In speeches Lincoln made it very clear that he was fighting the Civil War in order to preserve the Union. Lincoln did not approve of slavery, but he was not an abolitionist either. In August of 1862 he wrote, "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it..."

The Confederacy (South) never aimed to conquer the Union (North). The southern states were seeking to become an independent country with the ability to retain the laws and institutions they had come to rely upon (like slavery and the plantation economy).

South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860. Within months, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia all followed suit. On February 4, 1861, these states joined together to form the Confederate States of America.

The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 would be the opening shots of the Civil War. The Union was unable to supply the fort with enough supplies to fend off the Southern assault which resulted in a rousing Confederate victory. Lincoln would use news of the unprovoked attack to help bolster enlistments in the Union army.

The first capital of the Confederacy was Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly after Virginia seceded, the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia, which was less than 100 miles away from the Union capital of Washington, D.C. The capital was later moved to Danville, Virigina after Richmond fell, but Danville was only their capital for the last 8 days of the war.

Davis had served previously as a US Congressman, a Senator, and the Secretary of War. He argued against secession in 1858, but was later elected president of the Confederacy. Davis was inaugurated on February 18, 1861. He was captured after the war and was imprisoned for two years, but was never tried for treason.

There was strong support for the Union causes in the 48 Virginia counties that comprised the land now known as West Virginia. These counties came together and were granted Union statehood in 1863.

The South did not have as many people, factories, banks, railroads, or even farms as the North. This imbalance of resources would prove to be a challenge for the Confederacy.

From a strategic standpoint, one of the greatest Southern advantages was the fact that the majority of the Civil War’s fighting would revolve around defending their home territory. This meant supply lines and local public support were much easier to come by. The downside of this was that destruction of homes and the economy was concentrated in the South.

For the most part, neither side predicted the prolonged bloodshed and carnage that the Civil War would bring. While there were some strategists and military experts who predicted an extended conflict, most people were enthusiastic to participate in and, in some cases, spectate the battles. Sectional pride prevented either side from predicting a long war.

The first Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War. It was expected to be such a one-sided affair that there were actually Union spectators who picnicked on nearby hills to watch the action. The battle ended with a Union retreat, but both sides were sobered by the fierce fighting and the heavy casualties; it would be a sign of things to come.

In the Civil War, better rifles and more powerful artillery meant an overall increase in destructive power. It took military leaders the better part of the war to adjust their battlefield tactics to take these improvements into account; as a result, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were cut down by firepower that had drastically outpaced the maneuvers they were being ordered to carry out.

Although he was courted by both the Union and the Confederacy, Robert E. Lee remained loyal to his home state of Virginia and accepted the offer from the Confederacy. He began the war as military adviser to Jefferson Davis before taking command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which was the main field army of the South. In 1865 he was promoted to general-in-chief of Confederate forces. Lee’s leadership and strategic expertise are key reasons that the Confederacy was able to hold out against the Union for as long as it did.

McClellan was a great administrative leader, but he was reluctant to put his troops into battle without certainty that he would achieve an overwhelming victory. As a result, President Lincoln and other Union leaders grew frustrated with McClellan’s constant hesitation to engage with the enemy. Even in victory, McClellan would frustrate Union leaders with his unwillingness to pursue fleeing Confederate forces.

On March 9, 1862 the

The Union suffered 12,410 casualties at Antietam with 2,108 dead. Confederate casualties were 10,316 with 1,546 dead. Many of the wounded died after the battle as well. McClellan had a chance to pursue Lee’s retreating army, but he chose the cautious approach and let the Confederates escape.

Grant’s aggressive campaign into the West severely crippled the ability of the Confederacy to transport men, supplies, and trade goods along the Mississippi River.

The Emancipation Proclamation only proclaimed the freedom of slaves in ten states, excluding areas not in rebellion. It applied to more than 3 million of the 4 million slaves in North America. Slavery was not abolished throughout the entire country until the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865. Slaves would not get the right to vote until the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870.

African Americans were granted the right to participate in the Union military in 1862. By the end of the war, they comprised almost 10% of the Union army and 18% of the Union navy.

Despite being a war filled with massive, destructive battles, more soldiers died as a result of illness and infection than from direct combat.

The industrial and economic capacity of the Union soared during the war, with increased production in nearly every sector of their economy. Farming became more mechanized as farmers left home to enlist in the army. The transportation sector boomed, and by the end of the war the Union had the world's largest railroad system.

Lee's army needed food and supplies, which he was hoping to gather in Maryland. In addition, Lee was feeling confident with recent victories in Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. If all went well he was poised to swing east and capture D.C. He also believed that success in the North could affect political events and make it easier for Northern Democrats to press for a negotiated settlement.

Union victories at Gettysburg in the North, and Vicksburg in the South, marked a major turning point in the Civil War. Union General George Meade had decimated Lee’s forces at Gettysburg and Union General Ulysses S. Grant took control of the Mississippi River with victories at Vicksburg and Port Hudson. The Confederates never recovered from these losses.

Sherman’s “March to the Sea” was a bold and ruthless plan to cripple the Confederacy. After capturing Atlanta, his troops marched toward Savannah while destroying Southern agriculture, infrastructure, and supplies. Rather than waging a traditional attack that focused exclusively on military targets, Sherman’s total war strategy aimed break the Confederacy's strategic, economic, and psychological capacity for war.

Keeping true to the Union war aim of preserving the Union, Grant realized that the process of reconstruction would require acts of good faith towards the defeated Confederates. The struggles of Southerners would now very much be entangled in the fabric of the reconstructed United States; allowing soldiers the ability to return home and begin putting their lives back together was the first step of reconstruction.

Following the Union defeat of the Confederacy, the southern states were brought back into the United States of America and forced to comply with the Constitution and American federal laws. This transition came to be known as Reconstruction.