The Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars in American history. The War Between the States almost tore America apart.

In the mid 1800s, slavery was a major issue. The South was very agricultural so it thought it needed slaves. However, the North was industrialized and thought slavery was wrong. Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas seceded from the Union. They were called the Confederacy. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War.

At first, many people thought it would be a short war. A major Union defeat at Manassas, Virginia proved them wrong. Confederate General, Robert E. Lee was a tough general, but so was Union General Ulysses S. Grant. He defeated the Confederates at Shiloh, losing 13,000 men. Another Union victory at Antietam, Maryland told President Lincoln that the U.S. was probably going to be reunited, but even if it was, there would still be slavery. Lincoln wrote his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the U.S. Yet another Union victory followed at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Lee, desperate, invaded the Union. He was stopped at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania resulting in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and a Confederate defeat.

General William T. Sherman led an assault in Georgia, marching to the Atlantic Ocean, destroying everything in his path. Meanwhile, Grant invaded Virginia. After three battles, he took the Confederate capitol, Richmond, Virginia. Soon after, Lee surrendered. The date was April 7, 1865. After 4 long years and over 2 million dead, the Civil War was finally over.

The soldiers of both sides of the Civil War fought for what they called freedom, but in the end the Union won. America was once again one country under God, indivisible.

For more information:
http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/

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Ms. Garrido's Class  |  Mrs. Lebenson's Class
Pocantico Hills School