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1864 - Savannah Falls

December 22, 1864 - Sherman's Union army has captured Savannah, Georgia. They now have created a military barrier that stretches from east to west across the South, hampering the Confederate army's attempts to move men and supplies through the region. Sherman sends word to President Lincoln that this lovely coastal city will be spared. Sherman will call Savannah his Christmas gift to Lincoln. Next, the Carolinas will come under attack. 

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1863 - Freedom Rings

January 1, 1863 - President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. This order grants freedom only to those slaves residing in the states that have left the U.S., called the Confederacy. But the Confederate states refuse to acknowledge Lincoln's order. They obey only the president they elected in 1862, Jefferson Davis.After the Civil War ends, former Confederate states must agree to end slavery to be re-admitted into the United States.

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1845 - Rags to Riches

The man who sold a $3,000 gold nugget for $3.50 in 1802 dies. John Reed had lived to become one the richest men in North Carolina. It all began in 1799 when his son, Conrad, found an unusual rock on the family's property 25 miles northeast of Charlotte. The rock contained nearly eight ounces of gold, and it was only the first of many. The Reed gold mine will change hands again and again in years to come. Eventually, it will be designated a North Carolina historic site. 

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1865 - Fall of Fort Fisher

January 15, 1865 - In the worst fighting North Carolina has suffered, Union troops have attacked Fort Fisher. The coastal fort guards the mouth of the Cape Fear River. After the fort falls, Union soldiers make their way upriver and capture Wilmington. The Confederacy loses its last open seaport.

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1865 - Uncertain Future

Although the Civil War has ended, Southern military leaders will not abandon their countrymen. More than 60 officers bring their skills to Charlotte. Along with 18 lawyers, 13 doctors and five dentists, these leaders help strengthen Charlotte and insure the Queen City will survive the uncertain days of Reconstruction that lie ahead.

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1828 - Fall of a Nation

The independent Cherokee government is outlawed by Georgia. North Carolina's neighbor has insisted the Indians be removed from land that contains valuable resources. Both federal and state governments will try to buy Indian land and will move the tribes away, often illegally.

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1838 - Trail of Tears

October 1838 - Indian leaders have tried to negotiate with the U.S. government. Despite their efforts, President Andrew Jackson approves the removal of the Cherokee Indian tribes from their homeland west and southwest of Mecklenburg County. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act to make this forced move, called resettlement, legal. Now, federal troops force nearly 20,000 Cherokees to march hundreds of miles to Oklahoma. Thousands of the Native Americans die from disease and winter's bitter cold. Their tragic journey will be remembered as The Trail of Tears.

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1832 - St. Catherine Mine

Columbia professor James Renwick travels from New York to study Count Rivafinoli's operation of Charlotte's St. Catherine gold mine. Workers are using a method of extracting the pure gold from rocks that allows some of the precious metal to be washed away and lost. Renwick reports that St. Catherine will fail. A few years later he will be proved right. The mine will close during economic hard times, called a depression, in 1836-37.

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1835 - Prosperous Citizen

May 12, 1835 - Samuel McComb is appointed to select the site and supervise the building of Charlotte's Mint. He is well qualified. Ten years earlier, he discovered gold on his farm and now owns a gold mine. Since then, he has been a sheriff and served in North Carolina's lawmaking body, the General Assembly.

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1820 - Plank Road Journey

As commerce becomes more important, citizens are asked to devote their time to improving Mecklenburg County's roads. By laying split wood along the paths, workers hope to smooth the way for vehicles. Still, travel is unpleasant. Passengers and horses alike suffer injuries when the animals pulling stagecoaches lose their footing and stumble on the uneven roads.Muddy Traveling Along Carolina Highways Perils of Early Travel

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