Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page
Search the Web

The Civil War Timeline

 

 

            December 18,1860 -- The Crittenden Compromise

 

            January 1861 -- The South Secedes.

            When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected

            president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat.

            Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state

            of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of

            America. The Secession of South Carolina was followed by the

            secession of six more states -- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,

            Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of Secession by four

            more -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These

            eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America.

            Ordinances of Secession

            January 7 - Speech of Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris

            January 9 - Mississippi seceded from the Union.

            January 10 - Florida seceded from the Union.

            January 11 Alabama seceded from the Union. Speech of E.S. Dargan

            January 19 Georgia seceded from the Union.

            January 26 Louisiana seceded from the Union.

            January 29 Kansas admitted to the Union.

            February 1 Texas seceded from the Union.

 

            February 1861-- The South Creates a Government.

            At a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, the seven seceding states

            created the Confederate Constitution, a document similar to the

            United States Constitution, but with greater stress on the autonomy

            of each state. Jefferson Davis was named provisional president of

            the Confederacy until elections could be held.

            February 1861-- The South Seizes Federal Forts.

            When President Buchanan -- Lincoln's predecessor -- refused to

            surrender southern federal forts to the seceding states, southern

            state troops seized them. At Fort Sumter, South Carolina troops

            repulsed a supply ship trying to reach federal forces based in the

            fort. The ship was forced to return to New York, its supplies

            undelivered.

            March 4 1861-- Lincoln's Inauguration.

            At Lincoln's inauguration the new president said he had no plans to

            end slavery in those states where it already existed, but he also

            said he would not accept secession. He hoped to resolve the national

            crisis without warfare.

            March 9 - Address of George Williamson to the Texas Secession

            Convention

            March 11 1861-- Confederate Constitution.

            April 1861 -- Attack on Fort Sumter.

            When President Lincoln planned to send supplies to Fort Sumter, he

            alerted the state in advance, in an attempt to avoid hostilities.

            South Carolina, however, feared a trick. On April 10, 1861, Brig.

            Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at

            Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union

            garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

            The Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate

            batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply

            effectively. At 2:30 p.m., April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort

            Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day.

            The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the

            American Civil War. Although there were no casualties during the

            bombardment, one Union artillerist was killed and three wounded (one

            mortally) when a cannon exploded prematurely when firing a salute

            during the evacuation.

            From 1863 to 1865, the Confederates at Fort Sumter withstood a 22

            month siege by Union forces. During this time, most of the fort was

            reduced to brick rubble. Fort Sumter became a national monument in

            1948.

            April 17 Virginia seceded from the Union.

            April 25 Second Message of Isham Harris to the Tennessee Assembly

            April 1861-- Four More States Join the Confederacy.

            The attack on Fort Sumter prompted four more states to join the

            Confederacy. With Virginia's secession, Richmond was named the

            Confederate capitol.

            May 6 Arkansas seceded from the Union.

            May 18-19, 1861 Sewell's Point

            May 20 North Carolina seceded from the Union.

            May 29-June 1, 1861 Aquia Creek

            June 1861-- West Virginia Is Born.

            Residents of the western counties of Virginia did not wish to secede

            along with the rest of the state. This section of Virginia was

            admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20,

            1863.

            June 1861-- Four Slave States Stay in the Union.

            Despite their acceptance of slavery, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland,

            and Missouri did not join the Confederacy. Although divided in their

            loyalties, a combination of political maneuvering and Union military

            pressure kept these states from seceding.

            June 3, 1861 Philippi / Philippi Races

            June 10, 1861 Big Bethel / Bethel Church

            June 17, 1861 Boonville

            July 2, 1861 Hoke's Run / Falling Waters / Hainesville

            July 5, 1861 Carthage

            July 11, 1861 Rich Mountain

            July 18, 1861 Bull Run / Blackburn's Ford

            July 21, 1861 First Manassas / First Bull Run

 

            July -- First Battle of Bull Run.

            Public demand pushed General-in-Chief Winfield Scott to advance on

            the South before adequately training his untried troops. Scott

            ordered General Irvin McDowell to advance on Confederate troops

            stationed at Manassas Junction, Virginia. McDowell attacked on July

            21, and was initially successful, but the introduction of

            Confederate reinforcements resulted in a Southern victory and a

            chaotic retreat toward Washington by federal troops.

            July 1861-- General McDowell Is Replaced.

            Suddenly aware of the threat of a protracted war and the army's need

            for organization and training, Lincoln replaced McDowell with

            General George B. McClellan.

            July - November -- A Blockade of the South.

            To blockade the coast of the Confederacy effectively, the federal

            navy had to be improved. By July, the effort at improvement had made

            a difference and an effective blockade had begun. The South

            responded by building small, fast ships that could outmaneuver Union

            vessels. On November 7, 1861, Captain Samuel F. Dupont's warships

            silenced Confederate guns in Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard. This

            victory enabled General Thomas W. Sherman's troops to occupy first

            Port Royal and then all the famous Sea Islands of South Carolina.

            August 10, 1861 Wilson's Creek / Oak Hills

 

            August 21 -- Confederate Assignments

            Brig General Roswell S. Ripley CS Army Assigned to command of the

            Dept. South Carolina

            Brig General John B. Grayson CS Army assigned to command of Dept of

            Middle and East Florida

            August 26, 1861 Kessler's Cross Lanes

            August 28-29, 1861 Hatteras Inlet Batteries / Fort Clark / Fort

            Hatteras

            September 2, 1861 Dry Wood Creek / Battle of the Mules

            September 10, 1861 Carnifex Ferry

            September 12-15 1861 Cheat Mountain Summit

            September 13-20, 1861 Lexington / Battle of the Hemp Bales

            September 17, 1861 Liberty / Blue Mills Landing

            September 19, 1861 Barbourville

 

            October 3, 1861 Greenbrier River / Camp Bartow

            October 9, 1861 Santa Rosa Island

            October 21, 1861 Camp Wildcat / Wildcat Mountain

            October 21, 1861 Fredericktown

            October 21, 1861 Ball's Bluff / Leesburg

            October 25, 1861 Springfield / Zagonyi's Charge

 

            October 29 -- Sherman Moves

            The Sherman Expedition sails from Hampton Roads Virginia

            November 7, 1861 Belmont

            November 8-9, 1861 Ivy Mountain / Ivy Creek / Ivy Narrows

            November 19, 1861 Round Mountain

            December 9, 1861 Chusto-Talasah / Caving Banks

            December 13, 1861 Camp Allegheny / Allegheny Mountain

            December 20, 1861 Dranesville

            December 26, 1861 Chustenahlah

            December 17, 1861 Rowlett's Station / Woodsonville / Green River

            December 28, 1861 Mount Zion Church

 

            January 1863 -- Emancipation Proclamation.

            In an effort to placate the slave-holding border states, Lincoln

            resisted the demands of radical Republicans for complete abolition.

            Yet some Union generals, such as General B. F. Butler, declared

            slaves escaping to their lines "contraband of war," not to be

            returned to their masters. Other generals decreed that the slaves of

            men rebelling against the Union were to be considered free.

            Congress, too, had been moving toward abolition. In 1861, Congress

            had passed an act stating that all slaves employed against the Union

            were to be considered free. In 1862, another act stated that all

            slaves of men who supported the Confederacy were to be considered

            free. Lincoln, aware of the public's growing support of abolition,

            issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring

            that all slaves in areas still in rebellion were, in the eyes of the

            federal government, free.

            January 1

            Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, who became the Confederate commander of

            military forces in Texas on November 29, 1862, gave the recapture of

            Galveston top priority. At 3:00 am on New Year's Day, 1863, four

            Confederate gunboats appeared, coming down the bay toward Galveston.

            Soon afterward, the Rebels commenced a land attack. The Union forces

            in Galveston were three companies of the 42nd Massachusetts

            Volunteer Infantry Regiment under the command of Col. Isaac S.

            Burrell. The Confederates captured or killed all of them except for

            the regiment's adjutant. They also took Harriet Lane, by boarding

            her, and two barks and a schooner. Cdr. W.B. Renshaw's flagship,

            U.S.S. Westfield, ran aground when trying to help Harriet Lane and,

            at 10:00 am, she was blown up to prevent her capture by the

            Confederates. Galveston was in Confederate hands again although the

            Union blockade would limit commerce in and out of the harbor.

            Galveston. Soon afterward, the Rebels commenced a land attack.

            January 1, 1863 Galveston

            January 8, 1863 Springfield

            January 9-11, 1863 Hartville

            January 9-11, 1863 Arkansas Post / Fort Hindman

            January 29, 1863 Bear River / Massacre at Boa Ogoi

 

            February 3, 1863 Dover / Fort Donelson

 

            March 1863 -- The First Conscription Act.

            Because of recruiting difficulties, an act was passed making all men

            between the ages of 20 and 45 liable to be called for military

            service. Service could be avoided by paying a fee or finding a

            substitute. The act was seen as unfair to the poor, and riots in

            working-class sections of New York City broke out in protest. A

            similar conscription act in the South provoked a similar reaction.

            March 3, 1863 Fort McAllister I

            March 5, 1863 Thompson's Station

            March 13-15, 1863 Fort Anderson / Deep Gully

            March 17, 1863 Kelly's Ford / Kellysville

            March 20, 1863 Vaught's Hill / Milton

            March 25, 1863 Brentwood

            March 30-April 20, 1863 Washington

 

            April -- Charleston Harbor

            Maj. Gen. David Hunter prepared his land forces on Folly, Cole's,

            and North Edisto Islands to cooperate with a naval bombardment of

            Fort Sumter. On April 7, the South Atlantic Squadron under Rear

            Admiral S.F. Du Pont bombarded Fort Sumter, having little impact on

            the Confederate defenses of Charleston Harbor. Although several of

            Hunter's units had embarked on transports, the infantry were not

            landed, and the joint operation was abandoned.

            The ironclad warships Keokuk, Weehawken, Passaic, Montauk, Patapsco,

            New Ironsides, Catskill, Nantucket, and Nahant participated in the

            bombardment. Keokuk, struck more than 90 times by the accurate

            Confederate fire, sunk the next day.

            April 7, 1863 Charleston Harbor / Fort Sumter

            April 11-May 4, 1863 Suffolk / Fort Huger / Hill's Point

            April 10, 1863 Franklin

            April 12-13, 1863 Fort Bisland / Bethel Place

            April 13-15, 1863 Suffolk / Norfleet House Battery

            April 14, 1863 Irish Bend / Nerson's Woods / Franklin

            April 17, 1863 Vermillion Bayou

            April 26, 1863 Cape Girardeau

            April 29, 1863 Grand Gulf

            April 29-May 1, 1863 Snyder's Bluff / Snyder's Mill

            April 30-May 6, 1863 Chancellorsville

 

            May 1, 1863 Port Gibson / Thompson's Hill

            May 1-2, 1863 Chalk Bluff

 

            May 1863 -- The Battle of Chancellorsville.

            On April 27, Union General Hooker crossed the Rappahannock River to

            attack General Lee's forces. Lee split his army, attacking a

            surprised Union army in three places and almost completely defeating

            them. Hooker withdrew across the Rappahannock River, giving the

            South a victory, but it was the Confederates' most costly victory in

            terms of casualties.

            May 10 Stonewall Jackson dies

            Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia following amputation of his arm

            at Chancellorsville

            May 1863 -- The Vicksburg Campaign.

            Union General Grant won several victories around Vicksburg,

            Mississippi, the fortified city considered essential to the Union's

            plans to regain control of the Mississippi River. On May 22, Grant

            began a siege of the city. After six weeks, Confederate General John

            Pemberton surrendered, giving up the city and 30,000 men. The

            capture of Port Hudson, Louisiana, shortly thereafter placed the

            entire Mississippi River in Union hands. The Confederacy was split

            in two.

            May 3, 1863 Fredericksburg II / Marye's Heights

            May 3-4, 1863 Salem Church / Banks' Ford

            May 12, 1863 Raymond

            May 13, Big Black River (Map) skirmishes at Baldwin's Ferry and

            Hall's Ferry

            May 14, 1863 Jackson

            May 16 Champion Hill / Bakers Creek

            May 17 Big Black River Bridge

            May 18-July 4, 1863 Vicksburg

            May 21, 1863 Plains Store / Springfield Road

            May 21-July 9, 1863 Port Hudson

 

            June 7, 1863 Milliken's Bend

 

            June 9 -- Battle of Brandy Station, 1863.

            The victorious Confederate Army of Northern Virginia streamed into

            Culpeper County after its victory at Fredericksburg. Under the

            leadership of Gen. Robert E. Lee, the troops seemed invincible and

            massed around Culpeper preparing to carry the war north into

            Pennsylvania.

            By June 5, two infantry corps under Longstreet and Ewell were camped

            in and around Culpeper. Six miles north of town, holding the line of

            the Rappahannock River, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart bivouacked his cavalry

            troopers, screening the Confederate Army against surprise by the

            enemy.

            June 9, 1863 Brandy Station / Fleetwood Hill

            June 17, 1863 Aldie

            June 17-19, 1863 Middleburg

            June 13-15, 1863 Winchester Second

 

            June 13 -- The Gettysburg Campaign.

            Confederate General Lee decided to take the war to the enemy. On

            June 13, he defeated Union forces at Winchester, Virginia, and

            continued north to Pennsylvania. General Hooker, who had been

            planning to attack Richmond, was instead forced to follow Lee.

            Hooker, never comfortable with his commander, General Halleck,

            resigned on June 28, and General George Meade replaced him as

            commander of the Army of the Potomac.

            June 20 -- West Virginia admitted to the Union

            June 20-21, 1863 LaFourche Crossing

            June 21, 1863 Upperville

            June 24-26, 1863 Hoover's Gap

            June 28, 1863 Donaldsonville

            June 29–30, 1863 Goodrich's Landing / The Mounds / Lake Providence

            June 30, 1863 Hanover

 

            July 1 -- Battle of Gettysburg

            A chance encounter between Union and Confederate forces began the

            Battle of Gettysburg. In the fighting that followed, Meade had

            greater numbers and better defensive positions. He won the battle,

            but failed to follow Lee as he retreated back to Virginia.

            Militarily, the Battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the

            Confederacy; it is also significant because it ended Confederate

            hopes of formal recognition by foreign governments. On November 19,

            President Lincoln dedicated a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield

            as a national cemetery, and delivered his memorable "Gettysburg

            Address."

            July 1-2, 1863 Cabin Creek

            July 4, 1863 Helena

            July 6-16, 1863 Williamsport / Hagerstown / Falling Waters

            July 8, 1863 Boonsboro

            July 9, 1863 Corydon

            July 10-11, 1863 Fort Wagner / Morris Island

            July 16, 1863 Grimball's Landing / Secessionville / James Island

            July 18-September 7, 1863 Fort Wagner / Morris Island

            July 12-13, 1863 Kock's Plantation / Cox's Plantation

 

            July 10 -- Fort Wagner South Carolina

            Union artillery on Folly Island together with Rear Adm. John

            Dahlgren's fleet of ironclads opened fire on Confederate defenses of

            Morris Island. The bombardment provided cover for Brig. Gen. George

            C. Strong's brigade, which crossed Light House Inlet and landed by

            boats on the southern tip of the island. Strong's troops advanced,

            capturing several batteries, to within range of Confederate Fort

            Wagner. At dawn, July 11, Strong attacked the fort. Soldiers of the

            7th Connecticut reached the parapet but, unsupported, were thrown

            back.

            July 18: -- After the July 11 assault on Fort Wagner failed,

            Gillmore reinforced his beachhead on Morris Island. At dusk July 18,

            Gillmore launched an attack spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts

            Infantry, a black regiment. The unit's colonel, Robert Gould Shaw,

            was killed. Members of the brigade scaled the parapet but after

            brutal hand-to-hand combat were driven out with heavy casualties.

            The Federals resorted to siege operations to reduce the fort. This

            was the fourth time in the war that black troops played a crucial

            combat role, proving to skeptics that they would fight bravely if

            only given the chance.

            July 16 -- Secessionville

            To divert Confederate reinforcements from a renewed attack on Fort

            Wagner, Gen. Gillmore designed two feints. An amphibious force

            ascended Stone River to threaten the Charleston & Savannah Railroad

            bridge. A second force, consisting of Terry's division, landed on

            James Island on July 8. Terry demonstrated against the Confederate

            defenses. On July 16, the Confederates attacked Terry's camp at

            Grimball's Landing. Because of incomplete reconnaissance of the

            difficult, marshy ground, the disorganized Confederate attack was

            soon aborted. Their mission accomplished, Federal troops withdrew

            from the island on July 17.

            July 17, 1863 Honey Springs / Elk Creek / Shaw's Inn

            July 19, 1863 Buffington Island / St. Georges Creek

            July 23, 1863 Manassas Gap / Wapping Heights

            July 24-25, 1863 Big Mound

            July 26, 1863 Salineville / New Lisbon Road / Wellsville

            July 26, 1863 Dead Buffalo Lake

            July 28, 1863 Stony Lake

 

            August - December -- Bombardment of Fort Sumter

            Federal batteries erected on Morris Island opened fire on August 17

            and continued their bombardment of Fort Sumter and the Charleston

            defenses until August 23. Despite a severe pounding, Fort Sumter's

            garrison held out. Siege operations continued against Fort Wagner on

            Morris Island.

            Aug 17-Aug 23, 1863 Fort Sumter / Charleston Harbor / Morris Island

            August 21, 1863 Chattanooga

            August 21, 1863 Lawrence / Lawrence Massacre

 

            September 3-5, 1863 Whitestone Hill

 

            September 6 -- Charleston Harbor

            The night of September 6-7, Confederate forces evacuated Fort Wagner

            and Battery Gregg pressured by advancing Federal siegeworks. Federal

            troops then occupied all of Morris Island. On September 8, a

            storming party of about 400 marines and sailors attempted to

            surprise Fort Sumter. The attack was repulsed.

            September 1, 1863 Devil's Backbone / Backbone Mountain

 

            September 7-8, 1863 Charleston Harbor / Battery Gregg

 

            September 8, 1863 Sabine Pass II

 

            September 8 -- Fort Griffin Texas

            About 6:00 am on the morning of September 8, 1863, a Union flotilla

            of four gunboats and seven troop transports steamed into Sabine Pass

            and up the Sabine River with the intention of reducing Fort Griffin

            and landing troops to begin occupying Texas. As the gunboats

            approached Fort Griffin, they came under accurate fire from six

            cannons. The Confederate gunners at Fort Griffin had been sent there

            as a punishment. To break the day-to-day monotony, the gunners

            practiced firing artillery at range markers placed in the river.

            Their practice paid off. Fort Griffin's small force of 44 men, under

            command of Lt. Richard W. Dowling, forced the Union flotilla to

            retire and captured the gunboat Clifton and about 200 prisoners.

            Further Union operations in the area ceased for about a month. The

            heroics at Fort Griffin--44 men stopping a Union

            expedition--inspired other Confederate soldiers.

            September 10, 1863 Bayou Fourche / Little Rock

            September 18-20, 1863 Chickamauga

 

            September 19 -- The Battle of Chickamauga.

            On September 19, Union and Confederate forces met at Chickamauga

            Creek in Tennessee. After a brief period of fighting, Union forces

            retreated to Chattanooga, and the Confederacy maintained control of

            the battlefield. After Rosecrans's debacle at Chickamauga,

            Confederate General Braxton Bragg's army occupied the mountains that

            ring the vital railroad center of Chattanooga.

            September 22, 1863 Blountsville

            September 29, 1863 Stirling's Plantation / Fordoche Bridge

 

            October 6, 1863 Baxter Springs

            October 10, 1863 Blue Springs

            October 13, 1863 Auburn / Catlett's Station / St. Stephen's Church

            October 14, 1863 Bristoe Station

            October 14, 1863 Auburn / Coffee Hill

            October 16-18, 1863 Fort Brooke

            October 19, 1863 Buckland Mills / Buckland Races / Chestnut Hill

            October 25, 1863 Pine Bluff

            October 28-29, 1863 Wauhatchie / Brown's Ferry

 

            November 3, 1863 Collierville

            November 6, 1863 Droop Mountain

            November 7, 1863 Rappahannock Station

            November 16, 1863 Campbell's Station

            November 23-25, 1863 Chattanooga

 

            November 1863 -- The Battle of Chattanooga. Grant, brought in to

            save the situation, steadily built up offensive strength, and on

            November 23- 25 burst the blockade in a series of brilliantly

            executed attacks. Union forces pushed Confederate troops away from

            Chattanooga. The victory set the stage for General Sherman's Atlanta

            Campaign.

            November 27, 1863 Ringgold Gap / Taylor's Ridge

            Nov 27-Dec 2, 1863 Mine Run / Payne's Farm / New Hope Church

            November 29, 1863 Fort Sanders / Fort Loudon

 

            November-December -- The Siege of Knoxville

            The difficult strategic situation of the federal armies after

            Chickamauga enabled Bragg to detach a force under Longstreet to

            drive Burnside out of eastern Tennessee. Burnside sought refuge in

            Knoxville, which he successfully defended from Confederate assaults.

 

            December 14, 1863 Bean's Station

            December 29, 1863 Mossy Creek

 

            January 17, 1864 Dandridge

            January 26, 1864 Athens / Alabama

            January 27, 1864 Fair Garden

            January 26 Confederate force fails in its attempt to take Athens,

            Alabama. Confederate cavalry, numbering about 600 men, attacked

            Athens, held by about 100 Union troops, around 4:00 am on the

            morning of January 26, 1864. After a two-hour battle, the

            Confederates retreated. Union forces, although greatly outnumbered

            and without fortifications, repulsed the attackers.

            February 6-7 Morton's Ford / Rapidan River

            February 13, 1864 Middle Boggy Depot

            February 14-20, 1864 Meridian

            February 20, 1864 Olustee / Ocean Pond

            February 22, 1864 Okolona

 

            February 20 Olustee Florida

            In February, the commander of the Department of the South, Maj. Gen.

            Quincy A. Gillmore, launched an expedition into Florida to secure

            Union enclaves, sever Rebel supply routes, and recruit black

            soldiers. Brig. Gen. Truman Seymour moved deep into the state,

            occupying, destroying, and liberating, meeting little resistance on

            February 20, he approached Brig. Gen. Joseph Finegan's 5,000

            Confederates entrenched near Olustee. One infantry brigade pushed

            out to meet Seymour's advance units. The Union forces attacked but

            were repulsed. The battle raged, and as Finegan committed the last

            of his reserves, the Union line broke and began to retreat. Finegan

            did not exploit the retreat, allowing most of the fleeing Union

            forces to reach Jacksonville.

            February 22-27, 1864 Dalton I

 

            March 2 Walkerton / Mantapike Hill

            March 14, 1864 Fort DeRussy

            March 25, 1864 Paducah

            April 3-4, 1864 Elkin's Ferry Okolona

            April 8, 1864 Mansfield / Sabine Cross-Roads / Pleasant Grove

            April 9, 1864 Pleasant Hill

            April 9-13, 1864 Prairie D'Ane / Gum Grove / Moscow

            April 12, 1864 Fort Pillow

            April 12-13, 1864 Blair's Landing / Pleasant Hill Landing

            April 17-20, 1864 Plymouth

            April 18, 1864 Poison Spring

            April 23, 1864 Monett's Ferry / Cane River Crossing

            April 25, 1864 Marks' Mills

            April 30, 1864 Jenkins' Ferry

 

            May Grant's Wilderness Campaign

            General Grant, promoted to commander of the Union armies, planned to

            engage Lee's forces in Virginia until they were destroyed. North and

            South met and fought in an inconclusive three- day battle in the

            Wilderness. Lee inflicted more casualties on the Union forces than

            his own army incurred, but unlike Grant, he had no replacements.

            May The Battle of Spotsylvania.

            General Grant continued to attack Lee. At Spotsylvania Court House,

            he fought for five days, vowing to fight all summer if necessary.

            May 4, 1864 Day's Gap / Sand Mountain / Alabama

            May 5, 1864 Albemarle Sound

            May 5-7 Wilderness / Furnaces / Todd's Tavern

            May 6-7 Port Walthall Junction

            May 7-13, 1864 Rocky Face Ridge / Mill Creek / Dug Gap

            May 8-21 Spotsylvania Court House / Corbin's Bridge

            May 9 Cloyd's Mountain

            May 9 Swift Creek / Arrowfield Church

            May 10 Chester Station

            May 10 Cove Mountain

            May 11 Yellow Tavern

            May 12-16 Proctor's Creek / Drewry's Bluff, / Fort Darling

            May 13-15, 1864 Resaca

            May 15 New Market

            May 16, 1864 Mansura / Smith's Place / Marksville

            May 17, 1864 Adairsville

            May 18, 1864 Yellow Bayou / Norwood's Plantation

            May 20 Ware Bottom Church

 

            May 20 Ware Bottom Church

            Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard attacked Butler's

            Bermuda Hundred line near Ware Bottom Church. About 10,000 troops

            were involved in this action. After driving back Butler's advanced

            pickets, the Confederates constructed the Howlett Line, effectively

            bottling up the Federals at Bermuda Hundred. Confederate victories

            at Proctor's Creek and Ware Bottom Church enabled Beauregard to

            detach strong reinforcements for Lee's army in time for the fighting

            at Cold Harbor.

            May 23-26 North Anna / Jericho Mill / Hanover Junction

            May 24 Wilson's Wharf / Fort Pocahontas

            May 25-26, 1864 New Hope Church

            May 26-June 1, 1864 Dallas / Pumpkinvine Creek

            May 27, 1864 Pickett's Mills / New Hope

            May 28 Haw's Shop / Enon Church

            May 28-30 Totopotomoy Creek / Shady Grove Road

            May 30 Old Church / Matadequin Creek

            May 31-June 12 Second Cold Harbor

            June The Battle of Cold Harbor.

            Grant again attacked Confederate forces at Cold Harbor, losing over

            7,000 men in twenty minutes. Although Lee suffered fewer casualties,

            his army never recovered from Grant's continual attacks. This was

            Lee's last clear victory of the war.

            June 1864 -- The Siege of Petersburg.

            Grant hoped to take Petersburg, below Richmond, and then approach

            the Confederate capital from the south. The attempt failed,

            resulting in a ten month siege and the loss of thousands of lives on

            both sides, Grant won by steadily extending his lines westward.

 

            June 5-6 Piedmont

            June 6, 1864 Old River Lake / Ditch Bayou / Lake Chicot

            June 9-July 3, 1864 Marietta / Pine Hill / Ruff's Mill

            June 9 Petersburg

            June 10, 1864 Brices Cross Roads / Tishomingo Creek

            June 11-12 Trevilian Station

            June 11-12, 1864 Cynthiana / Kellar's Bridge

            June 15-18 Assault on Petersburg

            June 17-18 Lynchburg

            June 21-24 Jerusalem Plank Road / First Battle of Weldon

            June 22, 1864 Kolb's Farm

            June 24 Saint Mary's Church / Nance's Shop

            June 25 Staunton River / Blacks and Whites

            June 27, 1864 Kennesaw Mountain

            June 28 Sappony Church / Stony Creek Depot

            June 29 Ream's Station

 

            July -- Confederate Troops Approach Washington, D.C.

            Confederate General Jubal Early led his forces into Maryland to

            relieve the pressure on Lee's army. Early got within five miles of

            Washington, D.C., but on July 13, he was driven back to Virginia.

            July 9, 1864 Monocacy

            July 14-15, 1864 Tupelo / Harrisburg

            July 17-18 Cool Spring / Island Ford / Parkers Ford

            July 20, 1864 Peachtree Creek

            July 20 Rutherford's Farm

            July 22, 1864 Atlanta

            July 24 Kernstown Second

            July 27-29 Deep Bottom I / Strawberry Plains / Gravel Hill

            July 28, 1864 Ezra Church / Battle of the Poor House

            July 28-29, 1864 Killdeer Mountain / Tahkahokuty Mountain

            July 30 Crater / The Mine

            August 1, 1864 Folck's Mill / Cumberland

 

 

            August 2-23 -- Mobile Bay / Fort Morgan / Fort Gaines Alabama.

            A combined Union force initiated operations to close Mobile Bay to

            blockade running. Some Union forces landed on Dauphin Island and

            laid siege to Fort Gaines. On August 5, Farragut's Union fleet of

            eighteen ships entered Mobile Bay and received devastating a fire

            from Forts Gaines and Morgan and other points. After passing the

            forts, Farragut forced the Confederate naval forces, under Adm.

            Franklin Buchanan, to surrender, which effectively closed Mobile

            Bay. By August 23, Fort Morgan, the last big holdout, fell, shutting

            down the port. The city, however, remained uncaptured.

            August 1864 -- General Sherman's Atlanta Campaign.

            Union General William T. Sherman departed Chattanooga, and was soon

            met by Confederate General Joseph Johnston. Skillful strategy

            enabled Johnston to hold off Sherman's force -- almost twice the

            size of Johnston's. However, Johnston's tactics caused his superiors

            to replace him with General John Bell Hood, who was soon defeated.

            Hood surrendered Atlanta, Georgia, on September 1; Sherman occupied

            the city the next day. The fall of Atlanta greatly boosted Northern

            morale.

            August 5-7, 1864 Utoy Creek

            August 7, 1864 Moorefield / Oldfields

            August 13-20 Deep Bottom II / Fussell's Mill / Bailey's Creek

            August 14-15, 1864 Dalton II

            August 16 Guard Hill / Front Royal / Cedarville

            August 18-21 Globe Tavern / Yellow Tavern / Blick's Station

            August 20, 1864 Lovejoy's Station

            August 21, 1864 Summit Point / Flowing Springs / Cameron's Depot

            August 21, 1864 Memphis

            August 25 Ream's Station

            August 25-29, 1864 Smithfield Crossing

            August 31–September 1, 1864 Jonesborough

 

            September-November -- Sherman in Atlanta

            After three and a half months of incessant maneuvering and much hard

            fighting, Sherman forced Hood to abandon Atlanta, the munitions

            center of the Confederacy. Sherman remained there, resting his

            war-worn men and accumulating supplies, for nearly two-and-a-half

            months.

            September 3-4 Berryville

            September 10-11, 1864 Davis' Cross Roads / Dug Gap

            September 19 Opequon / Third Winchester

            September 21-22 Fisher's Hill

            September 27, 1864 Fort Davidson / Pilot Knob

            September 29-30 Chaffin's Farm / New Market Heights

            September 30 Peebles' Farm / Poplar Springs Church

 

            October 2 Saltville

            October 5, 1864 Allatoona

            October 7 Darbytown / New Market Roads / Fourmile Creek

            October 9 Tom's Brook / Woodstock Races

            October 13 Darbytown Road / Alms House

            October 15, 1864 Glasgow

            October 19, 1864 Lexington

            October 19 Cedar Creek

            October 21, 1864 Little Blue River / Westport

            October 22, 1864 Independence

            October 22-23, 1864 Byram's Ford / Big Blue River

            October 23, 1864 Westport

            October 25, 1864 Marmiton River / Shiloh Creek / Charlot's Farm

            October 25, 1864 Mine Creek / Battle of the Osage

            October 25, 1864 Marais des Cygnes / Battle of Trading Post

            October 26-29, 1864 Decatur Alabama

            October 28, 1864 Newtonia

 

            October 26-29-- Franklin-Nashville Campaign Gen. John B. Hood's Army

            of Tennessee, in an attempt to cross the Tennessee River at Decatur,

            Alabama encountered Union forces under the command of Brig. Gen.

            Robert S. Granger for most of the battle, numbered only about 5,000

            men, but successfully prevented the much larger Confederate force

            from crossing the river.

            October 27-28 Fair Oaks / Darbytown Road / Second Fair Oaks

 

            October 27-28-- Boydton Plank Roadaka Hatcher's Run, Burgess' Mill.

            Directed by Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, divisions from three

            Union corps (II, V, and IX) and Gregg's cavalry division, numbering

            more than 30,000 men, withdrew from the Petersburg lines and marched

            west to operate against the Boydton Plank Road and Southside

            Railroad. The initial Union advance on October 27 gained the Boydton

            Plank Road, a major campaign objective. But that afternoon, a

            counterattack near Burgess' Mill spearheaded by Maj. Gen. Henry

            Heth's division and Wade Hampton's cavalry isolated the II Corps and

            forced a retreat. The Confederates retained control of the Boydton

            Plank Road for the rest of the winter.

            November 4-5, 1864 Johnsonville

            November 11-13, 1864 Bull's Gap

            November 24-29, 1864 Columbia

            November 29, 1864 Spring Hill

            November 30, 1864 Franklin

 

            November 1864 -- Sherman's March to the Sea.

            General Sherman continued his march through Georgia to the sea. In

            the course of the march, he cut himself off from his source of

            supplies, planning for his troops to live off the land. His men cut

            a path 300 miles in length and 60 miles wide as they passed through

            Georgia, destroying factories, bridges, railroads, and public

            buildings.

            November 22, 1864 Griswoldville

            November 28, 1864 Buck Head Creek

 

            November 30, 1864 Honey Hill

 

            November 30 -- Honey Hill South Carolina.

            Leaving Hilton Head on November 28, a Union expeditionary force

            under Maj. Gen. John P. Hatch, steamed up the Broad River in

            transports to cut the Charleston & Savannah Railroad near

            Pocotaligo. Hatch disembarked at Boyd's Landing and marched inland.

            On November 30, Hatch encountered a Confederate force of regulars

            and militia under Col. Charles J. Colcock at Honey Hill. Determined

            attacks by U.S. Colored Troops (including the 54th Massachusetts)

            failed to capture the Confederate entrenchments or cut the railroad.

            Hatch retired after dark, withdrawing to his transports at Boyd's

            Neck

            November 1864 -- Abraham Lincoln Is Re-Elected.

            The Republican party nominated President Abraham Lincoln as its

            presidential candidate, and Andrew Johnson for vice-president. The

            Democratic party chose General George B. McClellan for president,

            and George Pendleton for vice-president. At one point, widespread

            war-weariness in the North made a victory for Lincoln seem doubtful.

            In addition, Lincoln's veto of the Wade-Davis Bill -- requiring the

            majority of the electorate in each Confederate state to swear past

            and future loyalty to the Union before the state could officially be

            restored -- lost him the support of Radical Republicans who thought

            Lincoln too lenient. However, Sherman's victory in Atlanta boosted

            Lincoln's popularity and helped him win re-election by a wide

margin.

            November 29-30, 1864 Sand Creek / Chivington Massacre

 

            December 4, 1864 Waynesborough

            December 5-7, 1864 Murfreesboro / Wilkinson Pike / Cedars

            December 7-27, 1864 Fort Fisher

            December 13, 1864 Fort McAllister II

 

            December 1864 -- Sherman at the Sea

            After marching through Georgia for a month, Sherman stormed Fort

            McAllister on December 13, 1864, and captured Savannah itself eight

            days later.

            December -- Hood before Nashville

            Continuing his policy of taking the offensive at any cost, General

            John B. Hood brought his reduced army before the defenses of

            Nashville, where it was repulsed by General George H. Thomas on

            December 15-16, in the most complete victory of the war.

            December 15-16, 1864 Nashville

            December 17-18 Marion

            December 20-21 Saltville

 

            January 1865 -- Fort Fisher, North Carolina

            After Admiral David D. Porter's squadron of warships had subjected

            Fort Fisher to a terrific bombardment, General Alfred H. Terry's

            troops took it by storm on January 15, and Wilmington, North

            Carolina, the last resort of the blockade-runners, was sealed off.

            January 13-15, 1865 Fort Fisher

 

            January 1865 -- The Fall of the Confederacy.

            Transportation problems and successful blockades caused severe

            shortages of food and supplies in the South. Starving soldiers began

            to desert Lee's forces, and although President Jefferson Davis

            approved the arming of slaves as a means of augmenting the shrinking

            army, the measure was never put into effect.

            February - Sherman Marches through North and South Carolina.

            Union General Sherman moved from Georgia through South Carolina,

            destroying almost everything in his path.

            February 3, 1865 Rivers' Bridge / Owens' Crossroads

 

            February 3 -- Rivers' Bridge

            Confederate force under McLaws held the crossings of the

            Salkehatchie River against the advance of the right wing of

            Sherman's Army. Federal soldiers began building bridges across the

            swamp to bypass the road block. In the meantime, Union columns

            worked to get on the Confederates' flanks and rear. On February 3,

            two Union brigades waded the swamp downstream and assaulted McLaws's

            right. McLaws retreated toward Branchville after stalling Sherman's

            advance for only one day.

            February -- A Chance for Reconciliation Is Lost.

            Confederate President Jefferson Davis agreed to send delegates to a

            peace conference with President Lincoln and Secretary of State

            William Seward, but insisted on Lincoln's recognition of the South's

            independence as a prerequisite. Lincoln refused, and the conference

            never occurred.

            February 5-7 Hatcher's Run / Dabney's Mill / Rowanty Creek

            February 12-22, 1865 Wilmington / Forks Road / Sugar Loaf Hill

            March 2 Waynesboro

            March 4 Abraham Lincoln Second Inaugural Address

            March 6, 1865 Natural Bridge

 

            March 6 --Natural Bridge

            Maj. Gen. John Newton had undertaken a joint force expedition

            (including 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry)

            to engage and destroy Confederate troops that had attacked at Cedar

            Keys and Fort Myers and were allegedly encamped somewhere around St.

            Marks. The Navy had trouble getting its ships up the St. Marks

            River. The Army force, however, had advanced and, after finding one

            bridge destroyed, started before dawn on March 6 to attempt to cross

            the river at Natural Bridge. The troops initially pushed Rebel

            forces back but not away from the bridge. Confederate forces,

            protected by breastworks, guarded all of the approaches and the

            bridge itself. The action at Natural Bridge lasted most of the day,

            but, unable to take the bridge, the Union troops retreated to the

            protection of the fleet.

            March 7-10, 1865 Wyse Fork / Wilcox's Bridge / Second Southwest

            Creek

            March 10, 1865 Monroe's Cross Roads / Fayetteville Road / Blue's

            Farm

            March 16, 1865 Averasborough / Smiths Ferry / Black River

            March 19-21, 1865 Bentonville / Bentonsville

            March 25 Fort Stedman

 

            March 27-April 8 -- Spanish Fort.

            Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby's forces, the XIII and XVI corps, moved along

            the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, forcing the Confederates back into

            their defenses. Union forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort and

            Fort Blakely. On March 27, 1865, Canby's forces rendezvoused at

            Danley's Ferry and immediately undertook a siege of Spanish Fort.

            The Union had enveloped the fort by April 1, and on April 8 captured

            it. Most of the Confederate forces, under the command of Brig. Gen.

            Randall L. Gibson, escaped and fled to Mobile, but Spanish Fort was

            no longer a threat.

            April 2 -- Selma.

            Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, commanding three divisions of Union

            cavalry, about 13,500 men, led his men south from Gravelly Springs,

            Alabama, on March 22, 1865. Opposed by Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan

            B. Forrest, Wilson skillfully continued his march and eventually

            defeated him in a running battle at Ebenezer Church, on April 1.

            Continuing towards Selma, Wilson split his command into three

            columns. Although Selma was well-defended, the Union columns broke

            through the defenses at separate points forcing the Confederates to

            surrender the city, although many of the officers and men, including

            Forrest and Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, escaped. Selma demonstrated

            that even Forrest, whom some had considered invincible, could not

            stop the unrelenting Union movements deep into the Southern

            Heartland.

            March 29 Lewis's Farm / Quaker Road / Military Road

            March 31 White Oak Road / Hatcher's Run / Gravelly Run

            March 31 Dinwiddie Court House

            April 2-9, 1865 Fort Blakely

 

            April 2-9-- Canby's forces, the XVI and XIII corps, moved along the

            eastern shore of Mobile Bay, forcing the Confederates back into

            their defenses. Union forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort and

            Fort Blakely. By April 1, Union forces had enveloped Spanish Fort,

            thereby releasing more troops to focus on Fort Blakely. Brig. Gen.

            St. John R. Liddell, with about 4,000 men, held out against the much

            larger Union force until other Confederate forces disengaged and

            Spanish Fort fell on April 8, allowing Canby to concentrate 16,000

            men for the attack on April 9. Sheer numbers breached the

            Confederate earthworks compelling the Confederates to capitulate.

            The siege and capture of Fort Blakely was basically the last

            combined-force battle of the war. African-American forces played a

            major role in the successful Union assault.

            April -- Fallen Richmond.

            On March 25, General Lee attacked General Grant's forces near

            Petersburg, but was defeated -- attacking and losing again on April

            1. On April 2, Lee evacuated Richmond, the Confederate capital, and

            headed west to join with other forces.

            April 1 Five Forks

            April 2, 1865 Ebenezer Church / Selma / Alabama

            April 2, 1865 Hill's Plantation / Cache River / Cotton Plant

            April 2 Petersburg / The Breakthrough

            April 2 Sutherland's Station

            April 3 Namozine Church

            April 5 Amelia Springs

            April 6 Sailor's Creek / Hillsman Farm

            April 6 Rice's Station

            April 6-7 High Bridge

            April 7 Cumberland Church / Farmville

            April 8 Appomattox Station

            April 8 Spanish Fort

            April 9 Fort Blakely Alabama

 

            April 9 -- Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

            General Lee's troops were soon surrounded, and on April 7, Grant

            called upon Lee to surrender. On April 9, the two commanders met at

            Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender. Lee's

            men were sent home on parole -- soldiers with their horses, and

            officers with their side arms. All other equipment was surrendered.

            April -- The Assassination of President Lincoln.

            On April 14, as President Lincoln was watching a performance of "Our

            American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., he was shot

            by John Wilkes Booth, an actor from Maryland obsessed with avenging

            the Confederate defeat. Lincoln died the next morning. Booth escaped

            to Virginia. Eleven days later, cornered in a burning barn, Booth

            was fatally shot by a Union soldier. Nine other people were involved

            in the assassination; four were hanged, four imprisoned, and one

            acquitted.

            April 1865 -- Final Surrenders among Remaining Confederate Troops.

            Remaining Confederate troops were defeated between the end of April

            and the end of May. Jefferson Davis was captured in Georgia on May

            10.

            May 12-13, 1865 Palmito Ranch / Palmito Hill

 

            May 12-13 -- Palmito Hill Texas

            Union Col. Theodore H. Barrett dispatched an expedition to attack

            reported Rebel outposts and camps.

            Nov. 1865 -- The Execution of Captain Henry Wirz

            The notorious superintendent of the Confederate prison at

            Andersonville, Georgia, was tried by a military commission presided

            over by General Lew Wallace from August 23 to October 24, 1865, and

            was hanged in the yard of the Old Capitol Prison on November 10.

            December 18

            Thirteenth Amendment to Constitution ratified, abolishing slavery.

 

  American facts & presidents, American Facts & History

 

Home

 

webmaster@civilwar.morganco.freeservers.com


Let Us Pray Our For Troops In Foreign Lands

The Civil War in Morgan County 2003

Free Southern Graphics at:
http://cybergifs.com/confederate/indexr1.html