January 31 - President
Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, "that the 22nd. day of
February 1862, be the day for a general movement of the Land and Naval
forces of the United States against the insurgent forces."
February 6 - Victory for
General Ulysses S. Grant
captures Fort Henry in Tennessee, Ten days later, he captures Fort
Donelson and is thereafter nicknamed General "Unconditional Surrender"
(U.S.) Grant.
February 20 -
President Lincoln loses his son,
William "Willie" Wallace Lincoln, who dies at the age of 11, from
fever.
March 8,9 - The
Confederate Ironclad "Merrimac" sinks two wooden Union ships, then
battles to a draw with the Union Ironclad "Monitor". From then on,
wooden ships are considered obsolete. General George B.
McClellan's Army of the Potomac begins its advance by water to the
peninsular south of Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital.
April 6,7 - 10,000
Confederates, and 13,000 of General Ulysses S. Grant's Union soldiers
lay dead and wounded following a surprise attack from the Confederates
at Shiloh on the Tennessee river. President Lincoln fends off
demands for Grant's removal, saying, "I can't spare this man; he
fights!"
April 24-17 - New
Orleans, the South's most important seaport, is taken by
Flag Officer David Farragut's Union ships.
May 31 - General
McClellan's forces are nearly defeated near Richmond, in The Battle of Seven Pines
(a.k.a. Fair Oaks), by
General Joseph E.
Johnston's Confederate troops, but when Johnston was badly wounded
and command was transferred to was transferred to Major General G.W.
Smith, the Confederates failed to overwhelm the Union forces which by
then had brought in reinforcements. Both sides claimed victory,
suffering an even number of casualties.
June 1 - General Robert E. Lee assumes command
of General Johnson's forces, then renames them the Army of Northern
Virginia.
June 25-July 1 -
General Lee's Army attacks McClellan's Union forces The Seven Days Battles,
near Richmond. McClelland withdraws back towards Washington.
July 11 - President
Lincoln transfers the post of General-in-Chief to General
Henry W. Halleck
August 29/30 - General
John Pope's Union soldiers are defeated by General Stonewall Jackson and
General James Longstreet's
Confederates at
the second battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia. Pope is relieved of
command after he too withdraws back to Washington.
September 4-9 - Lee
attempt to invade the North with his Army, heading towards Harpers
Ferry, near Washington. But his forces are no match for
McClelland's 90,000 Union Army soldiers, who then pursue Lee and his men.
September 17 - The
bloodiest battle in U.S. military history unfolds as McClellan and his
Union forces battle General Lee's Confederate Army at Antietam,
Maryland. By the day's end, over 26,000 of Lee's men are
reported either dead, wounded, or missing in action. He gathers
the rest of his troops and retreats to Virginia.
September 22 - Lincoln
issues a
Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation,
freeing slaves.
November 7 -
General Ambrose E. Burnside
is designated as the new Commander of the
Army of the Potomac following Lincoln's frustration with McClellan's
complacency following his success at Antietam.
December 13 - Over
12,000 of General Burnside's soldiers perish in Fredericksburg,
Virginia, following a steady stream of attempts at overcoming the well
entrenched Confederates.
