The War Between the States, the Civil War, the War of Northern Agression, the War for Southern Independence. On April 12, 1861, Charleston SC, our young nation made its first step down the road that would, after 4 long years, leave 600,000 Americans dead and define our country as we know it today.

By April 1861, the new Southern Confederate Army had seized most of the Federal forts that existed in the South. Most of these "seizures" were nothing more than the "Federal" garrison changing sides and declaring loyalty to the Confederate States of America. Still, one fort hung out like a sore thumb. Fort Sumter in Charleston SC defiantly flew the Federal flag, the Red White and Blue. It's commander, Major Robert Anderson, refused the surrender terms offered by General Pierre Beuregard and settled in for a bombardment. On the night of April 12th, 1861, as scores of civilians stood on rooftops to watch the show, the Confederate army fired the first shot of the war and divided the country. Two days later the fort was surrendered. The Civil War had begun.

Thousands of young men raced to enlist as War fever took over both sides. Women formed groups and sewed uniforms and flags. If you were fighting age and did not enlist, you were ostracized. Both governments called for a 90 day enlistment. Plenty of time, surely, to train a green army and end the war. One grand battle would decide the winner. One fight. Place your bets and get a good seat, because it would be all over in a month.

In a quiet countryside, near a lazy town called Manassas, Virginia, next to Bull Run creek, two armies converged. On a splendid summer day, July 21, 1861, 20,000 Union troops stood against 17,000 Confederates. It was a beautiful day for a picnic. Scores of civilians from Washington thought the same and gathered around the nearby hills in their carriages to watch the splendid show. The battle began. It was a confused, horrific experience for the young men who went into that battle. Due to no uniform standards, it was hard to tell who was on what side. Flags were hard to distinguish. Units fired into other friendly units. Confusion reigned. Finally, the Union army broke into a complete and total rout. There was no control. Panicked civilians flooded the streets and became entwined with the retreating Northern army. General McDowell of the Union Army lost 2,900 men. General Beuregard lost about 2,000 Confederate soldiers. Many people did indeed believe the war to be over; some turned in their rifles and went home. But most knew now that the war was going to be a long, dreadful journey.

After Bull Run, or Manassas as the Confederates called it, the battles kept getting deadlier. The Battle of Shiloh, Tenessee (April 1862), shocked the nation. In that battle more men died than were lost in the Revolution and The War of 1812 combined. 23,700 men fell in 2 days of fighting. Still the war raged furiously. The battle of Sharpsburg, Marlyland (September 1862) is still the most bloody day in American history. In one day of fighting, 22,400 men were killed and wounded.

Antietam, tactically, was a draw. However, Robert E. Lee withdrew his Confederates back to Southern soil, and President Lincoln used the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the Confederate States. The act in itself had no real bearing. The Union government had no control of the states in Rebellion to dictate law. But the proclamation hit home to its desired target: Europe. The South had been enjoying a host of victories and had hoped for European recognition or intervention. Had Europe sided with the South the history books could very well tell a different tale. After the proclamation, Europe could not openly aid the South. The proclamation made the South look evil and the north appear saintly. The Emancipation Proclamation was a political success.

Still the war raged. The battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (July 1863) marked the "High Tide of the Confederacy". In three days of fighting, over 40,000 men were killed and wounded. It was a crippling defeat for the Confederates and a hard earned victory for the Union, who itself lost 23,000 men. The war still raged, however. Another 2 years. Finally, on April 9th, the mighty Southern Army could take no more. The backbone of the South was crushed. Its industry destroyed, many of its cities burned, its population dwindled. The will of the South and the ability of its people to sustain the armies in the field were simply no longer capable of continuing. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the War. General Johnston surrendered to General Sherman on April 26th. There were still occasional skirmishes out west, and the last official surrender of troops came from a Confederate Indian Cavalry unit on June 23. After four long years, more than 10,000 battles, and over half a million dead, the War Between the States was over.