The election of 1860 was split four ways. A split in the Democratic party counted for two candidates, Stephen A. Douglas for the northern Democrats, and Vice President John C. Breckenridge for the southern Democrats. The remnants of the Whig party who did not become Republicans joined together with the American, or "Know Nothing" Party, to form the Constitutional Union Party, and nominated John Bell for their candidate. Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate. Lincoln won the election with barely forty percent of the popular vote. His election triggered the secession of South Carolina. Soon after, six other states seceded from the Union and joined South Carolina in forming a provisional government, the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as its president.
Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln became the sixteenth President of the United States on March 4, 1861. In his inaugural address Lincoln declared that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it already existed. He went on to say that he wanted to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis, but would fight if necessary to defend the Union.
Attack on Fort Sumter, Civil War Begins
Though most federal property in the South had been seized by Confederate forces with the declaration of secession, two major federal forts, Fort Sumtner in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Florida, still remained in Union hands. In April 1861 President Lincoln dispatched a naval expedition to bring reinforcements to the federal troops occupying Fort Sumter. On April 12, 1861, before the Union ships could reach Fort Sumter rebel forces attacked the fort, forcing the federal troops inside to surrender. President Lincoln responded by raising a force of 75,000 volunteers to squash the rebellion. Four more states (Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee) seceded in protest of the President's plan to use force against the rebel states. The Civil War was underway.
Battle of Bull Run
On July 21, 1861, 30,000 Union troops under General Irvin McDowell attacked an equal sized Confederate force under the leadership of Pierre G.T. Beauregard at Mansas Junction, Virginia (Mansas Junction is located on a branch of the Potomac named Bull Run). The Union troops were very close to victory when the tide of battle was changed by the arrival of Confederate reinforcements under Thomas J. Jackson. The Confederate forces successfully repelled the Union attack, but did not chase fleeing soldiers into nearby Washington. Jackson's ability to hold his ground against the Union forces during the battle earned him the nickname "Stonewall".
Battle of Shiloh
Beginning from a base at Cairo, Illinois, General Ulysses S. Grant marched the western army through Tennessee, capturing Forts Henry and Donnaldson in his progress towards the railroad junction at Corinth, Mississippi. On April 6, 1862, Grant's forces were encamped at Pittsburgh Landing , using a small church named Shiloh for a headquarters while awaiting reinforcements, when they were attacked by 40,000 Confederates lead by Albert Sidney Johnston. Though Union forces were successful in repelling the Confederate attack, Grant's failure to pursue the fleeing Confederate army into Corinth made him the subject of extensive criticism in Unionist circles.
New Orleans Captured
On April 25, 1862 naval forces under the leadership of Captain David G. Farragut captured New Orleans.
Monitor v. Merrimack
On March 9, 1862 the two ironclad vessels, the USS Monitor and the Confederate Merrimack (renamed the CSS Virginia) met at the mouth of the James River in Virginia. The battle, which was the first in history between armored warships, was won by the Monitor.
Battle of Seven Pines, Johnston Replaced by Lee
As General McClellan advanced his troops slowly on Richmond he was met by Confederate forces lead by General Joseph E. Johnston near the Chickahominy River. The Battle of Seven Pines, which resulted in an indecisive victory for the Confederacy, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862. General Johnston was wounded in the battle, and was unable to continue to serve as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. His replacement was General Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Seven Days
After the Battle of Seven Pines McClellan retreated back down the James River. Confederate forces lead by General Lee pursued and the two armies met again at Ashland, Virginia. McClellan's forces fell back to Harrison's Landing along the James River and set up a new base. The battle lasted from June 25 to July 1, 1862. After the Union defeat in Battle of Seven Days President Lincoln placed General McClellan under the supervision of General Henry W. Halleck. Halleck canceled McClellan's campaign on Richmond and ordered him to return to Washington.
Shenandoah Valley Campaign
From March to June 1862 General "Stonewall" Jackson was engaged in a diversionary campaign in the Shenandoah Valley immediately west of Richmond and Washington. Jackson was successful in defeating numerous small Union battalions scattered around the Valley, and capturing large amounts of provisions, munitions, and equipment.
Second Battle of Bull Run
After regrouping from the defeat at the Battle of Seven Days, McClellan's forces were to join those of General John Pope which were assembling at Manasas, Virginia, where the first Battle of Bull Run had taken place. Before McClellan's troops could reach Manasas, however, Popes' forces were attacked on one side by Confederate forces lead by General Jackson, and on the other by Confederate forces lead by General Lee The Second Battle of Bull Run, which took place on August 29 and 30, 1862, was a clear victory for the Confederacy.
Battle of Antietam, McClellan Replaced by Burnside
In September of 1862 Confederate forces under General Lee pushed northward into Maryland. On September 17 Lee's forces crossed the Potomac and encountered Union forces under General McClellan at Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. McClellan's forces successfully repelled the invasion, but did not take advantage of the over extension and bad positioning of Lee's army. Instead McClellan held his fire and let Lee's forces escape back over the Potomac to regroup. Dismayed over the General's cautious military tactics, President Lincoln dismissed McClellan from his command and replaced him with General Ambrose E. Burnside.
Battle of Fredericksburg, Burnside Replaced by Hooker
On December 13, 1862 General Burnside lead an attack on General Lee's forces at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Despite the Union army's superior size, they were badly defeated. After Fredericksburg General Burnside was replaced as commander of the Union Army of the Potomac by General "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
Battle of Chancellorsville, Hooker Replaced by Meade, General Jackson Dies
On May 1, 1863 Union forces under General Hooker met Confederate forces under General Jackson at Chancelorsville, Virginia. The battle, which lasted four days, was a Confederate Victory. General "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally shot in the battle by his own troops. He died a few days later. As a result of the defeat at Chancelorsville General Hooker was replaced by General George G. Meade.
Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg Address
On July 1, 1863 Union forces under the command of General Meade encountered Confederate forces under the command of General Lee and General George E. Pickett at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was a turning point of the war in the Union's favor. The victory, however, had come at a great cost to both sides. President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was delivered on November 19, 1863 during the dedication ceremony of the Gettysburg Field war cemetery.
Battle of Vicksburg
On July 4, 1863, after six weeks of fighting, Confederate forces under the command of General John C. Pemberton surrendered the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Union Forces under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. With the capture of Vicksburg Union forces gained control of the Mississippi river and split the Confederacy in half. In the wake of Vicksburg General Grant was named general-in-chief of the Union Army.
Battle of the Wilderness
In May of 1864 General Grant marched his Army of the Potomac into the Wilderness area south of the Rappahannock River. Grant's forces encountered those of General Lee on May 5. Fighting lasted two days, during which time Union forces suffered 18,000 casualties. Though Grant lost far more men than Lee he did not retreat, but instead pursued Lee as he moved his men southward.
Atlanta Captured
On September 2, 1864 Union forces under General William Tecumseh Sherman captured the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
Sherman's "March to the Sea", Savannah Captured
On December 21, 1864 General Sherman ended his "March to the Sea" with the capture of Sevanah, Georgia. Sherman's March began in September of 1864 when his forces left the captured city of Atlanta and began to move east through Georgia, leaving a 60 mile wide trail of destruction in their wake. From Savannah Sherman marched his army into South Carolina and proceeded north towards Virginia.
Election of 1864
President Lincoln secured the nomination of the Republican party with little effort in 1864; his re-election, however, was by no means an easy one. Lincoln ran against the Democrat candidate, George B. McClellan, a former general of the Union forces whom Lincoln had replaced in 1862 for being too cautious. The recent battles in Virginia had proved extremely costly for the Union, it appeared that the tide of the war was turning in favor of the Confederacy, and Lincoln's popularity was turning with it. But in September of 1864, when Union General William T. Sherman took the city of Atlanta, resident Lincoln regained the support of the people and won the election of 1864 by a landslide.
Legislation
Congress Called to Ratify President's Steps Towards War
For three months after the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln refused to call Congress to session. During that time he doubled the size of the Union forces, set up a blockade of southern trade, suspended the writ of habeus corpus, and spent federal funds, all without the approval of Congress. Congress finally met on July 4, 1861 and ratified most of President Lincoln's steps towards war.
First Income Tax Law Passed
In August of 1861 Congress passed the first income tax bill which levied a three percent tax on incomes over $800 a year. The bill was instituted to help the federal government pay the cost of the war.
Homestead Act of 1862
Congress passed the Homestead Act in 1862. The Homestead Act provided 160 acres of land to any person willing to farm the land for five years.
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
The Morrill Land Grant Act provided states with land for agricultural universities. .
Pacific Railway Act of 1862
The Pacific Railway Act provided grants of land and money for the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
West Virginia Admitted to the Union
After Union forces under General George B. McClellan cleared the western counties of Virginia of Confederate forces, western Virginia began to organize itself as an independent state. West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union in 1863.
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the rebelling states. So that the document would have some kind of credibility, he waited until after a major Union victory to issue it. The Union victory at the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862 provided the credibility that Lincoln sought. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863.
Conscription Act of 1863
The first conscription act was passed by Congress in March of 1863. The draft pertained to all males between the ages of 20 and 45, though it did allow for men to hire a substitute or to purchase exemption for $300. The passage of the act touched off a number of anti-draft riots around the country.
Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United States, was passed in January of 1865.
1865-1865 Second Term
(Assassinated, d.1865)
Events
Inauguration
In his second inaugural address delivered on March 4, 1865, President Lincoln promised to negotiate a peace "with malice towards none, and charity for all." Instead of punishing the soon to be returning members of the Confederacy, Lincoln declared his intention to pursue a swift and lenient course towards reconstruction.
Petersburg Captured
In June 1864 Confederate forces under General Lee dug in at the city of Petersburg, Virginia. Confederate forces were driven back in April 1865, and Petersburg fell into Union hands.
Lee Surrenders at Appomattox Court House, Virginia
On April 9, 1865 General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, ending the Civil War.
Assassination
On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln was at the Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., watching a production of "Our American Cousin," when he was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and southern loyalist. President Lincoln was carried to a house across the street from the theater, where he was treated by a doctor. President Abraham Lincoln died on the morning of April 15, 1865.
