Fort Sumter, a federal fort located in Charleston Harbor, refused to surrender to the Confederates. Sixty-eight soldiers under the command of
Major Anderson had been in the fort from December 26th, without supply. When Lincoln made the decision to resupply the Fort, the Confederacy
decided to assault. In the middle of the night of the 12th, Confederate emissaries brought Major Anderson an ultimatum either surrenders by 4
A.M. or the Confederate batteries will open fire. On the 4:30 A.M. on the 12th, General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard gave the order to
open fire. The next afternoon Major Anderson surrendered. The war was on.

Federal troops led by General McDowell advanced towards Manassas Junction, where Confederate troops were dug in, blocking the road to Richmond.
Both Confederate and Union troops were not ready for battle. Union troops advanced on Confederate troops, almost breaking through, but at the
last moment, Confederate reinforcements arrived on the battlefield and carried the day.

General McDowell came up with a plan for a direct attack on Confederate troops massed at Manassas Junction on the road to Richmond. One of the keys
to the plan called for keeping the 10,000 troops of Confederate General Johnson busy in the Shenandoah Valley, so that he could not reinforce Confederate
troops in Manassas Junction commanded by General Beauregard. General Patterson whose responsibility it was to keep General Johnson's troops occupied in
the Shenandoah Valley failed in this objective, and General Johnson began transporting his troops to the South, by train- (the first use of rail in war).
On July 16 General McDowell got his army of 34,000 men in motion from Washington towards the Confederate army. The distance to be covered 30 miles. The
union officers had no experience handling such large armies, and the union soldiers had no experience at being soldiers and thus the march took much
longer then it should have. McDowell had 34,000 troops ready to attack 25,000 Confederate forces spread out over eight miles on the other side of Bull
Run at 2 in the morning McDowell's army began to move. However, it was a long and slow march around the confederate flank. It was not until11 AM that
McDowell's 12,000 men completed their march and crossed Bull Run and Sudely Springs. Meanwhile the outlines of the plan had become clear to the
Confederate headquarters, and troops began to be switched to meet the attack coming at the left flank. Confederate forces on the spot put up a valiant
defense, but the overwhelming size of the Union Army massed at one spot slowly forced the Confederates back. Around noon they were forced to retreat
across the turnpike and to take up defensive positions on the hill of the Henry Farm. The Confederates did their best to reinforce the hill, and soon
there were 6,000 troops including those led by Wade Hampton and General Thomas Jackson of Virginia. With the confederate line wavering Jackson stood tall
and held the line. General Bee trying to rally wavering men, state: "look-There is Jackson standing like a stone wall-rally behind the Virginians". A
moment later Bee was mortally wounded. The line held. A few moments later General Johnson gave the order for a counterattack. The Confederate attack
quickly broke the Union lines. Before long the retreat of the union army turned into a complete rout. It was impossible to stop the retreating soldiers
from heading all the way back to the Potomac River. In the midst of the flight were hundreds of sightseers from Washington, including six senators and
ten Congressmen.

"We called to them, tried to tell them there was no danger, called them to stop, implored them to stand. We called them cowards, denounced them in the
most offensive term, put out our heavy revolvers, and threatened to shoot them, but all in vain; a cruel crazy, mad, hopeless panic possessed them, and
communicated to everybody about in front and rear. The heat was awful, although now about six; the men were exhausted their mouths' gaped, their lips
cracked and blackened with the powder of the cartridges they had bitten off in the battle, their eyes starting in frenzy; no mortal ever saw such a mass
of ghastly wretches."

Missouri was torn between Unionists and Secessionists. The leader of the Secessionists was the state's governor, Claiborne Jackson. The leading Unionist,
Francis Blair was aided by Captain Nathaniel Lyon, who organized the Unionists. They attacked the Secessionist militia and in a series of military
victories chased them to the South West corner of the state in Springfield Lyon met a force much larger than his own. In a battle, on August 10th 1861,
the Confederate forces routed Union forces, killing Lyon. For a brief period, Confederate forces advanced and occupied Lexington until they were forced
to withdraw.

On February 6th 1862, Union soldiers under General Grant attacked Fort Henry on the Tennessee River. The Fort quickly surrendered after a bombardment
from Union ships. Federal troops soon surrounded the fort and made the Confederate position unable and forcing their surrender. Thus, both the Tennessee
and Cumberland Rivers were now open to the Union, and the North had a new hero– General Grant.

In February 1862, Union forces, led by Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside, attacked Confederate positions on Roanoke Islands. Union troops landed on
the Island and quickly subdued the Confederate forces. The Union victory opened the whole North Carolina coast to the Federals.

On March 8th 1862, the CSS Virginia the first Confederate ironclad stormed out of the James River, where the vessel destroyed two of the Union ships
and retreated for the night. The next day the Virginia was met by the Union's Monitor, the first Union ironclad. This battle lasted all day, but neither
ship could best the other. At the end of the day both ships withdrew. The Union blockade was not broken.

General McClellan moved the Army of Potomac to Fort Monroe. From there, his plan called for a rapid movement up the Peninsula, past the Confederate
positions at Yorktown, and then on Towards Richmond– All this before sufficient Confederate reinforcements could arrive. McClellan however, undertook a
siege of the fortress at Yorktown. The siege took one month. As the Union forces were ready to attack, the Confederates pulled out.

The prime defenses of New Orleans were Fort Jackson and Fort St Philip, both located on a bend of the Mississippi, 75 miles to the South of New Orleans.
By Mid April the federal fleet arrived just below the forts. The fleet included a number of mortar boats, which were especially designed to lob large
shells at forts. On April 18th 1862 the mortar boats opened fire. Porter, who commanded the mortar fleets were convinced he could destroy the forts in two
days. For almost a week he fired 16,800 shells at the forts. He was unable to disable the guns of the forts. Farragut called off the shelling and instead
decided to run the gauntlet of the forts with his fleet. The fleet was powerful consisting of seventeen warships. At 2 AM on the morning of April 24th
Farragut then continued upriver unchallenged, where New Orleans, the South's largest port and second largest city was forced to surrender. The next day
the soldiers in the two forts below the city mutinied and the forts surrendered.

McClellan’s forces advanced to within 15 miles of Richmond. On June 26th, Lee's forces attacked Union forces at Mechanicsville. The Union forces were
victorious, but McClellan ordered a withdrawal to Gaines' Mill. There, Confederate forces broke Union lines the next day. McClellan then ordered a general
withdrawal. Three more battles were fought, including one at Malvern Hill, in which Confederate troops were slaughtered, in an ill advised attempt to scale
it. In the end however, McClellan withdrew all of his troops to Harrison Landing.

The second Battle of Bull Run took place on August 29-30, on the same battlefield as the first Battle of Bull Run. It began when forces of General Pope
attacked those of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, who had succeeded in flanking Confederate forces and destroying the Federal supply depot at
Manassas. Pope's initial attack against Jackson's well entrenched lines failed. The next day, when Pope resumed his attack, the Confederates, led by
Longstreet counter-attacked. They forced back Union troops, who retreated across the stone bridge over Bull Run.

In the aftermath of the Confederate victory at Manassas, General Lee led his army into Maryland– in a gamble to win the war. His plans fell into Union
hands, and the Union army massed against him outside a little town in Maryland, called Sharpsburg, near the Antietam Creek. In a day long battle on
September 15-17th 1863, 23,582 Americans became casualties. Both sides lost an equal number of men. The Confederate force, which was smaller however,
was forced to withdraw. In the aftermath of the battle– considered to be a Union victory, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation.

Under the command of General Burnside, Union Troops crossed the Rappahannock River and occupied Fredericksburg. Confederate troops withdrew and occupied
the heights above the town. The Confederates were well situated. In assaults south of the town, as well as above the town, in Marye's heights, Union
troops failed to dislodge the Confederates. Union troops suffered massive casualties and were forced to withdraw.

On December 31st, Union forces commanded by General Rosencrans, faced off against Confederate forces, commanded by General Bragg. Two miles north of
Murfreesboro the Confederates struck Union lines first, and succeeded in pushing back the Union flanks. The Union center held. Confederate forces
attacked repeatedly, but failed to move Union forces. Bragg expected Rosencrans to withdraw. Rosencrans did not comply. When it became clear that
Rosencrans was receiving reinforcements from Nashville, Bragg withdrew his forces.

General Ambrose Burnside was replaced with Joseph Hooker. Hooker immediately set out to reorganize the Army of the Potomac, a task at which he succeeded.
In the end of April 1863, he launched his attack on Confederate forces. One part of his army crossed the Rappahannock south of Fredericksburg; the other
crossed the river 12 miles to the north. Hooker successfully outflanked Lee. However, when Hooker's forces encountered their first serious opposition, he
ordered an end to the advance and a partial withdrawal. This allowed Lee to organize for the attack, and in a flanking maneuver, he rolled back the Union
line. Hooker was forced to withdraw from the South side of the Rappahannock– both in the North and in the South, where Sedgwick's corps had captured the
Marye Heights. The Confederates, however, lost Stonewall Jackson, a victim of friendly fire.

By 1863, the Confederate hold on the Mississippi River was limited to Vicksburg and Port Hudson– both strong bastions– difficult to overcome. In a
daring move, U.S. Grant, commanding the Union forces, sent his troops past Vicksburg and landed to the south of the city. Grant's troops then defeated
Confederate forces in five separate engagements. After a 6 week siege, Confederate forces surrendered.

The Battle of Gettysburg took place around this small Pennsylvania town, when Confederate forces foraging for shoes encountered a Union cavalry brigade
guarding the town. Both sides quickly brought their main units to bear. In the first day of the battle, Confederate troops forced Union forces back,
but at a heavy cost. The second day, Confederates attacked heavily fortified Union positions, and were repulsed on every attempt. Finally, on the third
day, Lee's forces attempted to attack the Union Center. The attack was called "Pickett's Charge". Less than half of the men involved in the charge
returned. Gettysburg marked the last time the Confederates attempted to bring about a decisive battle on Union soil.

The civil war the first American war in which soldiers were drafted. The South was first to employ the draft, followed by the North. In March of 1863,
the National conscription act was passed. Draftees would be called by lottery. Once called, a draftee had the opportunity to either pay a commutation
fee of $300 to be exempt from a particular battle, or to hire a replacement that would exempt him from the entire war. Over the course of the riots,
Blacks were often the target of many of the rioters. Lincoln sent federal troops to put down the riots. There are various estimates of the number of
dead and wounded– ranging from 70 to 1,000.

The Army of the Cumberland advanced all the way to Chattanooga, without encountering any serious opposition from the retreating forces of General Bragg.
General Rosencrans, the Union commander, ordered the Union forces to continue after the Confederate forces south of the city. There, they were attacked
by Bragg, who was reinforced by the troops of General Longstreet. In the ensuing battle, which was the bloodiest of the Western theater, Longstreet's
soldiers attacked a gap in the Union lines, causing a third of the Union army to stream back to Chattanooga. Forces under General Thomas regrouped and
held off the Confederate forces for the remainder of the day allowing an organized retreat for the remaining forces.

In order to lift the siege of Chattanooga, Lincoln took a number of immediate actions. He ordered 20,000 reinforcements from the Army of the Potomac
to Chattanooga, and he appointed U.S. Grant as the overall commander of Union troops west of the Alleghenies. Grant took immediate action to improve
the supply lines. Then, on November 24th, he launched his attack on Confederate lines. That day troops under General Hooker, captured Lookout Mountain.
The next day troops under General Thomas broke through the center of the Confederate lines and sent the Confederates in headlong retreat.

General Banks undertook a campaign up Louisiana's Red River. His goal was to reach Shreveport. He was supported by the gunboats of Porter's river fleet.
On April 8th, Banks' advancing forces were attacked by Confederate forces, led by General Richard Taylor, at Sabine Crossroads. The Union troops were
forced to retreat. The next day, Taylor attempted to follow up with an attack at Pleasant Hill, the Confederate forces were repulsed. Banks decided to
withdraw. The only problem was that the Red River had dropped and Porter's fleet was stranded above the rapids at Alexandria. The ingenuity of a
Wisconsin colonel led to the building of a series of dams that raised the level of water sufficiently to float the fleet over the narrows.

General Banks undertook a campaign up Louisiana's Red River. His goal was to reach Shreveport. He was supported by the gunboats of Porter's river fleet.
On April 8th, Banks' advancing forces were attacked by Confederate forces, led by General Richard Taylor, at Sabine Crossroads. The Union troops were
forced to retreat. The next day, Taylor attempted to follow up with an attack at Pleasant Hill, the Confederate forces were repulsed. Banks decided to
withdraw. The only problem was that the Red River had dropped and Porter's fleet was stranded above the rapids at Alexandria. The ingenuity of a
Wisconsin colonel led to the building of a series of dams that raised the level of water sufficiently to float the fleet over the narrows.

By the summer of 1864, the South had only one port still available for the blockade runners– Mobile, Alabama. Mobile was protected by three forts, and a
small fleet of Confederate ships, including the CSS Tennessee. On August 5th, Rear Admiral David Farragut led a Union fleet of 4 ironclads and 14 other
ships into Mobile Bay. In the next few minutes, Farragut made naval history with the image and saying. In order to see better, Farragut had himself
strapped to the mast. Then when the first Union ironclad was struck by a Confederate torpedo and sunk, Farragut stated: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed
ahead." Then they captured the Confederate fleet. Over the course of the next three weeks the Union also captured all of the forts. Mobile Harbor was
closed.

Sherman's goal was the conquest of Atlanta– 100 miles away from Chattanooga. Between Sherman and the city stood a series of mountain passes and a Confederate
army, commanded by General Joseph Johnson. Johnson was waiting for Sherman to directly attack him. Sherman would not oblige. In a series of flanking
maneuvers, Sherman forced Johnson back to the outskirts of Atlanta. At that point, Johnson was replaced by Hood. Hood attempted a number of assaults on
Union lines, all of which failed. On September 1st, Hood withdrew from Atlanta, when Sherman cut Atlanta's last remaining rail link.

Union forces besieged Petersburg for 9 months. Union forces were well supplied. Confederate forces could barely find food to eat. Finally, with their
numbers dwindling due to desertions, and with Sherman's forces approaching from the south, Lee attempted a break out. It failed miserably, and on April
2nd, Union forces soon assaulted the Confederate lines. The Army of Virginia was forced to withdraw from both Petersburg and Richmond.

After Sherman's victory in Atlanta, Hoods army attempted to cut off Sherman from his supply line in Chattanooga. Sherman effectively repulsed Confederates.
Hethen convinced Grant to allow him to march his army to the sea across Georgia. On November 16th Sherman's Army set off. In the course of the march, his
soldiers ate off the land, and destroyed anything of conceivable military value in its way.

Confederate General Hood headed north into Tennessee, while Union General Sherman headed south. Unfortunately for him, Sherman had left more than enough
forces behind. Hood's forces first met Union forces at Franklin on the road to Nashville. On November 30, 1864, a battle was fought in Franklin, where
Union casualties numbered 2,300; while Confederate casualties totaled 6,300. Hood went on to attempt to besiege the Federals at Nashville. On December
16th, Federal troops numbering 55,000, under General Thomas, attacked Hood's 20,000 men. The Confederate army was decimated and ceased to exist as a
fighting unit.

On April 2nd, the word reached Richmond that lines in Petersburg had broken. Richmond would have to be evacuated. The next day Lincoln was able to visit
Richmond. On April 7th Lee's surrounded (and hungry) army was forced to surrender. The end came quickly, when the lines at Petersburg broke, it forced both
Petersburg and Richmond fell. Jefferson Davis was in church, when he received a message- he turned white, Lee had informed him that Richmond would have
to be evacuated. The next day President Lincoln who had been visiting Grant was able to tour Petersburg. He stated to Admiral David Porter: "Thank God I
have lived to see this. It seems to me that I have been dreaming a horrid dream for four years, and now the nightmare is gone, I want to see Richmond".
Porter obliged and took Lincoln upriver to Richmond the next day. There guarded initially by 10 sailors he made his way through the streets to Jefferson
Davis office. He was thronged by Blacks one old lady is said to have shouted: "I know I am alive for I have seen Father Abraham and felt him." Meanwhile
Grant and the army pursued Lee. On April 6th near a stream called Saylers Creek, 6,000 confederates were captured. Finally on the morning of April 9th Lee
and his hungry men found themselves surrounded by five times the number of Union soldiers. Lee had no choice- At a ceremony at Appomattox Court House he
surrendered the army of Northern Virginia, thus effectively bringing to an end the most horrible war in American history.