of that army. Union forces in the East faced stalemate at
the battle of the Wilderness and took large numbers of casualties
at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor but Grant was tenacious
and kept pressing the Army of Northern Virginia under the
command of Robert E. Lee. He slowly ground down the Confederate
armies; he laid siege to their forces in the siege of Petersburg
while General William Tecumseh Sherman marched on Atlanta
and laid waste to much of the rest of Georgia and parts
of South and North Carolina.
The war ended in 1865 with the surrender of Confederate
forces. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia on
9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court house. Joseph E Johnston,
who was in charge of the Army of Tennessee in in North Carolina,
surrendered his troops to Sherman shortly thereafter. The
last Conferdate land forces surrendered by June 1865. Confederate
naval units surrendered as late as November of 1865.
Major battles included First Bull Run, Second Bull Run,
Shiloh, The Seven Days, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg,
and the siege of Petersburg. A naval battle between the
USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia was the first battle in
history between steam-powered, iron-armored ships with shell-firing
guns. The Union's naval blockade of the Confederate coast
was one of the most ambitious of its kind up to that time,
and was the first major blockade under the Declaration of
Paris of 1856.
Significant Southern military leaders included Robert E Lee, Thomas Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, and P.G.T. Beauregard. Northern leaders included Ulysses Grant, William
Tecumseh Sherman, and George Meade.
This war ended with the emancipation of all slaves held
in the Confederate States. Slaves were not freed in the
remaining states until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment
to the Constitution by 3/4 of the states, which did not
occur until December of 1865, 8 months after the end of
the war. A great deal of ill-will among the Southern survivors
resulted from the total warfare practiced during the war
by the Union armies and the "reconstruction" program forced
on the former Confederacy by the Union victors.
|To learn more - use these online Internet resources
- Including over 72,500 Civil War links. Over 60,000
are categorized and cross-referenced in more than 120
Civil War - Includes flags, maps and timeline, casualties
of the civil war, battles and statistics, women in the
war, life stories and people search.
Civil War - Including general informational content.
- Emancipation Proclamation information.
Civil War - Wealth of information. Categorized links,
general resources, documentary records, and state and
local studies. Frequently updated. Maintained by Dr. George
H. Hoemann, University of Tennessee.
American Civil War - Biographical sketches of Civil
War characters, famous, infamous and the lesser known,
lists of names and unit histories and letters to and from
soldiers in the field.
Civil War Battlefield Images - Battlefield and re-enactment
- American Civil
War Home - The complete Civil War site - including
overviews of different aspects of the war, biographies,
battle summaries, and photographs among numerous other
- Army of the Cumberland
and GeorgeThomas Source - Information about the units,
commanders - George H. Thomas, William S. Rosecrans, Don
Carlos Buell, and Robert Anderson - and battles.
- Atlas of the
Official Records of the Civil War - Commercial atlas
was originally prepared in the 1890s as an adjunct to
official records. Electronic format allows you to digitally
zoom in and print from 175 full-color plates.
and Gray Trail - North Georgia saw over one hundred
thousand men die in less than a year at places whose names
are forever engraved in the minds of the American past:
Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and the hell hole. Nowhere
else in this war did so many men die in such a short period
- Bob Koch's Civil
War - Over 400 Civil War photographs, current and
19th Century, concerning the Army of Northern Virginia.
Also includes Civil War book reviews, and a message board.
- Camp Nelson
- This staging ground and supply center was also the largest
recruiting, mustering, and training center for African
American troops (called U.S. Colored Troops) in the Commonwealth
of Kentucky and one of the largest in the United States.
and Operations - An overview and pictorial guide of
the American Civil War.
- Carroll College
Institute for Civil War Studies - The collection of
the late W. Norman FitzGerald holding includes 1,700 books,
400 pamphlets and 75 maps in addition to letters and other
materials from noted Civil War authors.
- Civil War - A
presentation of information about the battles and soldiers,
in addition to a vast array of photographs and links.
- The Civil
War: A Student's Short Guide - A student's short summary
of the American Civil War: causes, biographies, battles,
and other information.
- Civil War
Archive - A collection of American Civil War regimental
histories, letters from home and diary excerpts.
Civil War As Photographed by Matthew Brady - Mathew
Brady and his associates, most notably Alexander Gardner,
George Barnard and Timothy O'Sullivan, photographed many
battlefields, camps, towns, and people touched by the
war. Their images depict the multiple aspects of the war
except one crucial element: battle.
- Civil War
Defenses of Washington, D.C. - A historical overview
of the fortifications that guarded Washington during the
Civil War and their current condition.
War Forum Frigate - Discussion forum and live chat
devoted to the United States Civil War.
War Heritage - Enthusiast's site about the Civil War.
- Civil War
in Miniature - Brief moments of trivia and quotes
regarding the War Between the States. (Editor's note:
Will try to load Music plug-in, but works without it.)
Civil War Index - A data base of Civil War battle
orders, biographies, books, chronology, documents, recipes,
songs, and links.
War Index Page - Categorized links, includes archives,
bibliographies, books and an especially useful "Gateways"
category. One of the most comprehensive list of Civil
War links. Frequently updated and maintained by Jim Janke,
Assoc. Prof., Dakota State University.
- Civil War Interactive
- This is an online Civil War information source, which
is updated daily with trivia, book reviews, recipes and
links to additional Civil War informative sites.
War Maps Collection - Maps pertaining to US Civil
War Medicine - Like all wars, there was sacrifice
and waste, courage and cowardice, brutality and humanity.
All of these things can be reflected in the medical side
of the War. Vastly unexplored by historians, the medical
aspects of this conflict are fascinating.
- National Museum of Civil War Medicine - The center for the study and interpretation of the medical history of the War Between the States
War Medicine - Start of War - At the beginning of
the Civil War, the U.S. Army had a medical corps consisting
of all of 98 surgeons and assistant surgeons. The Corps
had about 20 clinical thermometers, and didn't have a
"modern" microscope until 1863.
War Miniatures - Unique handmade miniature trunks
and room boxes with civil war themes. A wonderful gift
or addition to your collection.
- Civil War Music
Site - A source for civil war songs, fife and drum
music, bugle calls, MIDIs, forum, and photographs.
War Nurses - The nurses and the medical departments
on both sides of the Civil War played an important part
in the life of injured soldiers. This page covers the
role of nurses in the war, including essays, photographs,
letters, and more.
War Photographs - 1,118 photographs from the Library
of Congress. A searchable and browsable database.
War Regimental Histories Index, Union - Directory
to regimental histories of the Union states, including
history, genealogy, personal narratives and muster rolls.
- Civil War
Series - On-line American Civil War resources at The
War Times Journal. Includes rare archives, links and books.
War Slang - Civil War Slang for all "fresh fish" or
"top rail skunks."
- Civil War Traveler
- Travel information for Civil War sites and events in
Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington
- Civil War Trust
- This private, non-profit membership organization is
working toward the preservation of the most historic Civil
War battlefield sites.
War Victorian - This is a site based mainly on the
home-front of the American Civil War. It contains useful
information for women and men who participate in Living
War Women - Archival Exhibits at Duke University -
In response to the many requests, we have begun to transcribe
and scan some of our manuscript collections which document
women's experiences in the Civil War.
- Civil War guide featuring information on Civil War museums
and reenactments, Abraham Lincoln, other war leaders and
generals, documents, historic sites and books.
- CJ's Civil
War - A complete overlook of the War; including maps,
indexes, statistics, flags, lists of battles, and photo
gallery. Dedicated to the 13th W. Virginia.
at Fort Sumter - In this delicate and potentially
explosive situation, Lincoln may well have wondered at
times whether it would have been better had the Buchanan
administration abandoned Sumter and Pickens. By retaining
the forts, Buchanan had, in effect, left him with a highly
visible, emotional, symbolic point of contention with
Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil - The
mission of the center is to promote scholarly research
war through the development of a database that contains
pertinent military, socio-economic and medical data on
Union and Confederate servicemen, with initial emphasis
on West Virginia's soldiers.
American History - The outline that follows is fairly
extensive, covering the Civil War's major political and
military events, but it is neither exhaustive nor finished.
- Guy Art Gallery
- Civil War pen and ink drawings of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Manassas and Antietam National Battlefield historical
Natural History: Insects and the Civil War - The fact
that microbes caused more death than hostile fire is well
known to the student of the American Civil War. This account
reveals the influence of insects on soldiering during
the Civil War.
Information Center - The story of Adams County, from
the days of Indian raids to the development plans of today,
spreads over two centuries. But our area is best known
for just three days of that time, July 1th, 2nd and 3rd,
1863 - the Battle of Gettysburg.
History Place - An easy-to-use American Civil War
timeline with many original photographs and interesting
of the Civil War - Images from the Civil War National
Archives alphabetically arranged by subject.
- Insiders' Guide
to Civil War Sites in the Eastern Theatre - History
and travel guide offering practical information for touring
Civil War sites in the Eastern Theater, from battlegrounds
to local history, accommodation and restaurants.
Stories of Civil War Heroes - Biographies of the lives
of a few of the noble and brave are presented here, along
with sources that may be of interest for more in-depth
study. Tributes to the common soldier, valiant unsung
heroes and veterans are also included Ñ "that they will
not be forgotten."
of National Historic and Military Parks, Memorials and
Battlefields - It is the objective of the University
of Texas library to collect scholarly digital materials
in order to provide a broad access to articles, monographs
and large databases.
Line Civil War Home Page - From authentic 19th century
recipes, to medicine, well-researched period clothing
and little-known Civil War facts, this web-site captures
real life on the home and war-front.
Civil War - Links about the American Civil War.
- The U. S. Civil War Center
- The United States Civil War Center was created in 1993 by novelist David Madden. Promotes the study of the Civil War from the perspectives of all professions, occupations and academic disciplines. Locates, indexes, and makes available all appropriate private and public data on the Internet regarding the Civil War.
Park Service Civil War Related Sites - The National
Park Service is developing a Civil War Soldiers and Sailors
System (CWSS) of over 5.5 million records for use in civil
war parks. Currently contains a partial list of National
Park Service (NPS) sites representing Civil War history.
- Pamplin Historical
Park - From August 1864 through April 1865, the blue
and gray fought a number of bitter and bloody engagements,
the Federals trying to isolate Petersburg from its supply
routes and the Confederates desperately defending their
lifelines to the outside world.
Comfort - These pages include an extensive collection
of essays, articles, photographs and additional historical
documents pertaining to the Civil War. Also contains an
online catalog for Civil War currency, Bonds and period
Storm of Shot and Shell - The battlefield changed
dramatically as a result of the accuracy at long distances
produced by the rifled musket. No longer could armies
march shoulder to shoulder to within a very short distance
of their enemy. The rapid advance of technology made the
military tactics of Napoleon obsolete. It was no longer
considered cowardly to hide and shoot from a position
of cover, such as a tree.
and Documents: The American Civil War - Hanover College's
page with links to primary and secondary Civil War sources.
- This Week in the
Civil War - A weekly updated day by day account of
the American Civil War.
Line of The Civil War - 1861 - Time line of War Between
United States Civil War - This site has information
on the U.S. Civil War and the people in it, as well as
some of the battles fought.
Civil War - Information includes documents, battle
accounts, timelines, original photographs and the officers.
- U.S. Civil War Center
-Louisiana State University. - The goal is to locate,
index, and/or make available all appropriate private and
public data regarding the Civil War. Contains links to
over 4500 Civil War related sites.
Civil War: Internet Modern History Sourcebook - This
is a series of history primary on-line resources intended
to serve the needs of teachers and students in college
survey courses in American history.
of the Shadow - Living the Civil War in Pennsylvania
and Virginia. This project interweaves the histories of
two communities on either side of the Mason-Dixon line
during the era.
Valley of the Shadow, Two Communities in the American
Civil War - Hypermedia archive of thousands of sources
for the Civil War period and follows two communities through
the American Civil War, one in Virginia and the other
In on the Civil War - Explore the battle of Gettysburg.
Includes an essay, "Origins of the Civil War Conflict,"
a searchable map, a newspaper article on Southern attitudes
towards the end of the Civil War and additional resources.
- Usenet soc.history.war.us-civil-war - news:
- Usenet alt.war.civil.usa - news:
for "Civil War" on