Second American Civil War

The Second American Civil War (A|also known by other names), was a civil war from 1867 to 1870 in the A|Eastern United States, fought between a coalition of northern states (known as A|the Rebellion) and a coalition of southern states (known as A|the Republic). The civil war began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out when A|Connecticut rebelled against the government of the Republic, when they attempted to arrest Governor A|James Ray for opposing the Republic’s A|fugitive slave laws. The rebel forces of the northern states of the Republic, alongside northern states of the Confederation, proclaimed their armed opposition to slavery. The government of the Republic backed by the southern states of the Republic and Confederation, sought to enforce fugitive slave laws in the north.

A|Connecticut would be the first state to rebel in November 1867, followed by A|Massachusetts, A|Pennsylvania, A|New Jersey, and A|New York over the following months. Republic troops quickly responded, and A|overran most of the rebelling Mid-Atlantic states by the middle of 1868. Intense fighting from Large scale A|Rebel uprisings and the A|intervention by the northern Confederation states would ravage the Rebel states throughout 1868 to 1869. Backed by popular support, the Rebels would A|liberate all occupied states by the end of 1869. With the Republic forced out of the North, a stalemate ensued along the Maryland border until the A|Republic of Ohio brokered an A|official ceasefire on May 1870, followed by a A|permanent armistice that following month.

Like the First Civil War, both sides heavily relied on state militias to fight. Rebel forces were largely disorganized and largely lacked a unified command structure for the majority of the war. However their cause enjoyed overwhelming popular support in the North, providing large numbers of recruits for militias and active opposition to the Republic’s occupation. While the Republic had a standing Army, it only had 5,000 active members which further diminished after 20% of them defected to the Rebellion. Due to the Republic focusing on occupying population centers, many cities in the north experienced large scale urban warfare. Over 60% of A|New York City and A|Philadelphia would be destroyed in the worst period of fighting.

The Second Civil War resulted in a combined toll of 1.4 million casualties, a considerable amount of which included civilians. There continues to be debate over the distinction between a civilian and a A|rebel irregular and the harsh treatment of both by the South. The war was economically devastating for all sides, with the majority of the Rebellion’s cities A|occupied and partially razed and the Southern Republic losing their main economic hub in the north. The war would result in the A|dissolution of the Trenton Republic and the Williamsburg Confederation into A|four regional cliques. The A|Second Interwar Period afterward would see the North-South divide intensify, with the North aligning around the Republic of Ohio and the the South aligning with the new A|Southern Republic led by A|Georgia, setting the stage for the forty year long A|American Cold War.