Chronoloy of the American Civil War
1860
April 20th
- On the San Jacinto Battlefield in Texas, a group calling itself the People's Party nominates Governor Sam Houston for president; while other mass meetings were held in other cities, no canidate for vice president is nominated.
April 23rd
- The Democratic National Convention starts in Charleston, South Carolina. Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois is widely regarded as the front runner for the presidential nomination.
April 30th
- Democratic National Convention, Charleston, South Carolina: The convention votes 165 to 138 to adopt a platform favored by the northern delegates, which fails to endorse the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision and Congressional legislation to protect slavery in the territories. In response, the entire delegations from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, plus four deleates from Arkansas and Delaware, leave the convention
May 3rd
- Democratic National Convention, Charleston, South Carolina: After 57 ballots, no canidate receives the required two-thirds majority of votes; therefore, the convention votes to adjourn and reconven in Baltimore, Maryland.
May 9th
- In Baltimore, Maryland, the Constitutional Union Party meets to nominate canidates for the presidential election; John Bell of Tennessee is nominated for president on the second ballot and Edward Everett of Massachusetts is nominated for vice president on a voice vote.
May 16th
- The Republican National Convention starts in Chicago, Illinois.
May 18th
- In Chicago, Illinois, the Republican National Convention nominates Abraham Lincoln of Illinois for president and Senator Hannibal Hamlin of Maine for vice president on the third ballot.
June 18th
- In Baltimore, Maryland, the Democratic National Convention reconvenes.
June 23rd
- The Democratic National Convention formally nominates Stephen A. Douglas for U.S. president; former governor Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia is nominated for vice president. The Southern delagates ignore the nominations and instead nominate Vice President John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky for president and Senator Joseph Lane of Oregon for vice president.
August 16th
- Governor Sam Houston withdraws from the presidential race and urges the formation of a unified ticket against Republican canidate Abraham Lincoln.
August 29th
- In Syracuse, New York, the Liberty Party (also called the Radical Abolitionists) meet for a presidential nomination convention; Gerrit Smith of New York is nominated for president and Samuel McFarland of Pennsylvania is nominated for vice president.
November 6th
- In the national U.S. presidential election, Republican canidate Abraham Lincoln wins the contest with 180 electoral votes and 39.82% of the popular vote; Northern Democratic canidate Stephen A. Douglas wins 12 electoral votes and 29.46% of the popular vote; Southern Democratic canidate John C. Breckinridge wins 72 electoral votes and 18.1% of the popular vote; Constitutional Union canidate John Bell wins 39 electoral votes and 12.61% of the popular vote; Gerrit Smith wins only 0.01% of the popular vote.
November 10th
- The South Carolina legislature votes to call for a state convention to consider secession.
December 9th
- Kentucky governor Beriah Megoffin proposses a convention of states to avoid a war but is ignored.
December 20th
- In South Carolina, a state convention votes to seceede from the Union.
December 26th
- At the Charleston, South Carolina harbor, the Union garrison of Fort Moultrie transfers to Fort Sumter.
December 27th
- At Charleston, South Carolina, the Union fortification Castle Pinckney is captured by South Carolina state forces without casualties.
- In Kentucky, governor Beriah Megoffin calls a special session of the Kentucky General Assembly.
December 30th
- In Charleston, South Carolina, the Federal arsenal is seized by South Carolina state forces.
1861
January 1st
- The Union Departments of California and Oregon are merged into the single Department of the Pacific, with Albert S. Johnston in command.
January 3rd
- The state legislature of Delaware rejects secession.
January 7th
- The Virginia state legislature votes to issue two million dollars in treasury notes, authorizes the sale of bonds to support militia companies, and sends a commission to the United Kingdom to buy weapons.
January 8th
- In Louisiana, Governor Thomas Moore orders state militia to occupy the Federal arsenal in Baton Rouge and to occupy the Federal forts south of New Orleans, Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
January 9th
- In Jackson, Mississippi, a state convention votes 84 to 15 to secede from the Union
- At Charleston, South Carolina, the Union supply ship Star of the West attempts to enter the harbor to resupply Fort Sumter; however, after South Carolina state forces open fire, the ship withdraws.
January 10th
- In Tallahassee, Florida, a state convention votes 62 to 7 to secede from the Union
January 11th
- In Alabama, a state convention votes 61 to 39 to secede from the Union.
January 15th
- In California, Albert S. Johnston arrives in San Francisco to formally take command of the new Department of the Pacific.
January 16th
- In Milledgeville, Georgia, a state convention first meets to consider secession.
January 19th
- The Tennessee General Assembly submits approval of a state convention to consider secession to a special referendum, to be held February 9th.
- In Milledgeville, Georgia, a state convention votes 208 to 89 to secede from the Union.
January 26th
- In Louisiana, the state convention votes to seceede 113 to 17.
January 28th
- In Texas, the state secession convention meets for the first time.
January 29th
- Kansas is admitted to the Union as the thirty-fourth state.
January 31st
- South Carolina Governor Francis W. Pickens writes a letter to U.S. President James Buchanan, demanding that Fort Sumter be surrendered to state forces; the letter is ignored.
February 1st
- A convention in Texas approves an ordinance of secession by a vote of 166 to 7; the ordinance is to be submitted to the state legislature and to a statewide referendum for approval.
February 4th
- At Montgomery, Alabama, a convention of the seven seceeded states meet to form a government of the Confederate States. Howell Cobb of Georgia is elected president of the convention, which becomes the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States.
- The voters of Virginia select delagates to a state convention to consider secession.
- In Washington, D.C., delagates from 21 states meet in the Peace Conference in an effort to resolve the secession crisis.
February 5th
- At Montgomery, Alabama, the Provisional Congress appoints a committee of twelve delagates to draft a constitution.
February 7th
- In the Indian Territory, the Choctaw Nation votes to side with the Confederate States.
- LeRoy P. Walker is appointed the first Confederate Secretary of War.
February 8th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States is adopted.
February 9th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the Confederate Provisional Congress elects Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as provisional Confederate president and Alexander Stephens as provisional vice-president.
- In Tennessee, voters defeat the call for a special convention to consider secession, with 54% voting against it.
February 13th
- The Virginia state convention begins in Richmond.
February 18th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inagurated as provisional Confederate president.
- In Arkansas, voters elect delegates to a state convention to consider secession.
- Brevet Major General David E. Twiggs surrenders the Union Department of Texas to state authorities.
February 21st
- The Confederate Provisional Congress pass an act creating the Department of Justice; the same day, Judah P. Benjamin is appointed the first Confederate Attorney General. The act also authorizes the creation of a Supreme Court but this court is never actually created.
- Stephen R. Mallory of Florida is appointed Confederate Secretery of the Navy.
February 23rd
- In Texas, voters approve the Ordinance of Secession by a margin of more than three-to-one.
February 26
- In the Union House of Representatives, Thomas Corwin of Ohio proposes a constitutional amendment to prohibit either the U.S. Congress or the U.S. constitution from interferring with the "domestic institutions" of the states.
February 28th
- In Washington, D.C., the U.S. House of Representatives passes the Corwin Admendment by a vote of 133 to 65.
- The U.S. Territory of Colorado is organized from the territories of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah.
- In Missouri, voters elect a Constitutional Convention to consider secession.
March 1st
- P.G.T. Beauregard is appointed commander of Confederate forces in the area of Charleston, South Carolina.
March 2nd
- The U.S. Territory of Nevada is organized from the Utah Territory.
- The U.S. Territory of Dakota is organized from the Nebraska Territory.
March 4th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the Confederate Provisional Congress adopts the First Confederate National Flag (nicknamed the "Stars and Bars").
- In Washington, D.C., Union President James Buchannan calls the U.S. Senate into a special session.
- Abraham Lincoln is inagurated as the 16th President of the United States.
- The U.S. Senate passes the Corwin admendment by a vote of 24 to 12, sending it to the states for approval.
March 5th
- In Arkansas, a state convention meets to consider secession.
March 11th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the Confederate Provisional Congress passes the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America.
March 13th
- Alabama becomes the first state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
March 16th
- A convention meeting in Mesilla, New Mexico Territory, votes to secede and form the Confederate Territory of Arizona.
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the first session of the Confederate Provisional Congress ends.
- Georgia becomes the second state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
- In Texas, Governor Sam Houston is removed from office when he refuses to swear allegiance to the Confederacy.
March 18th
- In Texas, Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark is sworn in as governor.
March 21st
- In Arkansas, the state convention votes to adjourn without voting on the question of secession itself; instead, a referendum will be held in August.
- In Missouri, the Constitutional Convention rejects secession by a vote of 98 to 1 but also votes for a policy of neutrality if war broke out; it then adjourns.
- Louisiana becomes the third state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
March 23rd
- Texas becomes the fourth state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
- In Milledgeville, George, the state secession convention meets for the final time.
March 28th
- In Washington, D.C., the special session of the U.S. Senate ends.
March 29th
- Mississippi becomes the fifth state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
April 3rd
- South Carolina becomes the sixth state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
April 4th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the Virginia State Convention rejects an ordinance of secession by a vote of 89 to 45.
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln orders a relief expedition to resupply Fort Sumter.
- Kentucy becomes the first state to ratify the Corwin Admendment.
April 6th
- Abraham Lincoln notifies South Carolina governor Francis W. Pickens of the attempt to resupply Fort Sumter.
April 11th
- At Charleston, South Carolina, Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard sends a message to Fort Sumter commander Major Robert Anderson, demanding that he surrender the fort.
April 12th
- At Charleston, South Carolina, at 3 a.m. Union Major Robert Anderson refuses to surrender; Confederate forces started bombarding Fort Sumter at 4:30 a.m.
April 13th
- At Charleston, South Carolina, Major Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces at 2:30 a.m.
April 15th
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issues a call for 75,000 militia, referring to the Confederate States as "combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings", and calling for a special session of the U.S. Congress to meet starting on July 4th.
April 17th
- In Virginia, in response to the bombardment of Fort Sumter and to Lincoln's call for militia, the special state convention passes an Ordinance of Secession, to be submitted for approval in a referendum on May 23rd.
April 18th
- At Harpers Ferry, Virginia, the Federal armory is burned and abandoned by Union forces.
April 19th
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declares a blockade of the seven Confederate states.
- In Baltimore, Maryland, the 6th Massachusetts Militia is marching between railroad stations when it is attacked by a mob; the regiment reacts by firing into the crowd, killing a dozen civilians and wounding an unknown number of civilians. Of the regiment, four soldiers are killed and thirty-six wounded.
April 20th
- In Missouri, a group of pro-secessionists sieze the Liberty arsenal.
- Colonel Robert E. Lee submits his resignation from the U.S. army to the Union War Department.
- At Norfolk, Virginia, the U.S. Navy shipyard and drydock facilities are burned; any ship not taken away is burned or scuttled, including the frigate U.S.S. Merrimack.
April 22nd
- In Virginia, governor John Letcher appoints Robert E. Lee to command of the Virginia state forces.
- Florida becomes the seventh state to ratify the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States.
- At Clarksburg in western Virginia, a meeting of 1,200 people approve resolutions which oppose secession and call for a convention of Virginia's northwestern counties to meet in Wheelin on May 13th.
April 23rd
- Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Virginia state forces, with the rank of major general.
- Goerge B. McClellan is commissioned major general of the Ohio Volunteeers and takes command of the Ohio militia.
April 26th
- In Maryland, the state legislature meets in Frederick, due to the occupation of Annapolis by Union troops.
April 27th
- The Union Department of Pennsylvania is formed, consisting of Pennsylvania and northern Maryland, with Robert Patterson in command.
April 26th
- In Virginia, Joseph E. Johnston is appointed comamnder of Virginia state forces in the Richmond area, while Thomas J. Jackson is assigned to command the forces around Harpers Ferry.
April 29th
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the second session of the Confederate Provisional Congress begins.
- In Frederick, Maryland, the state legislature votes 53 to 13 against secession.
May 1st
- The North Carolina legislature calls for a convention to consider secession.
- In Missouri, Governor Claibourn Jackson calls out the Missouri Volunteer Militia for six days of drilling and training.
May 3rd
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln calls for an additional 42,000 volunteers to serve for three years; he also expands the U.S. regular army by 22,714 men.
- The Union Department of the Ohio is created, consisting of the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; George B. McClellan is appointed commander.
May 6th
- In Tennessee, in response to the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the General Assembly passes an Ordinance of Secession, to be submitted for approval in a referendum to be held on June 8th.
- In Arkansas, the state convention reconvenes and votes to seceede by a vote of 69 to 1.
- In Missouri, militia units from the northeastern part of the state assembly near St. Louis under the command of Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost; the encampment is named Camp Jackson.
- The government of the United Kingdom recognizes the Confederate States as a belligerant.
May 7th
- The Kentucky General Assembly passes a declaration of neutrality in the war.
- Battle of Gloucester, Virginia: the gunboat U.S.S. Yankee bombards a Confederate battery, which returns fire; this exchange of fire results in no casualties.
- Virginia is admitted to the Confederate States as the eighth state.
May 8th
- The Confederate Provisional Congress votes to move the Confederate national capital to Richmond, Virginia.
May 9th
- The Union Department of the Ohio is expanded to include western Virginia and western Pennsylvania.
May 10th
- At St. Louis, Missouri Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon decides to force the surrender of the Missouri militia units at Camp Jackson, convinced they were plotting to capture the St. Louis arsenal. After militia commander Daniel Frost surrenders, Lyon attempts to march the militia back through St. Louis to the arsenal, intending to parole them. However, Lyon's troops fire into the crowd which lined the route, killing 28 civilians and wounding more than 75 civilians. This incident rallies support for the secessionist cause throughout Missouri.
May 13th
- In Maryland, Union Major General Benjamin Butler occupies Baltimore and declares martial law.
- The First Wheeling Convention meets in western Virginia (modern West Virginia); composed of Unionists, the convention debates overturning the recently passed Virginia Ordinance of Secession.
- The government of the United Kingdom announces a policy of stict neutrality in the conflict, while granting the Confederacy belligerancy rights.
- Ohio becomes the second state to ratify the Corwin Amendment.
May 14th
- Robert E. Lee is commissioned brigadier general in the Confederate army (the highest rank authorized at the time) and is placed in command of Confederate forces in Virginia.
- George McClellan is commissioned major general in the Union regular army.
- The Missouri state legislature passes a bill which reorganizes the state militia into the Missouri State Guard; the bill also authorizes that a major general be appointed to command the Guard.
May 15th
- The Confederate War Department assigns Joseph E. Johnston to command Confederate troops at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
May 16th
- The Provisional Confederate Congress authorizes the issue of $20 million in Treasury notes and $50 million in bonds.
May 18th
- Arkansas is admitted to the Confederate States as the ninth state.
May 20th
- In North Carolina, a state convention passes an Ordinance of Secession by a vote of 72 to 40; the convention then votes to join the Confederate States.
- In Missouri, a meeting between Missouri State Guard commander Sterling Price and Union Department of the West commander William S. Harney agree to a truce.
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the Confederate Congress votes to move the national capital to Richmond, Virginia.
May 21st
- Confederate President Jefferson Davis proclaims North Carolina a Confederate state
- The second session of the Confederate Provisional Congress ends.
May 23rd
- In a popular referendum, voters in Virginia pass the Ordinance of Secession by a four-to-one margin; however, most of the support comes from the eastern and central portions of the state. The western mountainous part remained strongly pro-Union.
- In Wheeling, western Virginia, the last company of the Union 1st (West) Virginia Infantry is mustered into service.
May 24th
- Union troops based in the District of Columbia cross the Potomac River and occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
May 25th
- The Choctaw Nation adopts a resolution of independence from the United States.
May 27th
- The Department of Northeastern Virginia is created, covering the part of Virginia south of the Potomac River, east of the Allegheny Mountains, and north of the James River. Irvin McDowell is appointed commander of the department.
May 30th
- In Missouri, William S. Harney is relieved of command of the Department of the West and replaced by Nathaniel Lyon.
- Union forces from the Department of the Ohio occupy Grafton, northwestern Virginia.
- In Knoxville, Tennessee, a Unionist convention meets, electing representative T.A.R. Nelson as president.
May 31st
- Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard is appointed to command the "Alexandria Line" in northern Virginia.
- Rhode Island becomes the third state to ratify the Corwin Amendment.
- In Knoxville, Tennessee, a Unionist convention, consisting of 469 delagates, adopts several resolutions condemning secession; the convention then disbands, after authorizing T.A.R. Nelson to summon the convention at a future date and place.
June 1st
- At Fairfax Court House, Virginia, a Union scouting detachment from the 2nd U.S. Cavalry skirmishes with a Confederate outpost commanded by Richard S. Ewell.
June 3rd
- Battle of Philippi, West Virginia: Union forces lead by Brigadier General Thomas A. Morris suprises a Confederate force, commanded by Colonel George A. Porterfield; after exchanging a few shots, the Confederate forces flee the town.
- Union Senator Stephen A. Douglas dies in Chicago, Illinois.
June 8th
- In a popular referendum, voters in Tennessee pass the Ordinance of Secession by a two-to-one margin, with most support coming from western and central Tennessee.
- All Virginia state troops are transferred to the control of the Confederate government; Robert E. Lee is retained as military advisor to Virginia governor Letcher and Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
- In northwestern Virginia, Brigadier General Robert S. Garnett takes command of Confederate forces.
June 10th
- Battle of Big Bethel, Virginia: A Union force from Fort Monroe is defeated by a Confederate detachment commanded by John Magrudger and D.H. Hill.
June 11th
- In Missouri, Governor Claiborne Jackson, Sterling Price, and Nathaniel Lyon meet but fail to agree to extend the truce; Lyon then declares that he will commence hostilities against the Missouri State Guard and the Missouri state government.
- In Tennessee, representative T.A.R. Nelson calls for the Unionist convention to reconvene in Greenville on June 17th.
June 12th
- In Missouri, Governor Claiborne Jackson issues a call for 50,000 volunteers for state service.
June 14th
- The Choctaw National Council declares the Choctaw Nation "free and independent of the United States".
June 15th
- In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Joseph E. Johnston abandones Harpers Ferry and retreats south towards Winchester.
June 17th
- In Missouri, Union forces commanded by Nathaniel Lyon occupy the state capital of Jefferson City; governor Claiborne Jackson and most of the state legislature leave for the southwestern part of the state.
- In Greenville, Tennessee, a Unionist convention convenes with 285 delagates.
June 20th
- In Virginia, the Wheeling convention delcares that the state offices are vacant, due to secession of the state, and elects a new slate of officials as the Restored Government of Virginia; Francis H. Pierpont is chosen as governor of Virginia
June 23rd
- At the Norfolk Navy Yards, Virginia, work is started to convert the C.S.S. Virginia (formerly the U.S.S. Merrimack) into an ironclad.
- Folowing the resignation of William W. Loring from the U.S. army, Colonel E.R.S. Canby is appointed commander of the Union Department of New Mexico.
July 2nd
- Battle of Falling Waters, Virginia: in the Shenandoah Valley, Union forces commanded by Robert Patterson crosses the Potomac River and skirmishes with a Confederate brigade commanded by Thomas J. Jackson.
- Tennessee is admitted to the Confederate States as the eleventh state.
July 3rd
- The Union Western Department is formed, consistin of Illinois and the states and territories west of the Mississippi.
- The Union Department of New Mexico is merged with the Western Department.
July 4th
- In Washington, D.C., both houses of the 37th U.S. Congress meet in an extraordinary session, starting the first session of the congress. During the secession, Abraham Lincoln requests 400,000 troops and $400 million for the war.
July 5th
- In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Senate passes the Crittenden Resolution by a vote of 30 to 5.
July 9th
- Confederate Brigadier General Henry H. Sibley is authorized to recruit a mounted brigade in Texas, for use in an invasion of New Mexico Territory.
July 10th
- The Creek Nation, led by Principle Chief Motey Kennard, with Daniel N. and Chilly McIntosh, sign a treaty of alliance with the Confederate States.
- In Maryland, a grand jury of a U.S. district court indicts six men for their part of the April 1861 Baltimore riots.
July 12th
- In the Cherokee Nation, Stand Watie begins recruiting troops for the Confederate army; his regiment is eventually designated the 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles.
- The Choctaw Nation signs a treaty of alliance with the Confederate States.
- The Chickasaw Nation signs a treaty of alliance with the Confederate States.
July 13th
- Nathaniel Lyon's Union forces occupies Springfield, Missouri.
July 14th
- The first military execution of the war takes place in Missouri; Private Joseph N. Cole of the 1st Kansas Infantry is executed for killing another soldier of the same regiment.
July 15th
- In the Shenandoah Valley, Union forces commanded by Robert Paterson skirmishes with Joseph Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah near Bunker Hill, north of Winchester, Virinia.
July 16th
- Irvin McDowell starts his Army of Northeastern Virginia towards Manassas Junction, Virginia.
July 17th
- Joseph Johnston is ordered to transfer his army from the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas Junction, to reinforce P.G.T. Beauregard's army, as Irvin McDowell's army reaches Fairfax Court House.
July 18th
- Battle of Blackburn's Ford, Virginia: As the Union Army of Northeastern Virginia arrives near Centreville, Irvin McDowell orders a reconnaissance of Confederate defenses along Bull Run. Daniel Tyler's division attempts to cross at Blackburn's Ford but is pushed back and forced to retreat in confusion.
July 20th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the third session of the Confederate Provisional Congress begins.
- Near Manassas Junction, Virginia Union commander Irvin McDowell continues a reconnaissance of the Confederate line along Bull Run, as elements of Joseph Johnston's army continue to arrive at Manassas Junction.
July 21st
- First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run: In the first major battle of the war, Union troops suffer a defeat after fighting the combined Confederate forces of Joseph Johnston and P.G.T. Beaureard.
- Robert Patterson's army arrives back at Harper's Ferry.
July 22nd
- The Crittenden Resolution, declaring that the war is being fought "to defend and maintain the Supremacy of the Constitution and to preserve the Union", is passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
July 24th
- At Mesilla, New Mexico Territory, a battalion of the Confederate 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles, commanded by John R. Baylor, arrives in the town intending to attack the Union garrison of the nearby Fort Fillmore.
July 25th
- At Harper's Ferry, Virginia, Robert Patterson is replaced as commander of the Union Department of Pennsylvania by Nathaniel P. Banks.
- At St. Louis, Missouri, John C. Fremont arrives to take command of the Union Department of the West.
- Battle of Mesilla, New Mexico Territory: Union Major Isaac Lynde leads the garrison of Fort Fillmore on an attack on John Baylor's Confederate battalion in Mesilla. The attack is repulsed, and Lynde retreats back to the fort.
- The U.S. Senate passes the Crittenden Resolution by a vote of 30 to 5.
July 26th
- In the New Mexico Territory, Confederate John Baylor receives reinforcements and prepares to launch an attack on Fort Fillmore.
July 27th
- In Washington, D.C., George B. McClellan takes command of Union forces in the Departments of Pennsylvania, Washington, and Northeastern Virginia; his command is designated the Military Division of the Potomac.
- At Fort Fillmore, New Mexico Territory, Union Major Isaac Lynde abandones the post and attempst to reach Fort Stanton but after marching twenty miles, he is forced to surrender to John Baylor at San Augustine Springs.
August 1st
- In the Indian Territory, the Seminole Nation signs a treaty of alliance with the Confedrate States.
- In Missouri, the Missouri state convention meets in Jefferson City and declares the state offices vacant; Hamilton Gamble is appointed governor.
- In Mesilla, New Mexico Territory, Confederate Lieutenant Colonel John Baylor issues a proclamation, which organizes the Confederate Territory of Arizona as a military government with himself as governor; the territory was to comprise the portion of New Mexico south of the 34th parallel north latitude.
- The Empire of Brazil recognizes the Confederate States as a belligerant power but not as a sovereign nation.
- In Washington, D.C., Union President Abraham Lincoln appoints Gustavus V. Fox, chief clerk of the Navy Department, to the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
August 5th
- In state elections in Kentucky, pro-Union canidates win an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly, with a majority of 76 to 24 in the state House of Representatives and 27 to 11 in the state Senate.
- A pro-Confederate convention in Tuscon, Confederate Territory of Arizona (Union Territory of New Mexico) elects Granville Oury as the territory's representative in the Confederate Congress.
- The U.S. Congress passes the Revenue Act of 1861, adopting an income tax to pay for the war.
August 6th
- In Washington, D.C., the first session of the 37th U.S. Congress ends.
August 10th
- Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri: Union forces under the command of General Nathaniel Lyon attacks the combined forces of the Missouri State Guard, commanded by Sterling Price, and Confederate forces, commanded by Ben McCulloch. After a stalemate of several hours, Lyon is mortally wounded and Lyon's successor orders a retreat back to Springfield when Union forces begin to run low on ammunition.
August 17th
- The Union Departments of Washington, Northeastern Virginia, and the Shenandoah are merged into the Department of the Potomac, with George B. McClellan in command.
August 21st
- At Tahlequah, Indian Territory, Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation and the tribal Executive Council call a general assembly; it votes to ally the tribe with the Confederacy. Ross then authorizes the recruitment of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles under the command of Colonel John Drew.
August 26th
- A Union expeditionary force commanded by Major General Benjamin Butler leaves Hampton Roads, Virginia for Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.
August 27th
- At Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina, Butler's forces starts landing on the island and the Union Navy begins bombarding the two Confederate forts guarding the bay, Forts Clark and Hatteras; Fort Clark is abandoned without opposition.
August 28th
- At Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina, the Confederate garrison of Fort Hatteras surrenders.
- In Missouri, John C. Fremont declares martial law in the state, ordering the confiscation of the propery of secessionists and the freeing of their slaves.
August 31st
- In Richmond, Virginia, the third session of the Confederate Provisional Congress ends.
- The Confederate government apppoints five full generals to the army. In order of senority, they are: Samuel Cooper, Albert S. Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, and P.G.T. Beauregard.
September 1st
- Union general U.S. Grant is assigned command of the Southeast District of Missouri.
September 3rd
- On the order of Leonidas Polk, Confederate forces commanded by Gideon Pillow enter neutral Kentucky in order the city of Columbus on the Mississippi.
September 5th
- Union general U.S. Grant sends troops to occupy the city of Paducah, Kentucky, giving Union forces control of the junction of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers.
September 10th
- General Albert Sydney Johnson is appointed to command Confederate Department No. 2.
September 11th
- Abraham Lincoln orders the revocation of the emancipation clause in John C. Fremont's delcaration of martial law in Missouri.
- In Kentucky, the legislature calls for the expulsion of Confederate forces from the stae; a resolution calling for the expulsion of forces from both sides fail.
September 15th
- First Battle of Lexington, Missouri: An advance force of Missouri State Guard cavalry skirmishes with the Union garrison of Lexington, before withdrawing and waiting for the main body of the MSG to arrive.
September 16th
- LeRoy P. Walker resigns as Confederate Secretary of War.
September 17th
- Judah P. Benjamin resigns as Confederate Attorney General; Assistant Attorney General Wade Keyes temporarily takes his place.
September 18th
- First Battle of Lexington, Missouri: Sterling Price attacks the town; MSG forces manage to capture the Anderson House, a strategic site used as a hospital, but are unable to force the Union garrison to surrender.
September 20th
- First Battle of Lexington, Missouri: Sterling Price begins a heavy artillery fire on Union positions, followed by an infantry assault moving behind bales of hemp; this attack forces the 3,500-man Union garrison to surrender. The Missouri State Guard suffers 100 casualties.
September 22nd
- Kansas Jayhawkers loot and burn the town of Osceola, Missouri.
September 25th
- Union Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles authorizes Flag Officer Du Pont, commanding the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, to enlist contrabands into the Union navy.
October 7th
- A treaty between the Confederate government and the Cherokee Nation is concluded and signed.
October 9th
- Battle of Santa Rosa Island, Florida: Confederate forces commanded by Richard H. Anderson attempt but fail to capture Union Fort Pickens; Confederate casualties are 87, while the Union garrison loses 67 men.
October 22nd
- In Texas, Henry Sibley starts marching his brigade towards El Paso.
October 25th
- The keel for the U.S.S. Monitor is laid at Greenpoint, New York.
October 29th
- In Russellville, Kentucky, a convention first meets to discuss the formation of a pro-Confederate government for the state; Henry Burnett of Trigg County is elected chairman of the convention.
October 30th
- In Neosho, Missouri, a remnant of the Missouri state legislature meets and passes an Ordinance of Secession.
November 1st
- In Washington, D.C., Union general Winfield Scott is replaced by George B. McClellan as commanding general of the army.
November 2nd
- In Missouri, John C. Fremont is relieved of command of the Union Department of the West and replaced by David Hunter.
November 6th
- In Confederate national elections, Jefferson Davis is elected to a six year term as Confederate president, under the terms of the permanent Confederate Constitution.
November 7th
- The Battle of Belmont, Missouri: Union Brigadier General U.S. Grant attacks and overruns a Confederate camp along the Mississippi River; however, he loses control of his troops to looting, which allows Confederate reinforcements to recapture the camp.
- Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina: A Union naval force commanded by Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont bombards two Confederate forts guardin Port Royal Sound and captures both.
November 8th
- In the Bahama Channel between Cuba and the Bahamas, the frigate U.S.S. San Jacinto stops the British ship R.M.S. Trent and arrests two Confederate envoys to Europs, James Mason and John Slidell.
November 9th
- The Union Western Department is disbanded, and the Departments of Kansas, New Mexico, and the Missouri formed from its territory.
- The Union Department of New Mexico is re-created, consisting of the Territory of New Mexico, with Colonel E.R.S. Canby in command.
- Major General Henry W. Halleck is appointed commander of the Union Department of the Missouri.
November 18th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the fifth session of the Confederate Provisional Congress begins.
- A convention in Russellville, Kentucky passes an ordinance of secession and forms a Confederate government, with its capital at Bowling Green; a state government is organized with George W. Johnson as governor, Horatio F. Simrall as lieutenat governor, Theodore Legrand Burnett as treasurer, and Josiah Pillsbury as auditor, along with a legislative council of ten members, one each from the state's representative districts.
November 19th
- Battle of Round Mountain, Oklahoma: Douglas Cooper's force of Confederate Indians, supported by the 9th Texas Cavalry, attacks a group of Unionist Indians lead by Chief Opothleyahola. The battle ends when the Unionist force starts a prarie fire and then retreats after dark.
November 21st
- In Richmond, Virginia, Thomas Bragg is appointed as the second Confederate Attorney General and Judah Benjamin becomes Confederate Secretary of War.
- Pro-Confederate governor of Kentucy George W. Johnson writes to the Confederate government, requesting the state's admission to the Confederacy.
November 28th
- The Confederate Congress admits Missouri as the 12th Confederate state.
November 30th
- British Foreign secretary Lord Russell informs the British minister to the U.S. that the Trent affair constitutes an aggression against the United Kingdom; unless Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell are released and an apology is given, the minister is to return to the U.K. with all of his personnel.
December 2nd
- In Washington, D.C., the second session of the 37th U.S. Congress begins.
December 4th
- The members of the Confederate Electoral College cast their votes in their respective states; Jefferson Davis and Alexander H. Stephens receive all 109 votes for president and vice president, respectively.
December 9th
- The U.S.Congress forms the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War to oversee the Union war effort; it consists of four senators (Republicans Benjamin Wade of Ohio and Zachariah Chandler of Michigan, and Democrats Andrew Johnson of Tennessee and Joseph A. Wright of Indiana) and four representatives (Republicans George W. Julian of Indiana, John Covode of Pennsylvania, and Daniel W. Gooch of Massachusetts, and Democrat Moses Odell of New York).
December 10th
- Kentucky is admitted to the Confederacy as its 13th state.
December 14th
- In the Confederate Arizona Territory (Union New Mexico Territory), Henry Sibley assumes command of Confederate forces on the Rio Grande north of Fort Quitman, Texas, designating his troops as the Army of New Mexico.
- The Confederate government of Kentucky appoints representatives to the Confederate Provisional Congress.
December 16th
- In the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, General T.J. Jackson and the Stonewall Brigade leaves Winchester and marches 28 miles to Dam No. 5 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
December 17th
- In northern Virginia, at Dam No. 5 on the Cheasapeake and Ohio Canal, a detachment from the Stonewall Brigade begins to demolish the dam.
December 18th
- In northern Virginia, Union forces discover the Stonewall Brigade at Dam No. 5 at daylight; skirmishing continues for the rest of the day, which halts Confderate destruction of the dam.
December 19th
- In northern Virginia, the stalemate between local Union forces and the Stonewall Brigade continues at Dam No. 5.
December 20th
- In northern Virginia, at Dam No. 5, Stonewall Jackson feints upriver towards Dam No. 4, with the entire Union force moving upriver as well. Jackson then immediately returns to Dam No. 5 and completes the dam's destruction without interferrence.
- Battle of Dranesville, Virginia: A Confederate foragining expedition, commanded by Jeb Stuart, attack a Pennsylvania brigade commanded by E.O.C. Ord. After two hours, the Confederates retreat after losin 230 casualties; the Union forces lose 71 casualties.
December 21st
- In northern Virginia, T.J. Jackson and the Stonewall Brigade start on the return march to Winchester.
December 26th
- Battle of Chustenahlah, Oklahoma: Confederate Indian forces lead by Douglas Cooper attack and rout a force of pro-Union Indians lead by Chief Opothleyahola. The Unionist Indians then retreat northward into Kansas. This battle allows the Confederates to consolidate control of the Indian Territory.
- In Washinton, D.C., Abraham Lincoln and the cabinet decide to release James Mason and John Slidell.
December 28th
- Battle of Mount Zion Church, Missouri: A Union force commanded by Benjamin M. Prentiss attacks Missouri State Guard forces; after a short battle, the MSG force retreats, abandoning supplies and the wounded. This defeat slows MSG recruitin in central Missouri.
1862
January 10th
- Maryland becomes the fourth state to ratify the Corwin Amendment (this ratification would be recinded on April 7, 2014).
January 11th
- Henry Sibley's Confederate Army of New Mexico arrives at Mesilla, Arizona Territory (Union New Mexico Territory), joining John Baylor's battalion.
- In Washington, D.C., Union Secretery of War Simon Cameron offers his resignation, which Abraham Lincoln immediately accepts.
January 13th
- Ambrose Burnside arrives at Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina, and assumes command of the Union Department of North Carolina.
January 15th
- In Washington, D.C., Edwin Stanton is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of War.
January 22nd
- Confederates in Kentucky hold elections for the Confederate Congress.
February 11th
- In southwestern Missouri, the Union Army of the Southwest commanded by Samuel Curtis launches a campaign to drive Sterling Price's forces out of Missouri.
February 13th
- The Restorted Government of Virginia ratifies the Corwin Amendment.
February 17th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the fifth session of the Confederate Provisional Congress ends.
February 18th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the first session of the 1st Confederate States Congress begins.
February 22nd
- In Richmond, Virginia, Jefferson Davis is inagurated as President of the Confederate States.
February 23rd
- The Union Department of the Gulf is formed, consisting of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico west of Pensacola Harbor, Florida. The Department of Texas is merged with the new command.
March 2nd
- In the Boston Mountains of Arkansas, Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn arrives to take command of the combined Confederate forces of Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch, which Van Dorn designates as the Army of the West. He immediately plans for an offensive against Samuel Curtis's army.
March 11th
- The Union Department of Missouri is merged into the Department of the Mississippi.
March 13th
- The U.S. Congress directs Union forces to cease enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act.
March 18th
- Thomas Bragg resigns as Confederate Attorney General; he is replaced by Thomas H. Watts.
March 20th
- Union general Benjamin Butler task command of the Department of the Gulf.
April 3rd
- The U.S. Senate passes the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which would end slavery in the District of Columbia by paying owners for releasing their slaves.
April 6th
- Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee: Albert S. Johnson's Army of the Mississippi launches its attack on Grant's Army of the Tennessee near Shiloh Church, overrunning the initial Union positions and pushing the Union army towards Pittsburg Landing. However, the Confederates are stopped before completely destorying Grant's final defensive line; Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio arrives during the night. During the afternoon, Johnson is mortally wounded leading a Confederate charge against the Hornet's Nest, and command of the Confederate army passes to P.G.T. Beauregard.
April 7th
- Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee: Grant's and Buell's combined armies lead a counterattack against Beaureard's Confederates, slowly driving them back through the Union camps of the previous day. Early in the afternoon, Beauregard concludes that a Confederate victory is impossible and orders the army to retreat back towards Corinth, Mississippi.
During this second day of the battle, the Confederates suffer a political loss when the Confederate governor of Kentucky, George W. Johnson, is mortally wounded.
April 11th
- The U.S. House of Representatives passes the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act.
April 12th
- Great Locomotive Chase: In northern Georgia, a group of Union raiders, lead by civilian James J. Andrews, steal the locomotive The General in an attempt to damage the Western & Atlantic Railroad, in preparation to a Union advance on Chattanooga, Tenneessee. However, a pursuit lead by the locomotive's conductor, William Allen Fuller, prevent the raiders from causing permanent damage to the railroad and eventually the entire party is captured.
April 16th
- The Confedrate Congress passes the first conscription act. It extends the enlistments of all twelve month volunteers then in the Confederate army to three years or to the end of the war; all men between the ages of 18 and 35 are liable to be drafted for similar terms.
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the District of Columiba Compensated Emancipation Act.
April 21st
- In Richmond, Virginia, the first session of the 1st Confederate Congress ends.
May 1st
- In Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate Congress adopts the Second Confederate National Flag (nicknamed the "Stainless Banner").
May 31st
- Richard Hawes is sworn in as the Confederate governor of Kentucky while in Corinth, Mississippi.
June 7th
- In Atlanta, Georgia, Union raider James J. Andrews is hanged for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase; due to being a civilian, he was charged with being an unlawful combatant and a spy.
July 1st
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Revenue Act of 1862, which establishes the first progressive income tax in U.S. history; incomes of more than $600 a year are taxed at 3% and incomes above $10,000 a year are taxed at 5%.
July 6th
- Under orders from the Union War Department, Ambrose Burnside begins to transfer troops from the Department of North Carolina to Newport News, Virginia to reinforce George B. McClellan's army; Burnside also hands command of the department to John G. Foster.
July 15th
- At Park Hill, Cherokee Nation, Chief John Ross surrenders to Union forces and leaves for Kansas, with his family, a few supporters, and the tribal treasury and records.
July 17th
- In Washington, D.C., the second session of the 37th U.S. Congress ends.
July 22nd
- Ambrose Burnside's command at Newport News, Virginia is designated the Union IX Corps.
August 18th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the second session of the 1st Confederate States Congress begins.
August 21st
- At Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, the pro-Confederate faction of the tribe deposes John Ross and elects Stand Watie Principle Chief.
August 31st
- In the Cherokee Nation, the 1st and 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles are merged together under the command of Colonel Stand Watie, due to desertions in the 1st Regiment; the combined unit continues to use the designation of 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles.
September 17th
- At Sharpsburg, Maryland, the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg is fought to a tactical draw; casualties total 23,110 (12,410 Union and 10,700 Confederate), making this the bloodiest single day of the entire war.
October 11th
- The Confederate Congress passes the second conscription act; the age limit for the draft is changed from 35 to 45.
October 13th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the second session of the 1st Confederate Congress ends.
October 24th
- The Department of the Cumberland is created, consisting of Tennessee east of the Tennessee River and northern Alabama and Georgia; William S. Rosecrans is appointed commander.
November 21st
- James A. Seldon is appointed Confederate Secretery of War.
December 1st
- In Washington, D.C., the third session of the 37th U.S. Congress begins.
December 31st
- The U.S. Congress votes to admit West Virginia as a U.S. state, pending a presidential proclamation.
1863
January 1st
- U.S. president Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.
January 12th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the third session of the 1st Confederate States Congress begins.
January 25th
- In Virginia, Major General Ambrose Burnside is removed from command of the Army of the Potomac and replaced by Joseph Hooker.
February 23rd
- The U.S. territory of Arizona is organized from the territory of New Mexico.
March 3rd
- The U.S. territory of Idaho is organized from the territories of Dakota, Nebraska, and Washington.
- Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Enrollment Act (also called teh Conscription Act), allowing the federal government to draft men between the ages of 20 and 45.
- In Washington, D.C., the third session of the 37th U.S. Congress ends.
March 4th
- In Washington, D.C., a special session of the 38th U.S. Congress begins.
March 14th
- In Washington, D.C., a special session of the 38th U.S. Congress ends.
March 17th
- The remaining six Union raiders of the Great Locomotive Chase are exchanged for Confederate prisoners.
May 1st
- In Richmond, Virginia, the third session of the 1st Confederate States Congress ends.
June 2nd
- Illinois becomes the fifth and last state to ratify the Corwin Amendment (the Illinois state senate voted to recind this ratification on May 2nd, 2019).
June 3rd
- The Gettysburg Campaign begins as Richard Ewell's Second Corps starts marching towards Culpeper Court House, Virginia.
June 15th
- The first draft held under the March 1863 Enrollment Act starts as Lincoln calls for one hundred thousand men.
August 26th
- The Restored Government of Virginia relocates to Alexandria, Virginia.
September 10
- In Arkansas, Union forces occupy Little Rock.
October 1st
- In Richmond, Virginia, Thomas H. Watts resigns as Confederate Attorney General; Wade Keyes serves as temporary Attorney General.
October 16th
- The Union War Department reorganizes the forces in the Western Theater by creating the Military Division of the Mississippi, consisting of the Departments of the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee; Major General U.S. Grant is appointed commander.
December 7th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the fourth session of the 1st Confederate States Congress begins.
- In Washington, D.C., the first session of the 38th U.S. Congress begins.
1864
January 2nd
- In Richmond, Virginia, George Davis takes office as the fourth Confederate Attorney General.
January 6th
- The Union War Department issues General Order No. 14, creating the Department of Arkansas, which covers that state except for Fort Smith, which remains part of the Department of Kansas; the troops in the department are designated the VII Corps. Frederick Steele is appointed commander of the department and the corps.
February 17th
- The Confederate Congress passes the third conscription act; it changes the age limits for the draft from 17 to 50.
- In Richmond, Virginia, the fourth session of the 1st Confederate States Congress ends.
February 29th
- In Washington, D.C., U.S. Congres recreates the rank of lieutenant general in the Union army.
March 9th
- U.S. Grant is commissioned lieutenant general.
March 12th
- Union Secretary of War Edwin Stanton issues General Order No. 98, making U.S. Grant general-in-chief of the Union armies.
March 31st
- The Ohio legislature recinds its approval of the Corwin Amendment.
April 8th
- The U.S. Senate passes what would become the 13th Amendment to the Constitution by a vote of 38 to 6.
April 17th
- Fort Smith, Arkansas and the Indian Territory are transferred from the Union Department of Kansas to the Department of Arkansas.
May 2nd
- In Richmond, Virginia, the first session of the 2nd Confederate States Congress begins.
May 26th
- The Territory of Montana is organized from the territory of Idaho.
May 31st
- In Cleveland, Ohio, a group of disgruntled Radical Republicans convened to form the Radical Democracy Party. John C. Frémont is nominated for presidential, with John Cochrane nominated as vice president.
June 7th
- In Baltimore, Maryland, the Republican Party (renaming itself the National Union Party) convenes to nominate a presidental ticket.
June 8th
- In Baltimore, Maryland, the Republican National Convention re-nominates Abraham Lincoln as president on the first ballot; for vice president, Military Governor Andrew Johnson of Tennessee is nominated.
June 14th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the first session of the 2nd Confederate States Congress ends.
June 15th
- The U.S. House of Representatives fails to pass what would become the 13th Amendment by a vote of 93 to 65, short of the two-thirds majority necessary to pass it.
July 4th
- In Washington, D.C., the first session of the 38th U.S. Congress ends.
August 29th
- In Chicago, Illinois, the Democratic National Convention convenes; on this first day, the convention adopts a peace platform.
August 31st
- In Chicago, Illinois, George McClellan is nominated for president on the first ballot; for vice president, Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio is nominated on the second ballot.
September 19th
- Second Battle of Cabin Creek, Indian Territory: Confederate generals Stand Watie and Richard M. Ganoe capture a Union military train which was traveling to Fort Gibson.
September 21st
- Radical Democracy Party canidates John C. Frémont and John Cochrane withdraw from the 1864 U.S. presidential race.
October 19th
- Near Funchal, Madeira, the British ship Sea King of officially commissioned as the Confederate cruiser Shenandoah.
November 7th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the second session of the 2nd Confederate States Congress begins.
November 8th
- In the U.S. presidential election, Abraham Lincoln wins with 212 electoral votes and 55% of the popular vote.
- In elections to the U.S. Congress, the Republican Party retains control of both houses. The Senate is composed of 37 Republicans, 9 Democrats, and single members of the Unconditional Unionist Party and the Unionist Party, while the House of Representatives is composed of 137 Republicans, 18 Unionists, and 28 Democrats.
December 5th
- In Washington, D.C., the second session of the 38th U.S. Congress begins.
December 22nd
- Frederick Steele is relieved of command of the Union Department of Arkansas and replaced by Joseph J. Reynolds.
1865
January 17th
- The Department of the Ohio is merged with the Department of the Cumberland, with the enlarged department remaining under the command of Geore H. Thomas; after the merger, the department consisted of Kentucky, Tennessee east of the Tennessee River, and the parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi occupied by Thomas's troops.
January 31st
- The 13th Admendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, is passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 119 to 56 and sent to the states for ratifications.
February 1st
- Illinois becomes the first state to ratify the 13th Admendment.
February 2nd
- Rhode Island ratifies the 13th Admendment.
February 3rd
- Michigan, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia ratify the 13th Admendment.
February 6th
- The Union state government of Missouri ratifies the 13th Admendment.
February 7th
- Maine and Kansas approve the Thirteenth Amendment.
February 8th
- Massachusetts and Pennsylvania approve the Thirteenth Amendment, while Delaware rejects it.
March 3rd
- In Washington, D.C., the second session of the 38th U.S. Congress ends.
March 4th
- In Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for his second term in office; Andrew Johnson is sworn in as vice-president.
- A special session of the 39th U.S. Congress starts.
- In Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate Congress approves the Third Confederate National Flag, addin a red bar along the edge (resulting in the nickname of "Blood-Stained Banner").
March 8th
- Battle of New Bern, North Carolina: Confederate General Braxton Bragg attacks Union forces commanded by Jacob D. Cox.
March 9th
- Battle of Monroe's Crossroads, North Carolina: Confederate cavalry commanded by Wade Hampton and Joseph Wheeler suprises and routs Judson Kilpatrick's Union cavalry division. However, Kilpatrick manages to raly his men and recapture the Union camps.
- Vermont approves the Thirteenth Amendment.
March 11th
- In Washington, D.C., the special session of the 39th U.S. Congress ends.
March 13th
- The Confederate Congress authorizes the enlistment of slaves into the Confederate army.
March 16th
- New Jersey rejects the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (this would be overturned on January 23rd, 1866).
March 18th
- In Richmond, Virginia, the second session of the 2nd Confederate States Congress ends.
April 14th
- In Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater. At the same time, other conspirators attacked and severly wounded Secretary of State William H. Seward. Booth manages to escape during the night into Virginia.
April 15th
- In Washington, D.C., Lincoln dies at 7:22 am; Vice President Andrew Johnson is sworn in as president by Chief Justice Salmon Chase between 10 and 11 am.
April 21st
- Abraham Lincoln's funeral train left Washington, D.C. for a tour of the North before eventually arriving in Illinois.
April 24th
- Lincoln's body lies in state in New York City.
- In North Carolina, William Sherman is informed that the terms given to Joseph Johnston are unacceptable to the Union government; Johnson is then given 48 hours to re-negotiate his surrender.
April 26th
- North of Bowling Green, Virginia, Union cavalrymen surround John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold on the Garrett farm. After Herold surrenders, Booth is fatally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett.
- In North Carolina, Sherman and Johnston met again and agree to the same terms given to Robert E. Lee at Appomattox.
April 27th
- On the Mississippi River north of Memphis, Tenneessee, the steamer Sultana blows up due to faulty boilers; while the exact death toll is unknown, estimates range from 931 up to 1,238 deaths, out of the 2,139 passangers on board at the time.
- In South Carolina, Jefferson Davis accepts the resignation of Treasury Secretary G.A. Trenholm.
April 28th
- Abraham Lincoln's body lies in state in Cleveland, Ohio, where it was viewed by over fifty thousand people.
- Jefferson Davis meets with his cabinet in Charlotte, North Carolina and agree on an attempt to escape across the Mississippi River and continue the war. Attorney General George Davis resigns and returns to his home.
April 30th
- Near Mobile, Alabama, Union Major General E.R.S. Canby meets with Confederate Lieutenant General Richard Taylor to discuss the surrender of Taylor's Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana.
May 1st
- Lincoln's body lies in state in Chicago, being viewed by thousands of mourners.
May 3rd
- Jefferson Davis and his party reach Washington, Georgia, where Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin and Secretary of the Navy Stephen R. Mallory resign.
May 4th
- Abraham Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois.
- At Citronelle, Alabama, Richard Taylor surrenders the Confederate Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana to E.R.S. Canby.
May 9th
- The trial of the Lincoln conspirators start in Washington, D.C.
May 10th
- Near Taylorsville, Kentucky, guerilla William C. Quantrill is mortally wounded in a skirmish with Union troops.
- Near Irwinville, Georgia, Jefferson C. Davis is captured by a Union cavalry detachment from the 4th Michigan Cavalry.
May 19th
- Jefferson Davis arrives at Fort Monroe, Virginia to be imprisoned while awaiting trial.
May 23rd
- The Grand Review begins in Washington, D.C., as the Army of the Potomac marches down Pennsylvania Avenue.
May 24th
- In Washington, D.C., the Grand review concludes as the Armies of Georgia and the Tennessee march down Pennyslania Avenue.
May 25th
- In Mobile, Alabama, ordanince being stored at a warehouse explodes, demolishing the warehouse and damaging another 68 buildings. A court of inquiry listed military casualties as 44 wounded and 111 killed or missing; the exact number of civilian casualties are unknown, with an estimated one hundred to two hundred killed and at least 150 injured.
June 3rd
- Confederate naval forces on the Red River (Transmississippi Theater) officially surrendered.
June 15th
- U.S. President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation declaring the end of the war in Tennessee.
June 19th
- The Choctaw Nation surrendered to Union forces at Doaksville, Indian Territory
June 23rd
- Confederate General Stand Watie surrenders his forces (including the Cherokees, Creeks, Seminoles, and Osages) at Doakville, Indian Territory.
July 14th
- The Chicksaw Nation and the Caddos tribe surrender to Union authorities.
September 8th
- At Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs Dennis N. Cooley meets with the Indian tribes then living east of the Rocky Mountains for the Fort Smith Council; the main purpose of the council was to come to terms with those tribes that had sided with the Confederate States.
October 18th
- In North Carolina, the state legislature formally repeals the articles of secession.
November 6th
- Lieutenant Commander James Weddell surrenders the C.S.S. Shenandoah to British authorities in Liverpool, United Kingdom; the ship's flag is the last sovereign Confederate flag to be officially furled.
November 10th
- In Washington, D.C., Confederate Major Henry Wirz is hanged for reponsibility of the conditions of Camp Sumter (the Andersonville POW camp), becoming one of two people convicted of war crimes committed during the Civil War.
December 4th
- In Washington, D.C., the first session of the 39th U.S. Congress begins.
December 4th
- North Carolina passes the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
December 6th
- Georgia becomes the 27th state to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, meeting the three-fourths requirement to make the amendment part of the Constitution.
December 8th
- Oregon becomes the 28th state to pass the 13th Amendment.
December 18th
- U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward certifies that the 13th Amendment had been ratified by three-fourths of the states, making it part of the U.S. constitution.
December 19th
- California passes the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
December 28th
- Florida passes the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1866
January 1st
January 18th
- Iowa passes the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
January 23rd
- New Jersey passes the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constituion, after having rejected it on March 18th, 1865.
February 2nd
March 13th
March 27th
April 2nd
- U.S. President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation declaring the end of the war in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Tennesse, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
April 6th
April 9th
- The U.S. House of Representatives overrides Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
April 28th
- The Choctaw Nation signs a peace treaty with the U.S. Government; among other things, it provides for the adoption or else relocation of the tribe's former slaves, the creation of local U.S. courts, and the creation of railroad right-of-ways.
May 10th
- Former Confederate president Jefferson Davis is indicted for treason in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Virginia.
June 5th
- The U.S. government announces that the Atlantic Squadron would be reduced from 600 ships to 90 ships.
June 8th
- The U.S. Senate passes the 14th Amendment to the Constitution on a vote of 33 to 11 (with five members absent).
June 13th
- The U.S. House of Representatives passes the 14th Amendment on a vote of 138 to 36 (with ten members not voting) and sends it to the states for ratification.
June 14th
- The U.S. Government and the Creek tribe agree to terms of Reconstruction.
June 20th
- The Union Military Division of the Tennessee is created, consisting of the Departments of Kentucky, the Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; George H. Thomas is appointed commander, with his headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
June 27th
- The Department of California is formed from the Department of the Pacific, consisting of the states of California and Nevada, and the territories of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico; Irvin McDowell is appointed commander.
- The Department of the Columbia is formed from the Department of the Pacific, consisting of the state of Oregon and the territories of Washington and Idaho; Horatio G. Wright is appointed commander, with his headquaters at Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory.
- The Military Division of the Pacific is created, consisting of the Departments of California and the Columbia; Henry W. Halleck is appointed commander, with his headquaters in San Francisco, California.
June 30th
- Connecticut becomes the first state to ratify the 14th Amendment.
July 6th
- New Hampshire becomes the second state to ratify the 14th Amendment.
July 18th
- Tennessee ratifies the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
July 19th
- The U.S. Government and the Cherokee Nation agree to terms of Reconstruction.
July 24th
- Tennessee is re-admitted to the Union, becoming the first former Confederate state to do so.
July 28th
- In Washington, D.C., the first session of the 39th U.S. Congress ends.
Auust 20th
- U.S. President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation declaring the end of the war in Texas.
September 11th
- New Jersey ratifies the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
September 19th
- Oregon ratifies the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
October 30th
- Vermont ratifies the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
December 3rd
- In Washington, D.C., the second session of the 39th U.S. Congress begins.