The American Civil War began due to tension over slavery in new territories. The Union eventually defeated the Confederacy, and Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. Although the war officially ended in 1865, resistance to Union laws and violence against blacks continued during the Reconstruction Era.
Appomattox, Virginia is where Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War, officially surrendered to Union forces. The surrender occurred at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Sporadic fighting occurred for another few months, but the loss of General Lee and his army set in motion the final conclusion to the Civil War. The southern states were subsequently occupied by US troops and the Reconstruction Era began.
The American Civil War was a conflict that had been brewing for many years before open hostilities broke out. The United States was rapidly expanding westward, and the question of whether slavery should be legal in the new territories caused significant tension between the northern and southern states. The north was generally more industrial and urban, and grew much faster than the southern states. This gave rise to fears that Southern influence in national politics was waning.
The new Confederate States of America (CSA) fired the first shots of the war at Fort Sumter, South Carolina in 1861. Early in the war, the CSA scored many tactical victories. But the Union brought nearly twice as many soldiers to the battlefield as the Confederacy and dominated the naval theater. Most historians cite the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, where the Confederates lost more than 23,000 soldiers, as the turning point in the war.
The Confederate economy collapsed and the Union began winning tactical victories which resulted in the Battle of Appomattox Court House. Robert E. Lee, widely regarded as an expert military strategist, was forced to abandon the capital of Richmond. He moved west, where he was soon defeated at Appomattox.
With weak central leadership, the CSA did not have a unified response to Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. Many armies, including those in Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana, did not surrender until weeks later. The last shots of the war were fired from the Confederate battleship Shenandoah in June 1865. United States President Andrew Johnson did not formally declare an end to the war until August 20, 1866.
Although organized warfare ended in 1865, resistance to Union laws did not. Slavery was technically abolished after the Civil War, but the Reconstruction Era is generally viewed by historians as a failure. Violence against blacks continued and was tolerated in many areas of the South. Significant legislation to give full rights to blacks did not come until the civil rights movement some 100 years later.
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