In the Spring of 1861, the greatest slaughter of soldiers America had ever seen began, and lasted four long, bloody years. The Civil War pitted North against South in over fifty major battles and five thousand minor actions during which 620,000 soldiers died. Out of the cruel tragedy of this war that saw just about every family lose someone, was forged the remarkable nation of freedom that is the United States of America.
With cotton as king in the South and then Industrial Revolution thriving in the North, the different cultures grew more and more apart, distinct, and distrustful, particularly over the issue of slavery. The raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia in the Fall of 1859 ignited a series of events from which there was no turning back, culminating in the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina in Spring 1861 and the onset of war.
The Civil War was and still is unlike any war before in the history of mankind. The soldiers didn't fight for land, women, religion, or money. They fought because their country called them to, they fought for freedom. The Civil War was the most brave and heart touching war for the common man would march in line, pick up a musket, and fight into the valley of death out of love for his country. |
