The American Civil war was one of the most important events in the nation's history. It began in 1861, where the free north and the slaveholding south engaged in several battles until 1865. Combined, the war claimed an estimated number of 750,000 soldiers in the brutal war. Not only did it affect the soldiers, it had major influences of the women and children back home. The northern and southern states were very different. The northern states were industrialised and urbanised while the southern states were more dependent on agriculture. The Country's economic differences were a major cause leading to the war. Cotton was very profitable at the time which led to a greater demand for the crops inevitably making an increased need for slaves. The southern economy was very reliant on cotton and therefore slavery. The northern economy were buying raw cotton and manufacturing it into goods, creating major economic differences between the two. The fight over slavery and non-slavery was also an upset that contributed to the war. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 caused further tensions as it made two new domains which allowed the states to use popular sovereignty to determine if they would be free or slave. After this, people began to have sympathy for slaves and anger towards the slave holders. The election of Lincoln as president also sparked conflictions between the two. After the election of President Lincoln in 1860, the southern states started to leave the Union as they felt threatened that Lincoln was going to end slavery. This is when the fighting began. The southern states were fighting for independence and the northern states were fighting to save the Union. The battle at Bull Run was the first major battle of the civil war. The Union army of 30,000 met the Confederate army of 20,000 in North Virginia. The number of casualties was astronomical, having great effect on the mindset of the fellow soldiers. The bloodshed was made worse by having inexperienced troops on both sides. The Union and Confederate army realized the war was going to be much longer than they had anticipated. Through the outstanding leadership of the new Confederate leader general, the Union army were forced back, running all the way back to Washington. This battle was a turning point in the war, leading to creative ideas and great changes in the conduct of the war. The Union realized that victory would not come easily, resulting in a new mood set among the north. Both the northern and southern states began their recruiting, having as much as 90 volunteers sign up each day.
The Confederate army thought they could end the war by taking Washington DC and regain power after the collapse of the Lincoln government. The battle of Antietam began with the invading Confederate army of 50,000 led by General Lee came up against the Union army of 87,000, led by General George McClellan. It was the battle with the biggest bloodshed of all the Civil War battles. After a staggering 24,000 lives lost between the Union and the Confederates, the Confederate army decided to withdraw, leaving it a Union victory. The next major battle in the Civil War was the capture of Vicksburg, in 1863. The Union army came under control of Vicksburg after a long fight with the Confederates. The north then went on to gain command of the entire Mississippi River. This isolated Texas off from the other Confederate states and affected the South's transport system. The leadership and skills shown by General Grant in the capture of Vicksburg brought national attention.
Within the same month, the Battle of Gettysburg was fought after the surrender of Vicksburg. The battle of Gettysburg was the South's last real chance to win the war. Poor decisions by General Lee lead the Confederate army to abandon the original plan, causing the Confederates to be fighting defensively for the remainder of the battle. The events following the end on the Civil War was the establishment of the