The Civil War: A Timeline of Key Events

The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and was a conflict between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy) over issues such as slavery, states' rights, and the future of the nation. Below is a detailed timeline of key events that shaped the course of the war. Read through the timeline and learn how these events influenced the outcome of the conflict.

1. The Civil War Begins: Attack on Fort Sumter

  • Date: April 12, 1861

  • Location: Charleston, South Carolina

The first shots of the Civil War were fired when Confederate forces attacked the Union garrison at Fort Sumter, a federal fort located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This event marked the beginning of the war. President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to fight, and the South responded by seizing federal properties in their states. The attack on Fort Sumter united the Northern states in defense of the Union, while the Southern states rallied behind their cause for independence.

2. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

  • Date: July 21, 1861

  • Location: Virginia

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, was the first major land battle of the Civil War. The Union Army, under General Irvin McDowell, clashed with Confederate forces led by General Pierre G. T. Beauregard and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The Confederates won the battle, shattering the Union’s hope for a quick victory. The battle revealed that both sides needed to prepare for a long, difficult conflict.

3. Battle of Antietam

  • Date: September 17, 1862

  • Location: Sharpsburg, Maryland

The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War, with over 22,000 soldiers killed or wounded. General Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Army in an attempt to invade the North, but his forces were stopped by Union General George McClellan. While the battle was tactically inconclusive, the Union Army’s ability to stop the Confederate invasion gave President Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

4. Emancipation Proclamation

  • Date: September 22, 1862 (effective January 1, 1863)

Following the Union’s victory at Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate-controlled territories were free. Although the proclamation did not immediately end slavery, it shifted the focus of the war to include the fight for freedom and allowed African Americans to join the Union Army. This action helped strengthen the Union’s moral cause and discouraged foreign intervention on behalf of the Confederacy.

5. Battle of Gettysburg

  • Date: July 1–3, 1863

  • Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War. General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia invaded the North for a second time, hoping to deliver a decisive blow to the Union. However, Union forces, led by General George Meade, successfully repelled the Confederate attack. The battle resulted in over 50,000 casualties and ended Lee’s hopes of winning the war on Northern soil. The Confederate army retreated, and the Union Army gained a crucial victory.

6. Siege of Vicksburg

  • Date: May 18 – July 4, 1863

  • Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi

The Siege of Vicksburg was a key Union victory that gave the North control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two. General Ulysses S. Grant led Union forces in a months-long siege of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Confederate defenders, under General John C. Pemberton, were forced to surrender after being surrounded and starved. This victory gave the Union control of a crucial supply route and was a significant step toward the eventual defeat of the Confederacy.

7. Grant Appointed General-in-Chief of the Union Army

  • Date: March 9, 1864

President Lincoln appointed General Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of all Union armies in March 1864. Grant had proven himself as a capable leader, particularly during the Siege of Vicksburg, and Lincoln trusted him to lead the Union to victory. Grant's strategy was aggressive and relentless—he believed in constantly applying pressure to the Confederate forces, even at the cost of heavy casualties. Under his leadership, the Union Army began to make significant strides toward victory.

8. Battle of Atlanta

  • Date: July 22, 1864

  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia

The Battle of Atlanta was a crucial Union victory that helped ensure President Lincoln's re-election. Union General William Tecumseh Sherman captured the Confederate city of Atlanta, a vital railroad and industrial hub. The fall of Atlanta was a major blow to the Confederate war effort and boosted Northern morale. Sherman’s victory also paved the way for his infamous March to the Sea through Georgia, where he destroyed Confederate infrastructure in a bid to break the South’s will to fight.

9. Sherman’s March to the Sea

  • Date: November 15 – December 21, 1864

  • Location: From Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia

After capturing Atlanta, General Sherman embarked on his March to the Sea, a devastating campaign through Georgia. His army destroyed railroads, crops, and civilian property, effectively crippling the Confederate economy and weakening the Southern war effort. Sherman’s march is often seen as an example of total war, as it targeted not just Confederate armies but also the resources that supported them. The march concluded with the capture of Savannah, Georgia, in December 1864.

10. Fall of Richmond

  • Date: April 3, 1865

  • Location: Richmond, Virginia

In April 1865, Union forces, under the command of General Grant, captured the Confederate capital of Richmond after a prolonged siege. The fall of Richmond marked a turning point in the war, as it symbolized the collapse of the Confederate government and its military forces. Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his government fled the city, and the Union Army took control of the South’s heart.

11. Surrender at Appomattox Court House

  • Date: April 9, 1865

  • Location: Appomattox Court House, Virginia

After months of retreat and dwindling supplies, General Lee was surrounded by Grant’s forces at Appomattox Court House. With no other option, Lee formally surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865. Grant’s terms of surrender were generous—Confederate soldiers were allowed to return home with their horses and personal belongings, and they would not be prosecuted for treason. Lee’s surrender marked the official end of the Civil War, although skirmishes continued in some areas for a few weeks.

12. Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

  • Date: April 14, 1865

  • Location: Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Just days after the surrender at Appomattox, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died the following morning, leaving the nation in shock. His assassination deeply affected the North and complicated the process of rebuilding the country after the war. Vice President Andrew Johnson succeeded Lincoln as president.