TIME LINE 1861
January 1861 -- The South Secedes.
When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South
Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to
remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. The
secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states -- Mississippi,
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of secession by four more --
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the
Confederate States of America.
February 1861 -- The South Creates a Government.
At a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, the seven seceding states created the Confederate
Constitution, a document similar to the United States Constitution, but with greater stress on the
autonomy of each state. Jefferson Davis was named provisional president of the Confederacy
until elections could be held.
February 1861 -- The South Seizes Federal Forts.
When President Buchanan -- Lincoln's predecessor -- refused to surrender southern federal
forts to the seceding states, southern state troops seized them. At Fort Sumter, South Carolina
troops repulsed a supply ship trying to reach federal forces based in the fort. The ship was
forced to return to New York, its supplies undelivered.
March 1861 -- Lincoln's Inauguration.
At Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, the new president said he had no plans to end slavery in
those states where it already existed, but he also said he would not accept secession. He hoped
to resolve the national crisis without warfare.
April 1861 -- Attack on Fort Sumter.
When President Lincoln planned to send supplies to Fort Sumter, he alerted the state in
advance, in an attempt to avoid hostilities. South Carolina, however, feared a trick; the
commander of the fort, Robert Anderson, was asked to surrender immediately. Anderson
offered to surrender, but only after he had exhausted his supplies. His offer was rejected, and on
April 12, the Civil War began with shots fired on the fort. Fort Sumter eventually was
surrendered to South Carolina.
April 1861 -- Four More States Join the Confederacy.
The attack on Fort Sumter prompted four more states to join the Confederacy. With Virginia's
secession, Richmond was named the Confederate capitol.
June 1861 -- West Virginia Is Born.
Residents of the western counties of Virginia did not wish to secede along with the rest of the
state. This section of Virginia was admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia on June
20, 1863.
June 1861 -- Four Slave States Stay in the Union.
Despite their acceptance of slavery, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri did not join
the Confederacy. Although divided in their loyalties, a combination of political maneuvering and
Union military pressure kept these states from seceding.
July 1861 -- First Battle of Bull Run.
Public demand pushed General-in-Chief Winfield Scott to advance on the South before
adequately training his untried troops. Scott ordered General Irvin McDowell to advance on
Confederate troops stationed at Manassas Junction, Virginia. McDowell attacked on July 21, and
was initially successful, but the introduction of Confederate reinforcements resulted in a
Southern victory and a chaotic retreat toward Washington by federal troops.
July 1861 -- General McDowell Is Replaced.
Suddenly aware of the threat of a protracted war and the army's need for organization and
training, Lincoln replaced McDowell with General George B. McClellan.
July 1861 -- A Blockade of the South.
To blockade the coast of the Confederacy effectively, the federal navy had to be improved.
By July, the effort at improvement had made a difference and an effective blockade had begun.
The South responded by building small, fast ships that could outmaneuver Union vessels.
November 1861 -- Port Royal, South Carolina
On November 7, 1861, Captain Samuel F. Dupont's warships silenced Confederate guns in
Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard. This victory enabled General Thomas W. Sherman's troops
to occupy first Port Royal and then all the famous Sea Islands of South Carolina, where Timothy
H. O'Sullivan recorded them making themselves at home.
This page last updated September 23, 1997
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