1861
- Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4; six weeks later, the Civil War began.
- Civil War began April 12 with the firing on Fort Sumter by Confederate troops.
- Four more states (in addition to the previous seven) seceded after war was declared, forming the Confederate States of America.
- The First Battle of Bull Run, the first major contest of the Civil War, ended in a Confederate victory.
1862
- The Confederacy started to draft soldiers to meet the demand for troops.
- The Battle of Antietam occurred in Maryland on September 17, 1862. It was the bloodiest single-day battle of the war.
- Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on September 23, following the Union victory at Antietam.
1863
- From July 1 to 3, 1863, 92,000 Union troops fought 76,000 Confederates at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
- The fate of the Confederacy was sealed on July 4 with Union victories at Gettysburg.
- The war continued for two more years as the South sought independence and Lincoln demanded union.
- The Union started to draft soldiers to meet the demand for troops.
1864
- Ulysses S. Grant was appointed commander of the Union army following Vicksburg.
- Grant crafted a more aggressive military strategy against the South.
- Grant successfully battled against the South's General Robert E. Lee.
1865
- Union troops captured Richmond and surrounded Lee in April.
- On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
- On April 15, 1865, President Lincoln was assassinated, and Vice-President Andrew Johnson assumed office.