The Civil War

The Civil War or otherwise known as the American Civil War or the War Between the States lasted from 1861-1865. This was a civil war that took place within the United States between the 11 Southern slave states or Confederate States of America and the union, which were the free states and the 5 bordering slave states. These 11 Southern slave states declared they were succeeding from the United States and they were lead by Jefferson Davis and were called the Confederacy. What began the war was the election of 1860 when Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party campaigned not to expand slavery any further. He won the election and prior to Lincoln taking office on March 4, 1861, 7 Southern slave states declared their secession from the Union. Lincoln and the previous president, James Buchanan, did not believe that secession was even legal within the Union and looked at it as a rebellion instead.

Image via Wikipedia

The Confederate States were comprised of 7 deep south cotton states. These were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. These 7 states came together on February 4, 1861 as the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was the president and the structure was similar to the US Constitution. Two months later, the remaining 4 Southern states joined the Confederacy, these states were Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. However, the northern portion of Virginia separated from Virginia to form West Virginia and join the Union. Missouri and Kentucky were under Union control by the end of 1861 and any Confederate government was gone.

The Union States were comprised of 23 states, which were California, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. While the war was in progress, Nevada and West Virginia joined the Union states. Also, Tennessee and Louisiana were returned to the Union states at the beginning of the war. At this time, Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Washington were only territories, but they fought with the Union states.

The Border States were what became West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri and Kentucky. These states had a mix of pro Union and pro Confederate representatives and citizens. Riots, military violence and arrests, numerous voting and other problems plagued these states as the affirmation of many to stay part of the Union was challenged.

The Civil War was the first industrial war in history. Military devices and weapons, commonly used now, were used for the first time then. Total war, by Sherman in Georgia, and trench warfare in Petersburg, killed 620,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. It is still the deadliest war in US history. it changed and shaped the reconstruction era that lasted until 1877, because of political, social, economic and racial issues that were addressed during and after the war.

The war broke out on April 12, 1861 when the Confederacy attacked a US military base in Fort Sumter, South Carolina. At this point, Lincoln called for volunteer armies from every state. But, this lead to 4 more Southern states succeeding as well. The Union was able to immediately gain control of the border states and made a naval blockade. By September 1862, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery everywhere. This became a war goal to end slavery in the South and Lincoln was able to keep the British from intervening.