Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Beauregard was sitting at McLean’s dining room table, when a cannonball exploded through the fireplace and into the kitchen. What followed was the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as “The Battle of First Manassas”). Although the Civil War technically started at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, besides being the first major land battle of the war, the First Battle of Bull Run is generally marked as the point when the war began in earnest. Well when the 2nd Battle of Bull Run started, Wilmer decided it was time to move. So, he decided to make a fresh start in southern Virginia. After scouring the area, McLean found a nice two-story cottage in Appomattox, Virginia. Now sometime later in 1865, General Lee then makes his final stand at Appomattox Court House and was forced to surrender as his troops were overwhelmingly outnumbered, four to one. A messenger sent to McLean informed him of the Confederates intentions to surrender and asked him to find a location where the surrender could take place. On the afternoon of April 9, Palm Sunday, General Robert E. Lee met with Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in McLean’s parlor to officially surrender. The McLean cottage in Appomattox lay in ruins until Congress bought the house in 1930 and rebuilt it. The Appomattox house became a tourist site starting in 1949. Today, McLean’s Yorkshire plantation no longer remains but there is a historic marker where it once stood. A Brotherly Deed A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. By now most everyone should have heard of the famous actor, John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, but did you know John had two brothers, who both were also actors, Edwin and Junius Brutus Booth, Jr.? Neither of the other brothers had anything to do with the President’s death. In fact, Edwin was a staunch Unionist and a Lincoln supporter; voted for Lincoln twice. Edwin Booth by chance saved President Lincoln’s son, Robert from serious injury or death. The incident occurred on a train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey. The exact date of the incident is uncertain, but it is believed to have taken place in late 1864 or early 1865, shortly before Edwin's brother, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated President Lincoln. Robert Lincoln recalled the incident. Robert somehow, while in a crowd to buy tickets fell between the platform, the track and a moving train. Booth did not know the identity of the man whose life he had saved until some months later, when he received a letter from a friend, Colonel Adam Badeau (U.S.), who was an officer on the staff of General Ulysses S. Grant (U.S.). Badeau had heard the story from Robert Lincoln, who had since joined the Union Army and was also serving on Grant’s staff. In the letter, Badeau gave his compliments to Booth for the heroic deed. The fact that he had saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son was said to have been of some comfort to Edwin Booth following his brother’s assassination of the president. Sworn Allegiance to the Confederacy A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. One man refused to quit! General John Hunt Morgan (CSA) was the scourge of Union-held areas in Kentucky, riding out of Tennessee. On one recent foray on June 20, 1864, he had had several men captured. They were transferred to the Federal prisoner-of-war camp at Rock Island Barracks in the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois. One of these prisoners, Pvt. James P. Gold, spent the rest of the war there because he refused to take the oath of loyalty to the Union. He lived until 1934, one of the last Civil War vets. Origin of the American Red Cross A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. Clarissa Harlowe “Clara” Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) was a pioneer nurse who founded the American Red Cross. In addition to being a hospital nurse, she worked as a teacher, patent clerk, and as a humanitarian. At a time when relatively few women worked outside the home, Barton built a career helping others. At the start of the Civil War, field nurses were not admitted into traditional society. Many in her line of work were not only nurses, but prostitutes. Clara worked to change not only that image but improve sanitation