The road that led to the start of the Civil War began with the election of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was elected on November 6, 1860 as the first republican president. As president he declared "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free...".

Following Abraham Lincoln's election the southern states start to leave the Union. The first state to leave was South Carolina, who is then followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. They formed the Confederate States with Jefferson Davis as their president.

April 12, 1861 Confederates under General Pierre Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was captured and was under confederate control. This was the start of the Civil War.

The Battle of Shiloh was a hard hit to the Union army. The Confederates surprised General Grant's unprepared troops at Shiloh. This surprise attack ended with 13,000 Union soldiers killed and wounded.

After the capture of Fort Sumter Lincoln calls for 75,000 militiamen to go to war. Lincoln offered Robert E. Lee the command of the Union army, but Lee declined. Lee is offered command of the military and naval forces of Virginia and accepts.

The Union suffered its first defeat at the first Battle of Bull Run. Union General Irvin McDowell was defeated by the Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall Jackson). The Confederate forces drove the Union troops back to Washington.

Lincoln appointed multiple generals in the year of 1861. None of which were very effective, it wasn't until 1862 with the appointment of General Grant that the Union started doing well. General Grant captured Fort Henry, and Fort Donelson, earning the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

The Second Battle of Bull Run happened on August 29/30, 1862. With 75,000 Federals under General John Pope the Union army was again defeated at Bull Run. They were defeated by 55,000 Confederates under General Stonewall Jackson.

General Lee invades the North on September 4-9, 1862. He invades with 50,000 Confederates and head towards Harpers Ferry. Union general McClellan pursues Lee with 90,000 strong.

September 17, 1862 was the bloodiest day in U.S. military history. Lee's troops were met by McClellan's superior troops at Antietam. By nightfall 26,000 men were dead and Lee retreats to Virginia.

President Lincoln issued a Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves on September 22, 1863. President Lincoln replaced McClellan with Ambrose E. Burnside. He did this because of McClellan's slowness to follow up on his success at Antietam.