1863
- January 1
- Battle of Galveston, Texas - Confederates recapture the city. [1]
- Battle of Helena, Arkansas. [1]
- Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by US President Abraham Lincoln. [1]
- January 2
- Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River) ends. [1]
- January 9
- (to January 11) Battle of Arkansas Post, Arkansas (Fort Hindman). [1]
- January 10
- General McClernand's Union troops surround Fort Hindman, Arkansas. [1]
- January 11
- Naval engagement near Galveston between CSS Alabama and USS Hatteras. [1]
- Union forces capture Arkansas Post, or Fort Hindman, Arkansas. [1]
- January 12
- President Davis delivers his "State of the Confederacy" address. [1]
- January 14
- Battle between gunboats at Bayou Teched, Louisiana. [1]
- January 16
- Cruise of CSS Florida. [1]
- January 17
- Civil War skirmish near Newtown, Virginia. [1]
- January 22
- Union General Burnside's "Mud March". [1]
- January 25
- Battle of Kinston, North Carolina. [1]
- General Joseph Hooker replaces Burnside as head of Army of Potomac. [1]
- January 26
- War Department authorizes Massachusetts Governor to recruit black troops. [1]
- January 31
- First black Civil War regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, mustered into US army. [1]
- February 24
- Forrest's raid on Brentwood, Tennessee. [1]
- February 28
- Confederate raider "Nashville" sinks near Fort McAllister, Georgia. [1]
- March 3
- Federal ironclad ships bomb Fort McAllister, Georgia. [1]
- First US wartime military conscription bill enacted. [1]
- March 4
- Battle of Thompson's Station, Tennessee. [1]
- March 17
- Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia (211 casualities). [1]
- March 20
- Battle of Pensacola, Florida: evacuated by Federals. [1]
- March 25
- Skirmish at Brentwood, Tennessee. [1]
- March 26
- Voters in West Virginia approve gradual emancipation of slaves. [1]
- April 1
- First wartime conscription law in US goes into effect. [1]
- April 7
- Battle of Charleston, South Carolina; failed Federal fleet attack on Fort Sumter. [1]
- April 10
- Rebel General Earl Van Dorn attacks at Franklin, Tennessee. [1]
- April 11
- Battle of Suffolk, Virginia (Norfleet House). [1]
- April 12
- Gunboat battle at Bayou Teche, Louisiana. [1]
- April 13
- Battle of Irish Bend, Louisiana (Fort Bisland). [1]
- April 17
- Grierson's Raid: La Grange, Tennessee to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. [1]
- April 19
- Union troops/fleet occupy Fort Huger, Virginia. [1]
- April 24
- Skirmish at Okolona/Birmingham, Mississippi (Grierson's Raid). [1]
- April 27
- Battle of Streight's raid: Tuscumbia to Cedar Bluff, Alabama. [1]
- April 29
- Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia (Fredericksburg, Wilderness Tavern). [1]
- May 1
- Edward Dorr Tracy, US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 29. [1]
- Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia (29,000 injured or died). [1]
- Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi. [1]
- Confederate "National Flag" replaces "Stars and Bars". [1]
- Confederate congress passes resolution to kill black soldiers. [1]
- May 2
- Stonewall Jackson attacks Chancellorsville, Virginia, wounded by his own men; South defeats North. [1]
- May 3
- Elisha Franklin "Bull" Paxton, US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at age 35. [1]
- Battle of Chancellorsville - Beaten Union army withdraws. [1]
- Battle of Fredricksburg, Virginia (Marye's Heights). [1]
- Battle of Salem Church, Virginia. [1]
- May 4
- Battle of Chancellorsville ends - Beaten Union army withdraws. [1]
- May 5
- Battle of Tupelo, Mississippi. [1]
- May 7
- Amiel Weeks Whipple, US Union general-major, dies of injuries at age 46. [1]
- May 10
- Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, Confederate General (Civil War), dies from wounds received at Chancellorsville. [1]
- May 12
- Battle of Raymond, Mississippi. [1]
- May 14
- Battle of Jackson, Mississippi. [1]
- May 16
- Lloyd Tilghman, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 47. [1]
- Battle of Champion's Hill, Mississippi - bloodiest action of Vicksburg Campaign. [1]
- May 17
- Battle of Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi. [1]
- May 18
- Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. [1]
- May 19
- Siege of Vicksburg, investment of city complete. [1]
- May 21
- Siege on Port Hudson, Louisiana, begins. [1]
- May 22
- General Grant begins siege on Vicksburg. [1]
- May 27
- Edward Payson Chapin, Union Brigadier General, dies at age 31. [1]
- CSS Chattahoochie explodes on Chattahoochie River Georgia, 18 die. [1]
- Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana. [1]
- June 5
- CSS Alabama captures the Tailsman in the Mid Atlantic. [1]
- June 9
- Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia. [1]
- June 10
- Battle of Brice's Crossroads, Mississippi; Forrest with 3500 defeats 8000 Federal troops. [1]
- June 14
- Battle of second Winchester, Virginia. [1]
- June 17
- Battle of Aldie; Confederates fail to drive back the Union in Virginia. [1]
- June 18
- After long neglect, Confederates hurriedly fortify Vicksburg. [1]
- June 20
- West Virginia admitted as 35th US state. [1]
- June 28
- US President Abraham Lincoln replaces General Joseph Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac with General George Meade. [129]
- June 29
- General Lee orders his forces to concentrate near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. [1]
- July 1
- The Battle of Gettysburg begins in Pennsylvania, as a Confederate division under General Henry Heth clashes with three brigades of Union cavalry. [129]
- July 2
- Day two of the Battle of Gettysburg: General James Longstreet leads the main Confederate attack, but Union forces retain control of their strategic positions. After three hours, the total number of dead at Gettysburg stood at 35,000. [129]
- July 3
- On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General George Pickett leads a 15,000-man column a mile toward Union positions at Cemetery Ridge, after an hour-long cannon bombardment. But Union artillery and infantry survived, and devastate the attacking force, killing or wounding 7,000 within an hour. [129]
- July 4
- Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrenders to Union forces. [1]
- General Robert Lee's army withdraws from Gettysburg, retreating to the South. The Battle of Gettysburg resulted in total casualties of about 48,000. [129]
- July 7
- First military draft by US (exemptions cost $100). [1]
- July 9
- Union troops enter Port Hudson. [1]
- July 13
- Anti-draft mobs lynch blacks in New York City; about 1,000 die. [1]
- July 17
- Battle of Honey Springs, largest battle of war in Indian Territory. [1]
- July 26
- At Salineville, Ohio, John Hunt Morgan and 364 troops surrender. [1]
- July 30
- US President Abraham Lincoln issues "eye-for-eye" order to shoot a rebel prisoner. [1]
- August 1
- Cavalry action near Brandy Station - End of Gettysburg Campaign. [1]
- August 15
- Submarine "HL Hunley" arrives in Charleston on railroad cars. [1]
- August 16
- Emancipation Proclamation signed. [1]
- August 17
- Federal batteries and ships bombard Fort Sumter, Charleston. [1]
- September 6
- After 59 day siege, confederates evacuate Fort Wagner, South Carolina. [1]
- September 7
- Federal naval expedition arrives off Sabine Pass. [1]
- September 8
- 47 Texas volunteers repel Federal invasion force at Sabine Pass, Texas. [1]
- September 19
- Battle of Chickamauga, Tennessee (near Chattanooga) begins; Union retreat. [1]
- September 20
- Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, ends. [1]
- September 21
- Union forces retreat to Chattanooga after defeat at Chickamauga. [1]
- September 22
- US President Abraham Lincoln makes his Emancipation Proclamation speech. [1]
- September 23
- Confederate siege of Chattanooga begins. [1]
- September 27
- Jo Shelby's cavalry in action at Moffat's Station, Arkansas. [1]
- November 14
- Bedford Forrest is assigned to command of West Tennessee. [1]
- Skirmish at Danville, Mississippi. [1]
- November 19
- US President Abraham Lincoln delivers his famous Gettysburg Address during the dedication of a new national cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. [1] [129]
- November 23
- Battle of Chattanooga begins. [1]
- November 24
- Civil War battle for Lookout Mountain begins in Tennessee. [1]
- November 25
- Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. [1]
- December 3
- Longstreet abandons his siege at Knoxville, Tennessee. [1]
- December 8
- Abraham Lincoln announces plan for Reconstruction of South. [1]
- December 14
- Battle of Bean's Station - Confederacy repulses Union in Tennessee. [1]
- December 15
- Skirmish at Bean's Station, Tennessee (Knoxville Campaign). [1]
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