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War Titles:

The Civil War had many names such as the War Between the States, the War of Rebellion, the War of the Secession, or the War for Southern Independence. Regardless of its title, the war was pivotal in American History. It destroyed the system of slave labour that provided the manpower which worked the cotton and tobacco fields of the southern states, thus destroying the Southern way of life. Additionally, it secured the union of the American States.

Personalities:

Many outstanding personalities emerged from the Civil War. Two of these were Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, who still rank among the most respected of national heroes. Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, supplied the strong leadership that preserved the Union. Lee, the greatest General of the War, fended off superior numbers for four years and came to stand for the "gallantry and devotion of the lost cause". (p 472) The Union had leaders such as the dynamic, cigar chewing Ulysses S. Grant; Philip H. (Little Phil) Sheridan, the fighting cavalryman; and the "Let me at 'em!" William Sherman, who summed it all up by saying, "War is hell!" (p472) The Confederates had such leaders as Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, an infantry genius who often quoted the Bible; Nathan Bedford Forrest, regarded as the greatest cavalryman of the war; and Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the romantic French General who commanded the attack on Fort Sumter.

The First Modern War:

The Civil War is classified as the first modern war because it was the first total war. The economic and industrial basis of the Confederacy was demolished by the superior strength of the Union. Civil War tactics introduced methods of warfare never previously seen on the battlefield. Two examples were mines and firearms such as breech-loading and repeating rifles. New technologies such as the telegraph, photography, balloon observation, trenches and wire entanglements were employed. Railroads, for the first time in a large scale war, played a significant role and ultimately contributed to the downfall of the South since they allowed swift and reliable movement of troops and supplies. Ironclads replaced wooden ships and effectively demonstrated the advantages of armoured shipping and effective naval blockades. Volunteer forces no longer provided enough fighting manpower and the unpopular army draft was introduced by both sides.