April 12, 1861: The Civil War Begins On this day in 1861, General Pierre G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter and remained there for thirty-three hours until the fort was surrendered.  Early on, the southern states wanted to secede from the nation due to conflicting opinions regarding slavery between the north and south. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected, it incited the southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. When the Confederates took over Fort Sumter, President Lincoln declared war.   The Civil War lasted until 1865 with about 620,000 casualties.  Explore this historical event further with Ken Burns’s The Civil War photo gallery.Image: Md. Allan Pinkerton, President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand (Library of Congress)
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April 12, 1861: The Civil War Begins

On this day in 1861, General Pierre G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter and remained there for thirty-three hours until the fort was surrendered. 

Early on, the southern states wanted to secede from the nation due to conflicting opinions regarding slavery between the north and south. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected, it incited the southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. When the Confederates took over Fort Sumter, President Lincoln declared war.  

The Civil War lasted until 1865 with about 620,000 casualties. 

Explore this historical event further with Ken Burns’s The Civil War photo gallery.

Image: Md. Allan Pinkerton, President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand (Library of Congress)

Dec. 20, 1864: Confederate Troops Flee Savannah and Union Army On this day in 1864, Confederate forces left Savannah, Georgia, escaping Union General William T. Sherman’s troops. A day later, Sherman accepted the Savannah mayor’s surrender and sent President Lincoln a telegraph, presenting Lincoln with the “Christmas gift of the City of Savannah.” A month earlier, Sherman had begun his “March to the Sea,” beginning in Atlanta, Georgia. After capturing Savannah, he turned his armies northward. Sherman’s men fought through South Carolina, and on into North Carolina, laying waste to not only military supplies, bridges, and railroads, but homes, farms, and livestock. By the time the Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865, Sherman had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, leaving destruction in his wake.Read General William T. Sherman’s biography, by way of American Experience.
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Dec. 20, 1864: Confederate Troops Flee Savannah and Union Army On this day in 1864, Confederate forces left Savannah, Georgia, escaping Union General William T. Sherman’s troops. A day later, Sherman accepted the Savannah mayor’s surrender and sent President Lincoln a telegraph, presenting Lincoln with the “Christmas gift of the City of Savannah.” A month earlier, Sherman had begun his “March to the Sea,” beginning in Atlanta, Georgia. After capturing Savannah, he turned his armies northward. Sherman’s men fought through South Carolina, and on into North Carolina, laying waste to not only military supplies, bridges, and railroads, but homes, farms, and livestock. By the time the Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865, Sherman had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, leaving destruction in his wake.Read General William T. Sherman’s biography, by way of American Experience.
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Dec. 20, 1864: Confederate Troops Flee Savannah and Union Army On this day in 1864, Confederate forces left Savannah, Georgia, escaping Union General William T. Sherman’s troops. A day later, Sherman accepted the Savannah mayor’s surrender and sent President Lincoln a telegraph, presenting Lincoln with the “Christmas gift of the City of Savannah.” A month earlier, Sherman had begun his “March to the Sea,” beginning in Atlanta, Georgia. After capturing Savannah, he turned his armies northward. Sherman’s men fought through South Carolina, and on into North Carolina, laying waste to not only military supplies, bridges, and railroads, but homes, farms, and livestock. By the time the Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865, Sherman had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, leaving destruction in his wake.Read General William T. Sherman’s biography, by way of American Experience.
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Dec. 20, 1864: Confederate Troops Flee Savannah and Union Army On this day in 1864, Confederate forces left Savannah, Georgia, escaping Union General William T. Sherman’s troops. A day later, Sherman accepted the Savannah mayor’s surrender and sent President Lincoln a telegraph, presenting Lincoln with the “Christmas gift of the City of Savannah.” A month earlier, Sherman had begun his “March to the Sea,” beginning in Atlanta, Georgia. After capturing Savannah, he turned his armies northward. Sherman’s men fought through South Carolina, and on into North Carolina, laying waste to not only military supplies, bridges, and railroads, but homes, farms, and livestock. By the time the Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865, Sherman had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, leaving destruction in his wake.Read General William T. Sherman’s biography, by way of American Experience.
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Dec. 20, 1864: Confederate Troops Flee Savannah and Union Army

On this day in 1864, Confederate forces left Savannah, Georgia, escaping Union General William T. Sherman’s troops. A day later, Sherman accepted the Savannah mayor’s surrender and sent President Lincoln a telegraph, presenting Lincoln with the “Christmas gift of the City of Savannah.” A month earlier, Sherman had begun his “March to the Sea,” beginning in Atlanta, Georgia.

After capturing Savannah, he turned his armies northward. Sherman’s men fought through South Carolina, and on into North Carolina, laying waste to not only military supplies, bridges, and railroads, but homes, farms, and livestock. By the time the Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865, Sherman had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, leaving destruction in his wake.

Read General William T. Sherman’s biography, by way of American Experience.

Source: to.pbs.org

December 6, 1865: 13th Amendment is Ratified On this day in 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and adopted into the United States Constitution, formally abolishing slavery across the country. Test your knowledge of the events that led to this important moment in history. How much do you already know? Take a quick quiz to test your knowledge! Image: Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, 1865 (Library of Congress)
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December 6, 1865: 13th Amendment is Ratified

On this day in 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and adopted into the United States Constitution, formally abolishing slavery across the country.

Test your knowledge of the events that led to this important moment in history. How much do you already know? Take a quick quiz to test your knowledge!

Image: Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, 1865 (Library of Congress)

Source: to.pbs.org

November 19, 1863: Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. The speech reflected Lincoln’s redefined conviction that the Civil War was not just a fight to maintain the Union but also a struggle for freedom and equality for all. Although the speech consisted of only 272 words, it remains one of the most powerful and memorable discourses in American history. Read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on Ken Burns’s “The Civil War” site.   Photo: Only known and confirmed photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg, Library of Congress
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November 19, 1863: Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address

On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War.

The speech reflected Lincoln’s redefined conviction that the Civil War was not just a fight to maintain the Union but also a struggle for freedom and equality for all. Although the speech consisted of only 272 words, it remains one of the most powerful and memorable discourses in American history.

Read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on Ken Burns’s “The Civil War” site.  

Photo: Only known and confirmed photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg, Library of Congress

Source: to.pbs.org

October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee Dies On this day in 1870, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, died peacefully at his home at the age of 63. When the Civil War began in 1861, Lee sided with the Confederacy and assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia the following year. Lee became known for his strategic war tactics and strong leadership on the battlefield. In 1865, however, Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. To learn more about the life of this central character of the Civil War, explore this American Experience Robert E. Lee photo gallery, which exhibits Lee’s life from childhood to famous general. Photo: Library of Congress
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October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee Dies

On this day in 1870, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, died peacefully at his home at the age of 63.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Lee sided with the Confederacy and assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia the following year. Lee became known for his strategic war tactics and strong leadership on the battlefield. In 1865, however, Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

To learn more about the life of this central character of the Civil War, explore this American Experience Robert E. Lee photo gallery, which exhibits Lee’s life from childhood to famous general.

Photo: Library of Congress

Source: to.pbs.org

September 22, 1862: Abraham Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This declaration set a date for the freedom of more than three million black slaves in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation ordered the emancipation of all slaves residing in Confederate states that had not returned to Union control by January 1, 1963. It emphasized the mission of the Civil War as a fight against slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed and issued on January 1, 1863. To read Lincoln’s legendary decree, visit Ken Burns’s The Civil War site. Photo: Chromolithograph by The Strobridge Lith. Co., c1888 (Library of Congress)
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September 22, 1862: Abraham Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation

On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This declaration set a date for the freedom of more than three million black slaves in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation ordered the emancipation of all slaves residing in Confederate states that had not returned to Union control by January 1, 1963. It emphasized the mission of the Civil War as a fight against slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed and issued on January 1, 1863.

To read Lincoln’s legendary decree, visit Ken Burns’s The Civil War site.

Photo: Chromolithograph by The Strobridge Lith. Co., c1888 (Library of Congress)

Source: to.pbs.org

July 23, 1885:  18th President Ulysses S. Grant Succumbs to Throat Cancer On this day in 1885, Civil War hero and former President Ulysses S. Grant died in Mount McGregor, New York at the age of 63.  As commanding General of the United States Army, Grant led the Union to victory over the Confederate military, effectively ending the Civil War.  As president, he enforced civil rights laws and fought Ku Klux Klan violence. Follow Ulysses S. Grant’s life in the public limelight through the political cartoons created about him in the media from his battlefield successes in 1862 to his death in 1885, courtesy of American Experience.
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July 23, 1885:  18th President Ulysses S. Grant Succumbs to Throat Cancer

On this day in 1885, Civil War hero and former President Ulysses S. Grant died in Mount McGregor, New York at the age of 63.  As commanding General of the United States Army, Grant led the Union to victory over the Confederate military, effectively ending the Civil War.  As president, he enforced civil rights laws and fought Ku Klux Klan violence.

Follow Ulysses S. Grant’s life in the public limelight through the political cartoons created about him in the media from his battlefield successes in 1862 to his death in 1885, courtesy of American Experience.

Source: to.pbs.org

July 3, 1863:  Battle of Gettysburg Ends
 
This day in 1863 marks the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, which left 23,000 Union soldiers killed, wounded, or missing. The Confederates suffered approximately 25,000 casualties, making it the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War.
 
In November of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address at the Dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.  He declared America’s representative democracy as a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. 

Watch an excerpt of the Ken Burns’s film The Civil War depicting the Dedication event.

Source: to.pbs.org

June 26, 1998: “Gone with the Wind” Re-Released
 
On this day in 1998, the then-60-year-old film Gone with the Wind was digitally restored, its sound was remastered, and for the first time was shown in its original aspect ratio that didn’t leave the characters’ heads cut off.

Originally released in 1939, Gone with the Wind, adapted from a Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, went on to receive ten Academy Awards and retains a constant place in the top ten of the American Film Institute’s “100 Movies” list.

Explore the biography of the Pulitzer Prize-winning woman behind the classic novel and watch footage of the original Gone with the Wind grand premiere.

Source: to.pbs.org

APRIL 12, 1861: The Civil War BeginsOn this day in 1861, the Civil War began with the Confederate army’s attack on Union-controlled Fort Sumter in South Carolina. “Send me your picture” was a common refrain in letters to soldiers from the homefront. The soldiers obliged often sending carte de viste photographs - so-called because they were the size of visiting cards.For more portraits of soldiers, visit Ken Burns’s companion site for his award-wining documentary, The Civil War. Photos (clockwise): boy soldier, Pvt. Philip Carper (C.S.A), unknown Confederate soldier,  Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
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APRIL 12, 1861: The Civil War Begins

On this day in 1861, the Civil War began with the Confederate army’s attack on Union-controlled Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

“Send me your picture” was a common refrain in letters to soldiers from the homefront. The soldiers obliged often sending carte de viste photographs - so-called because they were the size of visiting cards.

For more portraits of soldiers, visit Ken Burns’s companion site for his award-wining documentary, The Civil War.

Photos (clockwise): boy soldier, Pvt. Philip Carper (C.S.A), unknown Confederate soldier,  Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Source: to.pbs.org

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