Key Figures and Events of the American Civil War

Front

Abraham Lincoln

Back

President of the Union during the Civil War. Delivered the Gettysburg Address and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Front

Jefferson Davis

Back

President of the Confederate States. Advocated for states' rights and preserving slavery.

Front

Ulysses S. Grant

Back

Top Union general who led the North to victory. Accepted the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

Front

Robert E. Lee

Back

Commander of the Confederate Army. Known for his military strategy and leadership in battles like Gettysburg.

Front

William T. Sherman

Back

Union general known for his "March to the Sea," a campaign through Georgia to break the South's will to fight.

Front

Stonewall Jackson

Back

Skilled Confederate general known for fearlessness in battle. Nicknamed at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Front

Battle of Gettysburg

Back

Fought in 1863; a turning point in the war. The Union victory stopped Lee's invasion of the North.

Front

Battle of Antietam

Back

Fought in 1862; the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history. Led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Front

Battle of Vicksburg

Back

Fought in 1863; gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two.

Front

Battle of Fort Sumter

Back

April 1861; first shots of the Civil War. Confederate forces attacked a Union fort in South Carolina.