What Happened in 1865

Battle of Sutherland's Station

Other Names: None Location: Dinwiddie Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal Commanders:... Read more

Battle of Fort Blakely

Other Names: None Location: Baldwin County Campaign: Mobile Campaign (1865) Date(s): April 2-9, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen.... Read more

Battle of Selma

Other Names: None Location: Dallas County Campaign: Wilson’s Raid in Alabama and Georgia (1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal... Read more

Battle of Namozine Church

Other Names: None Location: Amelia County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 3 1865 Principal Commanders:... Read more

Battle of Amelia Springs

Other Names: None Location: Amelia Springs Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 5, 1865 Principal... Read more

Battle of Rice's Station

Other Names: Rice’s Depot Location: Prince Edward County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 6,... Read more

Battle of High Bridge

Other Names: None Location: Prince Edward County and Cumberland County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April... Read more

Battle of Sayler's Creek

Other Names: Hillsman Farm, Lockett Farm Location: Amelia County, Prince Edward County, and Nottoway County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign... Read more

Battle of Cumberland Church

Other Names: Farmville Location: Cumberland County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 7, 1865 Principal... Read more

Battle of Appomattox Station

Other Names: None Location: Appomattox County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 8, 1865 Principal... Read more

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... Read more

Battle of Appomattox Court House

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army... Read more

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... Read more

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... Read more

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.... Read more

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),... Read more

Battle of Palmito Ranch

Other Names: Palmito Hill Location: Cameron County Campaign: Expedition from Brazos Santiago (1865) Date(s): May 12-13, 1865 Principal... Read more

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... Read more

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... Read more

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... Read more

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... Read more

William Booth Establishes The Christian Mission In London's East End

On July 5, 1865, William Booth, an ordained Methodist minister and his wife Catherine, established the Christian Mission in London's... Read more

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.... Read more

Barnum's American Museum Destroyed In Massive Fire

Music has ceased forever in Scudder's balcony, not because of rain but of fire. When Barnum's Museum burned, a few days since, one of the few... Read more

Sinking of the Brother Johnathan

On July 30, 1865, the ship wrecked on its way to Portland in a terrible windstorm, hitting an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast... Read more