Civil War

1861-65

• U.S. troops engaged: 2,213,363
• Battle deaths: 140,414
• The northern states and the southern states fought over slavery and states' rights.
• Seven states seceded from the Union—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee followed, bringing the final total of seceded states to 11.
• They called themselves the Confederate States of America and named Jefferson Davis president.
• The war began on April 12, 1861 when the Confederates fired on Charleston, S.C.'s Fort Sumner.
• Confederate and Union soldiers met twice in Manassas, Va., and the battles are known as the first and second Battles of Bull Run. The Confederates won both engagements.
• Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 marked the turning point in the war.
• The South surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, in 1865.
• More than 180,000 black soldiers fought in the Union Army. By the end of the war, they made up 10% of the Union troops. Both free Africans Americans and runaway slaves volunteered as soldiers.
• The Union victory meant re-admission for the seceded states and ended slavery.

See The Civil War for more details about the dates and events of this war.

Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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