key events of the era

battle of fort Sumter

this is arguably the most important battle of the Civil War, because it was the event that kicked off the beginning of the war. Confederate troops went over and open fired on Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a Union fort located in Charleston, South Carolina. Lincoln, of course, needed to defend the territory of the Union, and called for troops to be deployed. This officially marked the beginning of what would be a long and violent war.

Battle Of gettysburg

This was the first main event after the war had started. The invasion of General Robert E. Lee on the North came to an end. Some notable facts about this battle include:

  • over 50,000 casualties

  • lasted for 3 days

  • Pickets charge on July 3rd made Robert Lee retreat

  • this started the beginning of the confederate fall-off

This battle gave the North a boost of confidence and feeling of power that helped them power through the rest of the Civil War. This marked the final time that the confederates were offensive on opposing territory.

image from National Geographic

battle of Gettysburg

image from Vintage Books

Newspaper from April 1861

the emancipation proclamation

This was not a battle or feud, but a proclamation, as it says in the title. On September 22nd, 1862, Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation. In summary, it was a warning to the South that if they didn’t surrender by January 1st of the next year, all slaves would be freed. The Confederacy didn’t agree, so Lincoln issued the proclamation on January 1st.

  • It freed enslaved people in Confederate states

  • It didn’t free slaves in border states

  • changed the War from a war to a battle of morality and to put and end to slavery

  • black men were now allowed to join the military, meaning over 150,000 new soldiers would join the army

the surrender

The Confederates faced many losses, and eventually ran out of supplies. Robert Lee’s army was eventually cornered in Virginia by General Ulysses S. Grant and was forced to surrender. this officially brought the Civil War to an end, declaring the North as the victors of the war. The fighting did go on for a few weeks, the war had ended.

  • this marked the collapse of the Confederates

  • all the States became one United nation again

  • Reconstruction began