The Civil War
From 1861 to 1865, the United States fought its deadliest war. It ended slavery and preserved the Union, at enormous cost.
Secession and Fort Sumter
By early 1861, seven Deep South states had seceded and formed the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as president. The war began on 12 April 1861, when Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Four more states, including Virginia, then joined the Confederacy, while border slave states such as Kentucky and Maryland stayed in the Union.
Comparing the sides
The Union had far more people, factories, railways, and a navy. The Confederacy had the advantage of fighting defensively on home ground, skilled generals such as Robert E. Lee, and hopes of European support for its cotton. The Union's Anaconda Plan aimed to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River.
Early war
Early battles, such as the First Battle of Bull Run (1861), showed the war would be long. Antietam, in September 1862, was the bloodiest single day in American history, with over 22,000 casualties. It was a strategic Union success that gave Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Proclamation
Effective 1 January 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in Confederate-held areas free. It did not immediately free most enslaved people, since it applied only where the Union lacked control, but it made ending slavery a war aim, discouraged European recognition of the Confederacy, and opened the Union army to Black soldiers.
Black soldiers and the home front
About 180,000 Black men served in the Union army, and many more in the navy, including regiments such as the 54th Massachusetts. Thousands of enslaved people freed themselves by fleeing to Union lines. On both home fronts, women ran farms and businesses and served as nurses. Draft riots, such as in New York in 1863, revealed divisions in the North.
Turning points
In July 1863, the Union won at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, ending Lee's invasion of the North, and captured Vicksburg, giving it control of the Mississippi River. In November 1863, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address redefined the war as a struggle for 'a new birth of freedom' and government 'of the people, by the people, for the people'.
Total war and Union victory
Ulysses S. Grant took command of Union armies in 1864 and pressed relentless campaigns. William T. Sherman captured Atlanta and marched to the sea, destroying Southern resources. Lincoln's re-election in 1864 ensured the war would continue. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on 9 April 1865.
The cost and the results
About 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers died, more than in any other American war. Five days after Appomattox, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in December 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States. The war established that states could not secede.
Key takeaways
The Confederacy formed after Lincoln's election; war began at Fort Sumter in April 1861. The Union had more resources; the Confederacy fought defensively. Antietam (1862) enabled the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), which made ending slavery a war aim. About 180,000 Black soldiers served the Union. Gettysburg and Vicksburg (July 1863) were turning points. Lee surrendered at Appomattox (April 1865). Lincoln was assassinated; the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery.
Flashcard
Formed by seceding states, 1861
Check your understanding
Why did the Emancipation Proclamation not immediately free most enslaved people?