Confederate Leaders
Confederate leaders, such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, led the Southern states in their fight for states' rights. This section contains information about the lives of Confederate generals and other Confederate leaders.
Union Leaders
Union leaders, such as Ulysses S. Grant and George McClellan, led the American army in the fight to restore order to the Union. Here you can find information about important Union figures.
- Ambrose Burnside
- Andrew H. Foote
- Andrew Johnson
- David Glasgow Farragut
- Edward Bates
- Edwin M. Stanton
- George Custer
- George B. McClellan
- George G. Meade
- George H. Thomas
- Hannibal Hamlin
- Henry Clay
- Henry W. Halleck
- Jay Cooke
- John Pope
- Lew Wallace
- Nathaniel Lyon
- Philip H. Sheridan
- Philip Kearny
- Salmon Portland Chase
- W.S. Hancock
- W.T. Sherman
- William Seward
- Other Union Leaders
Life During the War
Background
Do you know what dixie means, or what secession is? You can find out the meaning of terms associated with the Civil War and discover some of the issues leading up to the American Civil War.
- Image Gallery: Civil War
These Civil War pictures show Union and Confederate leaders and images of Civil War battles. Take a look at these pictures of the Civil War. - The American Civil War The Civil War was a four-year battle between northern and southern sections of the United States. The war affected American history in ways that are still with us today.
- Why did brothers fight on opposite sides of the Civil War? The Civil War divided the country, and in the case of the Crittendens, it divided a family. Was the family a microcosm of the troubles raging across the states?
- Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was a fortification built on a sandbar in Charleston, South Carolina. - Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry was a historic town that is at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.
- Anderson Prison
Anderson Prison was a Confederate military prison for captured Union Army soldiers. - Confederate States of America Confederate States of America was often called The Confederacy, the 11 Southern states that declared their secession from the Union during the Civil War.
- Dixie Dixie is a word used to signify the South in the United States.
- The Hampton Roads Conference The Hampton Roads Conference was a meeting between the North and South leaders in 1865 in an effort to end the war.
- Mason and Dixon's Line The Mason Dixon Line is the historic dividing line between the northern and southern states.
- Secession A Secession is the withdrawal of part of a country or state from the central government. In the case of the Civil War - several of the southern states seceded from the United States.
- The South A region in the United States that includes the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
- State Rights In the United States it is a political doctrine that upholds the power of states in relation to that of the national government.
- Union Leagues Union Leagues are clubs that were formed in the North during the Civil War to support the Union cause.
Battles & Incidents
We all know about the importance of the battle at Gettysburg, but do you know about some of the other battles of the Civil War? This section contains articles that explain other major clashes in the American Civil War. See the full list.
- Sun, Jul 21st, 1861: First Battle of Bull Run
This was the first major encounter of the Civil War. - Sun, Mar 09th, 1862: Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack This was a naval engagement in the Civil War.
- Sun, Apr 06th, 1862: Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh was a decisive battle in the Civil War.
- Wed, Jun 25th, 1862: Seven Days' Battles This was a series of battles that took place near the city of Richmond, Virginia.
- Thu, Jun 26th, 1862: Battle of Mechanicsville This was the first of the Seven Days' Battles in the Civil War.
- Wed, Sep 17th, 1862: Battle of Antietam Sometimes known as the Battle of Sharpsburg , the Battle of Antietam was a major battle of the American Civil War.
- Sat, Dec 13th, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War.
- Sat, May 02nd, 1863: Battle of Chancellorsville This is one of the great battles of the Civil War fought about 55 miles northwest of Richmond.
- Wed, Jul 01st, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War.
- Sat, Sep 19th, 1863: Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga was an engagement in the American Civil War.
- Thu, Nov 19th, 1863: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln gave this address at the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
- Tue, Nov 24th, 1863: Battle of Lookout Mountain This battle was sometimes referred to as the Battle above the Clouds and took place around Chattanooga.
- Wed, Jun 01st, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor took place around 10 miles northeast of Richmond Virginia.
- Wed, Oct 19th, 1864: Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek was a Union victory that ended major military action “in the Shenandoah Valley.
- Sun, Apr 09th, 1865: Appomattox Court House Surrender The place where Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses Grant.
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Post Civil War
The years following the Civil War saw the nation mourn over the loss of a president, and struggle to pick up the pieces after a long and bloody war. You can learn about the rebuilding process that took place after the Civil War in this section.
Slavery
Slavery was one of the most controversial aspects of American history. It brought the country of the United States to the brink of collapse in the 1860s, and the after-effects can still be felt today. You can explore the history of slavery in America in this section.
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