What happened at the Civil War?

Answer 1

The Civil War, also known as the American Civil War, was a major conflict that took place in the United States from 1861 to 1865. It was fought between the Northern states, known as the Union, and the Southern states, known as the Confederacy. The war erupted as a result of several factors, including disagreements over states' rights, the institution of slavery, and economic differences.

The main cause of the Civil War was the issue of slavery. The Southern states heavily relied on enslaved labor for their agricultural-based economies, while the Northern states were increasingly becoming industrialized and had largely abolished slavery. The election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860, who was opposed to the expansion of slavery, further heightened tensions between the North and the South.

The war began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a U.S. military installation in South Carolina. The conflict involved numerous battles, both on land and at sea, and took place across various regions of the United States, with the majority of the fighting occurring in the Southern states.

Key events during the Civil War include the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, considered a turning point in favor of the Union forces, as well as the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln in the same year, which declared that all enslaved people in Confederate territory were to be freed.

The war ended on April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The Union victory led to the preservation of the United States as a single country and the abolition of slavery with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865.