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Abraham Lincoln
Civil War Encyclopedia >> People - Union Political
| February 12, 1809 | Abraham Lincoln born, Hardin County, Kentucky | Kentucky |
| December 18, 1816 | [circa] Abraham Lincoln's family completes their move to Indiana (near Vincennes, where the Wabash River forms the border of Indiana and Illinois) | Indiana Kentucky |
| March 15, 1830 | Abraham Lincoln moves to Macon County, Illinois, about 10 miles south of Decatur | Indiana Illinois |
| March 9, 1832 | Abraham Lincoln announces his candidacy for the Illinois House | Illinois |
| July 10, 1832 | Lincoln's militia unit is mustered out, ending his involvement in the Blackhawk War | Illinois |
| August 6, 1832 | Abraham Lincoln is defeated in a run for the Illinois House | Illinois |
| August 4, 1834 | Abraham Lincoln elected to the Illinois House | Illinois |
| September 12, 1849 | Abraham Lincoln writes a letter to John M. Clayton, rejecting President Zachary Taylor's offer for Lincoln to become territorial governor of Oregon | Oregon |
| Zachary Taylor | ||
| June 15, 1858 | Abraham Lincoln makes his "House Divided" speech before the Illinois Republican Convention to kick off his senatorial run against Stephen Douglas | Illinois |
| A House Divided [Full Text] | ||
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| August 21, 1858 | First of seven Lincoln-Douglas debates | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| August 27, 1858 | Second Lincoln-Douglas debate, Freeport, Illinois | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| September 15, 1858 | Third Lincoln-Douglas debate | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| September 18, 1858 | Fourth Lincoln-Douglas debate, Charleston, Illinois | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| October 7, 1858 | Fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate, Galesburg, Illinois | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| October 13, 1858 | Sixth Lincoln-Douglas debate, Quincy, Illinois | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| October 15, 1858 | Seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate, Alton, Illinois | Illinois |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| February 27, 1860 | After being photographed by Matthew Brady, Abraham Lincoln speaks at the Cooper Institute in New York City. | New York |
| The Election of 1860 | ||
| May 16, 1860 May 18, 1860 |
Republican Convention is held in Chicago, Illinois. William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase and Abraham Lincoln of Illinois are the leading contenders from a field of 12 candidates. Lincoln wins on the third ballot. Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, an outspoken, long-time abolitionist is chosen for vice-president. | Illinois |
| The Election of 1860 | ||
| Salmon P. Chase | ||
| 1860 Republican Convention | ||
| William Seward | ||
| November 6, 1860 | Republican Abraham Lincoln wins the Presidential election with 39.7% of the vote, defeating Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge and John Bell. | |
| Stephen A. Douglas | ||
| Causes of the Civil War | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| The Election of 1860 | ||
| December 22, 1860 | Lincoln's opposition to a section of the Crittenden Compromise becomes public, ending the proposal's potential as a possible solution | |
| February 11, 1861 | As President-elect Abraham Lincoln begins his journey to Washington D. C. from Springfield, Illinois, President-elect Jefferson Davis journeys from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Montgomery, Alabama to accept the Presidency of the Confederate States. | Mississippi Alabama Illinois |
| Jefferson Davis | ||
| Convention of Seceding States | ||
| February 11, 1861 | The Electoral College begins to meet amid fears of a show of force against the election of Abraham Lincoln. General Winfield Scott reinforces the city and the meeting occurs as planned. Vice-president John C. Breckinridge declares Lincoln the winner of the Election of 1860 | |
| John Breckinridge | ||
| Winfield Scott | ||
| The Election of 1860 | ||
| February 13, 1861 | The U. S. Electoral College makes Lincoln's win official | |
| The Election of 1860 | ||
| February 20, 1861 | President-elect Abraham Lincoln and Vice-president Elect Hannibal Hamlin of Maine meet in New York City | Maine New York |
| February 22, 1861 February 23, 1861 |
Under the watchful eyes of Allan Pinkerton, Abraham Lincoln travels in secrecy to Washington, D. C. Pinkerton had been worried about the trip through Baltimore, Maryland, a Southern-leaning city | Maryland |
| Washington D. C. | ||
| February 25, 1861 | President-Elect Lincoln meets with both houses of Congress | |
| March 4, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated President of the United States. 7 states had already seceded. | |
| March 29, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln decides to reinforce Fort Sumter. | |
| Fort Sumter | ||
| April 6, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln sends a message to Governor Pickens informing him that Fort Sumter will be reprovisioned and that if the effort is resisted the fort will be reinforced | South Carolina |
| Fort Sumter | ||
| April 15, 1861 | President Lincoln calls for 75,000 voluteers for three months service to deal with the "insurrection." | |
| April 19, 1861 | Surprising most people, Lincoln calls for a blockade of Southern ports, a major element of Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan | |
| Winfield Scott | ||
| April 27, 1861 | Lincoln extends the blockade to include Virginia and North Carolina | Virginia North Carolina |
| September 11, 1861 | President Lincoln orders John C. Fremont to rescind his order freeing some slaves in Missouri and issue a new order conforming to the Confiscation Act passed by Congress | Missouri |
| John C. Fremont | ||
| The Emancipation of Slaves | ||
| Committee on the Conduct of the War | ||
| October 4, 1861 | President Lincoln views a tethered hot-air balloon ascent outside Washington D. C. The balloon was considered a top secret observation instrument to be used for observation during battles | |
| December 9, 1861 | Clement Vallandigham sends a resolution to Abraham Lincoln, asking for "all proclamations, or orders... relating to the pending contest" | Ohio |
| Clement Vallandigham | ||
| December 21, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln signs a bill creating the Navy Medal of Honor, America's first medal. It is to be presented to sailors or marines who "...distinguish themselves by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities..." | |
| Civil War Firsts | ||
| December 23, 1861 | At a Cabinet meeting President Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward present their response to the British note protesting the Trent Affair | |
| Trent Affair | ||
| January 10, 1862 | With McClellan ill, Abraham Lincoln calls a White House meeting with Irvin McDowell, William Franklin, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton, and Thomas Scott. Lincoln told them "..if McClellan is not going to use the Army anytime soon, I would like to borrow it." | |
| George McClellan | ||
| Edwin Stanton | ||
| Salmon P. Chase | ||
| February 20, 1862 | William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln dies. The 12-year-old son of U. S. President Abraham Lincoln probably had typhoid fever. | |
| March 3, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln appoints Andrew Johnson to be military governor of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| March 6, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln proposes that slaves in the border states be emancipated gradually, with compensation to the owners | |
| March 8, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln, chagrined at George McClellan for not appointing corps commanders, names Edwin Vose Sumnner, Samuel Heintzelman, Erasmus Keyes and Irvin McDowell for him. | |
| Irvin McDowell | ||
| George McClellan | ||
| Edwin Vose Sumner | ||
| Samuel Heintzelman | ||
| March 11, 1862 | President Lincoln relieves George McClellan as General-in-Chief of the U. S. Army. He continues as commander of the Army of the Potomac | |
| General-in-Chief, U. S. Army | ||
| George McClellan | ||
| Army of the Potomac | ||
| April 16, 1862 | President Lincoln signs legislation freeing the estimated 3,500 slaves in Washington, D. C. | |
| Washington D. C. | ||
| May 19, 1862 | Lincoln rescinds David Hunter's emancipation of the slaves in his department and uses the opportunity to call for a gradual emancipation | |
| The Emancipation of Slaves | ||
| May 20, 1862 | Lincoln signs the Homestead Act, giving citizens 21 years or older the right to buy 160 acres of land in the West | |
| June 19, 1862 | Lincoln signs the bill forbidding slavery in U. S. Territories | |
| July 1, 1862 | President Lincoln signs a bill incorporating the Union Pacific Railroad and subsidizing it with federal funds | |
| July 2, 1862 | Lincoln issues a call for 300,000 3-year enlistments | |
| July 8, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln visits with George McClellan at Harrison's Landing | Virginia |
| George McClellan | ||
| July 11, 1862 | President Lincoln names Henry Halleck General-in-Chief | |
| General-in-Chief, U. S. Army | ||
| Henry Halleck | ||
| July 22, 1862 | President Lincoln presents his Emancipation Proclaimation to his Cabinet. William Seward recommends waiting until a victory to present it to the public. | |
| William Seward | ||
| Emancipation Proclamation | ||
| The Emancipation of Slaves | ||
| Salmon P. Chase | ||
| September 22, 1862 | Following the preemptive strike at Antietam President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in states or portions of states still in rebellion on January 1, 1863 | |
| Emancipation Proclamation | ||
| The Emancipation of Slaves | ||
| October 1, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln visits Harper's Ferry on his way to Antietam | Virginia West Virginia |
| October 2, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln arrives at George McClellan's headquarters in Sharpsburg | Maryland |
| November 5, 1862 | Lincoln orders McClellan to be releived of command because he did not pursue Lee following the Confederate loss at Antietam | |
| George McClellan | ||
| December 1, 1862 | On the first day of the new Congress President Abraham Lincoln proposes 3 amendments to the U. S. Constitution. First, all slaves would be gradually emancipated until 1900. Second, slaves freed during the war would remain free. Third, the United States would pay for consensual colonization | |
| January 4, 1863 | Lincoln and Halleck order Ulysses S. Grant to rescind Special Order 11 | |
| Henry Halleck | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| January 25, 1863 | Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside [US} from command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. | |
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Army of the Potomac | ||
| January 26, 1863 | In a letter to Joe Hooker, President Lincoln states that Hooker "...thwarted him (Burnside) as much as you could..." | |
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Letter, Abraham Lincoln to Joseph Hooker | ||
| February 13, 1863 | President Lincoln is visited by diminutive circus act General Tom Thumb and his wife. | |
| February 26, 1863 | The National Currency Act was signed into law by President Lincoln, creating a national banking system, a Currency Bureau and the office of Comptroller of the Currency. The act's goal was to establish a single currency. | |
| March 3, 1863 | The Conscription Act (National Enrollment Act of 1863) is signed into law by President Lincoln. Congress requires quotas of draftees by state, but allows wealthy Americans the right to buy their way out of service for $300.00. Also called the Draft Act or any number of variations. | |
| April 5, 1863 | After sailing from Washington, D. C. to Fredericksburg, Abraham Lincoln meets with Joe Hooker to discuss strategy in Virginia. | |
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| April 20, 1863 | Lincoln proclaims that West Virginia would join the Union on June 20, 1863 | West Virginia |
| May 22, 1863 | Abraham Lincoln offers command of the Army of the Potomac to Darius Couch. Couch refuses, but recommends George Meade. | |
| Darius Couch | ||
| George Meade | ||
| June 4, 1863 | Abraham Lincoln suggests the ban on the Chicago Times be lifted and Edwin Stanton orders Ambrose Burnsides to do it | |
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Edwin Stanton | ||
| August 10, 1863 | President Lincoln meets with former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Among the topics discussed are the treatment and pay of black soldiers in the U. S. Army | |
| Frederick Douglass | ||
| September 21, 1863 | Mortally wounded at Chickamauga, Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin "Ben" Hardin Helms dies. He was Abraham Lincoln's brother-in-law. | Georgia |
| Battle of Chickamauga | ||
| Generals Who Died In the Civil War | ||
| September 23, 1863 | President Lincoln orders the 11th and 12th Corps to Stevenson, Alabama to relieve the Army of the Cumberland surrounded in Chattanooga. | |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| September 26, 1863 | President Lincoln and members of his Administration are distressed that troop movements aiding General Rosecrans in Chattanooga are published in the New York Post. | |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| October 3, 1863 | President Lincoln calls for a national day of Thanksgiving at the end of November. | |
| November 2, 1863 | President Lincoln is invited to make a few remarks at the dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg | Pennsylvania |
| November 9, 1863 | President Abraham Lincoln goes to a play, The Marble Heart. John Wilkes Booth stars. | |
| November 12, 1863 | In response to former Louisiana Congressman Benjamin Flanders, Lincoln states "...the act of secession is legally nothing and needs no repealing." | Louisiana |
| November 18, 1863 | President Abraham Lincoln, William Seward and Frank Blair, along with diplomats, foreign visitors, a military guard and a Marine band leave Washington D. C. on a "special" 4-car train organized by the B&O Railroad | Pennsylvania |
| William Seward | ||
| November 19, 1863 | At the dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg President Lincoln delivers a two-minute speech. Immediately following the speech he calls it a "flat failure." The speech is known today as the Gettysburg Address | Pennsylvania |
| Gettysburg Address [Full Text] | ||
| Civil War National Cemeteries | ||
| December 8, 1863 | Proclaimation of Amnesty and Reconstruction offers a full pardon to any Southerner who participated in the rebellion as long as they took a "prescibed oath" | |
| February 10, 1864 | President Lincoln tries to rescue 6 horses from the White House stables during a fire. He is unsuccessful | |
| February 22, 1864 | Crisis in the Lincoln Administration over the Pomeroy Circular backing Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase as Republican candidate for President in the 1864 elections | |
| Salmon P. Chase | ||
| March 21, 1864 | Abraham Lincoln signs legislation allowing Nevada and Colorado to become states even though they don't meet population requirements | |
| May 20, 1864 | President Lincoln signs the legislation creating the Official Records | |
| Official Records | ||
| June 8, 1864 | The Republican National Convention nominates Abraham Lincoln to run for President and Andrew Johnson to run for Vice-President | Maryland |
| Election of 1864 | ||
| August 19, 1864 | President Lincoln meets with Frederick Douglass for a second time. He asks for Douglass's assistance in moving slaves north in case the war is unsuccessful | |
| Frederick Douglass | ||
| November 8, 1864 | Republican Abraham Lincoln defeats Democrat George McClellan to serve a second term as President of the United States. Andrew Johnson, a unionist from Tennessee is his Vice President | |
| Election of 1864 | ||
| George McClellan | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| February 3, 1865 | On the River Queen five men, US President Abraham Lincoln, US Secretary of State William Seward, CS Vice-president Alexander Stephens, along with John Campbell and RMT Hunter discuss peace terms at the Hampton Roads Conference near Fort Monroe. The conference was a failure. | Virginia |
| Hampton Roads | ||
| William Seward | ||
| Alexander Stephens | ||
| March 3, 1865 | Abraham Lincoln issues instructions on surrender discussions. He gives Grant wide-ranging powers on military matters, but reserves political matters for himself | |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| March 4, 1865 | Lincoln outlines his second term talking directly to the Confederate people "...with malice toward none; with charity for all..." Andrew Johnson, replacing Henry Hamlin as Vice-president gives a rambling, drunk speech. He had been given too much whiskey as medicine by a doctor. | |
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech [Full Text] | ||
| March 23, 1865 | Abraham Lincoln leaves Washington for Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters in City Point. | Virginia |
| March 27, 1865 | Lincoln held a council of war with Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and David Porter on the River Queen at City Point | |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| David Porter | ||
| April 4, 1865 | President Lincoln visits Richmond, walking to the Confederate White House among cheering crowds, mostly freed slaves. A detachment of 10 men protected him. | Virginia |
| Richmond, Virginia | ||
| April 14, 1865 | United States President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated on Good Friday by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theatre, Washington, D. C. | |
| Ford's Theater | ||
| Washington D. C. | ||
| April 15, 1865 | Abraham Lincoln dies in a boardinghouse opposite Ford's Theater. Andrew Johnson takes the oath of office. | |
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| April 19, 1865 | The nation mourns U. S. President Abraham Lincoln at his funeral in Washington, D. C. | |
| Washington D. C. |
Abraham Lincoln
Nicknames: Abe Lincoln, Honest Abe
Brother-in-Law to Benjamin Hardin [CS], who died at the Battle of Chickamauga.
The Lincoln Log
Links appearing on this page:
Nicknames: Abe Lincoln, Honest Abe
Brother-in-Law to Benjamin Hardin [CS], who died at the Battle of Chickamauga.
The Lincoln Log
Links appearing on this page:
Civil War Encyclopedia >> People - Union Political
Abraham Lincoln was last changed on - December 11, 2007
Abraham Lincoln was added in 2005
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