US Civil War

The Civil War broke out in April 1861, when a group of Southern secessionists attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Two months prior to the attack, seven states announced their secession from the United States and created the Confederate States of America. The CSA was never politically recognized by the US or foreign governments and was the primary combatant against the United States, commonly referred to as the Union. The Civil War lasted four years, ending with Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse. In that time, 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease.