The American Civil War

The American Civil War (1861—1865) was the bloodiest conflict in American history and the defining moment of its political development. Eleven slaveholding states seceded after Lincoln's election, forming the Confederacy at Richmond under Jefferson Davis. The war began on 12 April 1861 with the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Its turning points were Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Sherman's March to the Sea. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox on 9 April 1865; five days later Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.