1865 Timeline

1865 Isaac W. Sprague, aka 'The Original Living Skeleton' Begins Performing at Barnum's American Museum
Isaac W. Sprague (May 21, 1841, in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts - January 5, 1887, in Chicago, Illinois) was a famous "human skeleton". Although normal for most of his childhood, Sp...
1865 P. T. Barnum Elected To Connecticut Legislature
Though a Democrat for years, Barnum eventually broke from his party -- and declined its invitation to run for the state's governor -- because of the party's pro-slavery stance. He eventua...
1865
to 1935
Rashid Rida is born
Muhammad Rashid Rida (September 23, 1865, Syria - August 22, 1935, Egypt) is said to have been "one of the most influential scholars and jurists of his generation" and the "most prominent...
1865 Jan 8 Battle of Dove Creek
The Battle of Dove Creek was a small engagement during the American Civil War that took place January 8, 1865, along Dove Creek in what is now southwest Tom Green County, Texas. Texan sol...
1865 Jan 13
to 1865 Jan 15
 Second Battle of Fort Fisher
The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a joint assault by Union Army and naval forces against Fort Fisher, outside Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War. Som...
1865 Feb 3 Battle of Rivers' Bridge
Description:On February 2, a Confederate force under McLaws held the crossings of the Salkehatchie River against the advance of the right wing of Sherman’s Army. Federal soldiers began bu...
1865 Feb 5
to 1865 Feb 7
 Battle of Hatcher's Run
Description: On February 5, Bvt. Brig. Gen. David Gregg’s cavalry division rode out to the Boydton Plank Road via Ream's Station and Dinwiddie Court House in an attempt to intercept Confe...
1865 Feb 11
to 1865 Feb 22
 Battle of Wilmington
Description: With the fall of Fort Fisher to Maj. Gen. Alfred Terry’s and Rear Adm. David Porter’s combined operation on January 15, Wilmington’s days were numbered. About 6,600 Confedera...
1865 Feb 18 The Mayor Of Charleston, South Carolina, Surrenders Control Of The City To Alexander Schimmelfennig
"A City of ruins, —silent, mournful, in deepest humiliation…The band was playing 'Hail, Columbia,' and the strains floated through the desolate city, awakening wild enthusiasm in the heart..." —A Northern reporter's description of Charleston, South Carolina
1865 Feb 20 Battle of Fort Myers
The Battle of Fort Myers was fought on February 25, 1865, in Lee County, Florida during the last months of the American Civil War. This small engagement is known as the "southernmost land...
1865 Feb 24 Confederate Spy John Yates Beall Executed
John Yates Beall (January 1, 1835 - February 24, 1865) was a Confederate privateer in the American Civil War who was arrested as a spy in New York and executed at Governors Island, New Yo...
1865 Mar 4 Lincoln Delivers Second Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, during his inauguration at the start of his second term as President of the United States. At a time when victory ...
1865 Mar 6 Battle of Natural Bridge
Other Names: None Location: Leon County Campaign: Operations near St. Marks, Florida (1865) Date(s): March 6, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John Newton [US]; Maj. Gen. ...
1865 Mar 7
to 1865 Mar 10
 Battle of Wyse Fork
The Battle of Wyse Fork was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory. Background At the end of February 1865 the port c...
1865 Mar 10 Battle of Monroe's Crossroads
Description: As Sherman’s army advanced into North Carolina, Kilpatrick’s Cavalry Division screened its left flank. On the evening of March 9, two of Kilpatrick’s brigades encamped near t...
1865 Mar 11 General William T. Sherman Captures The Town Of Fayetteville, North Carolina
During March and April of 1865, troops under command of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston fought General William T. Sherman's 60,000-man force as it marched north through the Caroli...
1865 Mar 16 Battle of Averasborough
Description: On the afternoon of March 15, Judson Kilpatrick’s cavalry came up against Lt. Gen. William Hardee’s corps—consisting of Taliaferro’s and McLaw’s infantry divisions and Wheele...
1865 Mar 19
to 1865 Mar 21
 Battle of Bentonvillemar
Description: While Slocum’s advance was stalled at Averasborough by Hardee’s troops, the right wing of Sherman’s army under command of Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard marched toward Goldsborough. ...
1865 Mar 25 Battle of Fort Stedman
Description: In a last-gasp offensive, Gen. Robert E. Lee amassed nearly half of his army in an attempt to break through Grant’s Petersburg defenses and threaten his supply depot at City ...
1865 Mar 27
to 1865 Apr 8
 Battle of Spanish Fort
Other Names: None Location: Baldwin County Campaign: Mobile Campaign (1865) Date(s): March 27-April 8, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby [US]; Brig. Gen. Randa...
1865 Mar 29 Battle of Lewis's Farm
The Battle of Lewis's Farm (also known as Quaker Road, Military Road, or Gravelly Road) was fought on March 29, 1865, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was ...
1865 Mar 31 Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
Description: On March 29, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps, Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Petersburg defenses. A steady downpour turned the ro...
1865 Mar 31 Battle of White Oak Road
Other Names: Hatcher’s Run, Gravelly Run, Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Ridge Location: Dinwiddie County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): March 31, 1865 ...
1865 Apr 1 Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometim...
1865 Apr 2
to 1865 Apr 9
 Battle of Fort Blakely
Other Names: None Location: Baldwin County Campaign: Mobile Campaign (1865) Date(s): April 2-9, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby [US]; Brig. Gen. St. John R. ...
1865 Apr 2 Battle of Selma
Other Names: None Location: Dallas County Campaign: Wilson’s Raid in Alabama and Georgia (1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson [US]; Lt...
1865 Apr 2 Battle of Sutherland's Station
Other Names: None Location: Dinwiddie Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles [US]; Maj. Gen. H...
1865 Apr 2 Third Battle of Petersburg
The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Sieg...
1865 Apr 2 Union Army defeats Confederate Army at Petersburg VA
Ulysses S. Grant's army attacked Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia. By mid-afternoon, Confederate troops had begun to evacuate the town. The Union victory ensured the fall of Rich...
1865 Apr 3 Battle of Namozine Church
Other Names: None Location: Amelia County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 3 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George A. Custer [US]; Maj. Ge...
1865 Apr 5 Battle of Amelia Springs
Other Names: None Location: Amelia Springs Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 5, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George Crook [US]; Maj. Gen....
1865 Apr 6
to 1865 Apr 7
 Battle of High Bridge
Other Names: None Location: Prince Edward County and Cumberland County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 6-7, 1865 Principal Commanders: April 6:...
1865 Apr 6 Battle of Rice's Station
Other Names: Rice’s Depot Location: Prince Edward County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 6, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John Gibbon [U...
1865 Apr 6 Battle of Sayler's Creek
Other Names: Hillsman Farm, Lockett Farm Location: Amelia County, Prince Edward County, and Nottoway County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 6, 186...
1865 Apr 7 Battle of Cumberland Church
Other Names: Farmville Location: Cumberland County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 7, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. A.A. Humphreys [US];...
1865 Apr 8 Battle of Appomattox Station
Other Names: None Location: Appomattox County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 8, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George A. Custer [US]; Br...
1865 Apr 9 Battle of Appomattox Court House
Other Names: None Location: Appomattox County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 9, 1865 Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Gen...
1865 Apr 9 Robert E. Lee Surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Ending the US Civil War
"It would be useless and therefore cruel," Robert E. Lee remarked on the morning of April 9, 1865, "to provoke the further effusion of blood, and I have arranged to meet with General Gran...
1865 Apr 14 President Abraham Lincoln Assassinated
Shortly after 10 P.M. on April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. As Lincoln ...
1865 Apr 16 Battle of West Point
The Battle of West Point was fought on April 16, 1865 in West Point, Georgia, during the American Civil War. This battle was fought at Fort Tyler seven days after Confederate General Robe...
1865 Apr 27 Destruction of the SS Sultana
It was the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history, more costly than even the April 14, 1912 sinking of the Titanic, when 1,517 people were lost. But because the Sultana went down when it...
1865 May 1 Battle of Anderson
The Battle of Anderson was a minor skirmish during the American Civil War, fought in Anderson County, South Carolina, on May 1, 1865. The battle was one of the final conflicts of the war,...
1865 May 10 Jefferson Davis Captured and Held Prisoner
Jefferson Davis Was Captured May 10, 1865 Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, had been captured! Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), president of the Confederate states (th...
1865 May 12
to 1865 May 13
 Battle of Palmito Ranch
Other Names: Palmito Hill Location: Cameron County Campaign: Expedition from Brazos Santiago (1865) Date(s): May 12-13, 1865 Principal Commanders: Col. Theodore H. Barrett [US...
1865 May 19 Davis is Imprisoned in a Casemate at Fortress Monroe
On May 19, 1865, Davis was imprisoned in a casemate at Fortress Monroe, on the coast of Virginia. He was placed in irons for three days. Davis was indicted for treason a year later. While...
1865 May 23 Army of The Potomac Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue
On May 23, 1865, the Army of the Potomac celebrated the end of the Civil War by parading down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Only weeks before, mourners watched Abraham Lincoln's...
1865 Jun 9 Staplehurst Rail Crash
The Staplehurst rail crash was a railway accident at Staplehurst, Kent, England, which took place on 9 June 1865 and in which ten passengers were killed and 40 injured. It is particularly...
1865 Jun 13 Lee Requests an Oath of Amnesty
On May 29, 1865, President Andrew Johnson issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon to persons who had participated in the rebellion against the United States. There were fourteen excep...
1865 Jul Tabbs Gross sues James Bethune and his sons claiming he had bill-of-sale for Blind Tom Wiggins' services
"Why is Tom compelled to support Bethune and his two able-bodied sons who, fresh from the ranks of treason, are making the tour of the North with abundant leisure and purses well filled by..." —Cincinnati Enquirer
1865 Jul 5 The United States Secret Service is Commissioned To Suppress Counterfeiting
With a reported one third of the currency in circulation being counterfeit, the Secret Service was commissioned on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C. as the "Secret Service Division" of the...