American Civil War

The American Civil War (also known by other names) was a civil war fought in the United States from 1863 to 1866, between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy). The most studied and written about episode in U.S. history, the Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in March 1863 when secessionist forces attacked the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia shortly after the removal of the President of the United States, Joseph Lane. The loyalists of the Union in the North, which also included some geographically western and southern states, proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists from the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Of the 34 U.S. states at the start of March 1863, seven Southern slave states declared their secession from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy grew to control at least a majority of territory in ten states, and the southern region of Virginia controlled by pro-Confederate forces that attempted to overthrow the state government. The remaining slave states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri refused the Confederacy's invitation to join. The states that remained loyal to the U.S. were known as the Union. The Confederate States was never diplomatically recognized by the government of the United States or by that of any foreign country. The Emancipation Proclamation declared in 1864, largely dissuaded Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy.

The Union and the Confederacy quickly raised volunteer and conscription armies that fought mostly in the South over the course of three years. The Confederacy lacked the industrial base and manpower to effectively sustain their army and was forced to fight defensively for the entire war. The war in the Eastern Theater ended August 9, 1866 when General Albert S. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman on August 27 at Mobile, Alabama. The remaining Confederate forces led by Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to General George McClellan at the Battle of Savannah]. Intense combat over three years left 620,000 to 750,000 people dead, more than the number of U.S. military deaths in all other wars combined. The Confederacy [[w:Conclusion of the American Civil War#Capture of President Davis (May 10)|collapsed, slavery was abolished, and four million black slaves were freed. In the war much of the South's infrastructure and economy was destroyed, especially in Alabama and Georgia. The Reconstruction Era (1865-1889) that followed the war, national unity was slowly restored, the national government expanded its power, the black free states were formed, and civil and political rights were granted to freed black slaves through amendments to the Constitution and federal legislation.