Special Session of Congress
Lincoln addresses a special session of Congress at the start of his presidency
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Abraham Lincoln Biography and Timeline — Page 3
Follow Abraham Lincoln through 199 dated historical records for United States of America.
Abraham Lincoln, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
199Distinct records
3 of 5Page
1861–1862Years on this page
1861
Attorney General
Lincoln appoints Edward Bates as Attorney General
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Cabinet Formation
Lincoln forms his first cabinet after taking office
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Interior Appointment
Lincoln appoints Caleb B Smith as Secretary of the Interior
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Postmaster Appointment
Lincoln appoints Montgomery Blair as Postmaster General
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Treasury Appointment
Lincoln appoints Salmon P Chase as Secretary of the Treasury
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Federal Income Tax
Revenue Act introduces the first federal income tax in United States history
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Revenue Act
Lincoln signs the Revenue Act creating new federal revenue measures
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Arkansas votes to secede from the Union after the outbreak of war
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Tennessee voters approve secession from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Eleven slave states have seceded while four slave states remain in the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Mississippi becomes the second slave state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Secession of Mississippi
Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1860-1861
Slave State Secession
Florida becomes the third slave state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Secession of Florida
Florida becomes the third state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1860-1861
Slave State Secession
Alabama becomes the fourth slave state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Secession of Alabama
Alabama becomes the fourth state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1860-1861
Bombardment of Fort Sumter
Confederate artillery opens fire on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Siege of Fort Sumter
Confederate forces begin the attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Georgia becomes the fifth slave state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
Louisiana becomes the sixth slave state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Crittenden Compromise
Lincoln opposes compromise measures that would protect slavery in federal territory
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1860-1861
Secession of Georgia
Georgia becomes the fifth state to secede from the Union
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1860-1861
Slave State Secession
Virginia convention votes to secede after the attack on Fort Sumter
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
Call for Volunteers
Lincoln calls on state governors to provide troops to suppress the rebellion
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Call for Volunteers
Lincoln calls for 75000 volunteers after the attack on Fort Sumter
Role range: 1861-1865 – 1861-1865
Surrender of Fort Sumter
Union forces agree to surrender Fort Sumter after the bombardment
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Slave State Secession
North Carolina convention votes to secede from the Union
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1861-1865
National Loan Act
Lincoln signs legislation authorizing federal borrowing and treasury notes
Role range: 1861-1861 – 1861-1865
Secession Crisis
Lincolns election intensifies the secession crisis before his inauguration
Role range: 1860-1861 – 1860-1861
1862
Bureau of Internal Revenue
Revenue Act establishes the Bureau of Internal Revenue
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Pacific Railway Act
Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act supporting a transcontinental railroad
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Pacific Railway Act
Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act supporting construction of the first transcontinental railroad
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Revenue Act
Lincoln signs a broader Revenue Act expanding federal tax administration
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Transcontinental Railroad
Pacific Railway Act grants federal support for construction of the transcontinental railroad
Role range: 1862-1869 – 1861-1865
Annual Message to Congress
Lincoln sends his second annual message to Congress
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Agricultural Colleges
Federal land grants are authorized to support agricultural and mechanical colleges
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Morrill Land Grant Colleges Act
Lincoln signs the Morrill Act supporting land grant colleges
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
Lincoln signs the Morrill Act supporting land grant colleges
Role range: 1862-1862 – 1861-1865
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act offers public land to settlers who improve and occupy it.
Role range: 1861-1865 – 1861-1865
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.