| 1860 |
|
| November 6 |
Abraham Lincoln elected U.S. president |
| December 20 |
South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union |
| |
| 1861 |
|
| February 18 |
Jefferson Davis inaugurated as provisional president of the Confederacy |
| March 4 |
Lincoln inaugurated |
| March 21 |
Confederate capital transferred from Montgomery, Ala., to Richmond, Va. |
| April 12 |
South Carolina shells Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor |
| April 15 |
Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteer troops |
| April 19 |
Blockade of Confederacy begins |
| April 27 |
Lincoln suspends writ of habeas corpus |
| July 21 |
Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run), Manassas, Va. (C.S. victory) |
| August 5 |
Union enacts first national income tax |
| August 6 |
Union passes the Confiscation Act |
| August 10 |
Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Mo. (C.S. victory) |
| November 8 |
Beginning of Trent Affair |
| |
| 1862 |
|
| February 6 |
Battle of Fort Henry, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| February 14–16 |
Battle of Fort Donelson, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| February 25 |
U.S. Congress makes greenbacks legal tender |
| March 5–8 |
Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark. (U.S. victory) |
| March 9 |
Ironclads CSS Virginia and USS Monitor fight to a draw, Hampton Roads, Va. |
| March 23 |
At Kernstown, Va., Stonewall Jackson experiences his only defeat |
| April 5–May 4 |
George B. McClellan takes a month to siege and take Yorktown, Va. |
| April 6–7 |
Battle of Shiloh, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| April 16 |
Confederate Congress enacts first national Conscription Act |
| April 25 |
New Orleans, La., falls (U.S. victory) |
| May 8, 23–25 |
Jackson chases Nathaniel Banks out of Shenandoah Valley, Va. |
| May 20 |
U.S. Congress passes Homestead Act |
| June 25–July 1 |
Seven Days’ battles on Virginia Peninsula (U.S. wins five of six battles but retreats) |
| July 1 |
U.S. Congress passes Pacific Railway Act |
| July 2 |
U.S. Congress passes Land-Grant Act |
| August 30 |
Battle of Second Manassas (Bull Run), Manassas, Va. (C.S. victory) |
| September 17 |
Battle of Antietam, Sharpsburg, Md. (U.S. victory) |
| September 22 |
Lincoln announces his Emancipation Proclamation |
| October 8 |
Battle of Perryville, Ky. (U.S. victory) |
| December 13 |
Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. (C.S. victory) |
| December 30 |
Beginning of battle of Stones River, Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| |
| 1863 |
|
| January 1 |
Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect |
| January 2 |
Conclusion of battle of Stones River, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| March 3 |
Union has its first wave of conscription |
| April 24 |
Confederate Congress passes Tax-in-Kind Measure |
| May 1–4 |
Battle of Chancellorsville, Va. (C.S. victory) |
| May 10 |
“Stonewall” Jackson dies |
| May 18 |
Union siege of Vicksburg, Miss., begins |
| June 9 |
Battle of Brandy Station, Va. (stalemate) |
| July 1–3 |
Battle of Gettysburg, Pa. (U.S. victory) |
| July 4 |
Besieged Vicksburg falls to Union |
| July 10, 18 |
Union assaults repelled at Battery Wagner, S.C. |
| July 13 |
Draft riots break out in New York City |
| September 19–20 |
Battle of Chickamauga, Ga. (C.S. victory) |
| November 23–25 |
Battle of Chattanooga, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| |
| 1864 |
|
| February 17 |
Submarine CSS H. L. Hunley sinks USS Housatonic outside Charleston Harbor |
| February 20 |
Battle of Olustee, Fla. (C.S. victory) |
| March 6 |
Grant becomes general in chief of Union army |
| April 12 |
Massacre of Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. |
| May 5–7 |
Battle of the Wilderness, Va. (C.S. victory) |
| May 8–21 |
Battle of Spotsylvania, Va. |
| May 11 |
Jeb Stuart mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Va. |
| May 31–June 12 |
Battle of Cold Harbor, Va.; Union siege begins at Petersburg, Va. |
| June 10 |
Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, Miss. (C.S. victory) |
| June 27 |
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Ga. (C.S. victory) |
| September 1 |
Atlanta, Ga., falls to Union army |
| November 8 |
Lincoln reelected |
| November 30 |
Battle of Franklin, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| December 15–16 |
Battle of Nashville, Tenn. (U.S. victory) |
| |
| 1865 |
|
| January 31 |
U.S. Congress sends Thirteenth Amendment to the states for ratification |
| April 1 |
Richmond, Va., falls |
| April 9 |
Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House, Va. |
| April 14 |
Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth |
| April 15 |
Lincoln dies |
| April 26 |
Joseph E. Johnston surrenders near Durham, N.C. |
| May 10 |
Jefferson Davis captured near Irwinville, Ga. |
