In the year eighteen sixty one tensions between the North and the South were getting higher everyday. The North relied on manufacturing plants while the South relied on farms which had black slaves working on them. The North viewed slavery as an awful …show more content…
they formed the Confederate army, while the North formed The Union army. The Confederates were continuously threatening Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which was a Union fort, until April 12, 1861 when the Confederates fired the first shots of the war. They blasted the fort with artillery for less than two days until Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. After the victory four more states joined the Confederacy, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina,Tennessee, and Texas. The Confederates were led by Robert E. Lee who absolutely loved war “It is well war is so terrible–we would grow too fond of it.” (from Robert E. Lee on history.com) The Union army was led by President Abraham Lincoln who was a superior political and war leader and Ulysses S. Grant who was appointed major general after he took over the Mississippi Valley "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." (from Ulysses S. Grant on the Whitehouse.gov). While it seemed like it would be a quick war considering it was eleven states versus the whole U.S. it was actually a long and bloody war. In the first battle of Bullrun the North thought it was going to be a quick victory but as the battle went on it was soon realized that it wouldn’t be so easy. The Confederates proved to be a strong army, what they lacked in numbers they made up for in experience. They had some of the best soldiers and best military commanders in the nation which made …show more content…
Once the union found out they launched a quick counter attack to take back the fort. In about four days they took it back. Lee 's forces retreated out of Richmond with Grant’s army on their heels. The following days Grant and his army pursued the Confederates and finally, after realizing he had no options left, Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9. The victory of the Union was short lived however.The President of the United States was shot and killed in Ford 's Theater by John Wilkes Booth, who was a Confederate sympathizer on April 14. The news shocked the nation and the victory was short lived. The Civil War was among the bloodiest war our nation has ever faced. Both Scholars and Historians still get astonished today by how many facts still come up about the war. The death count made up about two percent of the 1860 population. The Confederates lost about two hundred and sixty thousand while the Union lost about three hundred and sixty thousand. Not everything about the war was bad though. Broad innovations were made throughout like the first Gatling gun, reconnaissance balloons, and water mines were all first used in the war. Full nationwide coverage, including photo’s, were also a first during the war .”The Civil War has been written about as few other wars in history have. More than 60,000 books and countless articles.”(from britannica.com)