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World at War

American Civil War

1861–1865 North America Status: ended Casualties: ~620,000–850,000

The bloodiest conflict in American history. The Union's victory ended slavery and preserved the federal government. Gettysburg (1863) was the decisive turning point. Lincoln assassinated five days after Lee's surrender.

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Belligerents

  • United States (Union)
  • Confederate States of America

Casualties

~620,000–850,000

Key events

  • 1862 — Antietam (single bloodiest day, 22,000 casualties)
  • 1863 — Gettysburg / Vicksburg
  • 1865 — Appomattox

Aftermath

Abolished slavery (13th Amendment). Cemented federal supremacy over states. Transformed the US into a continental power and an industrial economy positioned to surpass Britain by 1890. Reconstruction's failure produced Jim Crow — racial trauma still unresolved 160 years later.

Weapons & matériel

  • Rifled muskets (Springfield 1861, Enfield)
  • Minié ball (3× the casualty rate of smoothbore)
  • Gatling gun (limited use)
  • Ironclad warships (Monitor vs Virginia)
  • Early submarines (CSS Hunley)
  • Railroads as strategic weapon

Technology

First industrial war: rail-borne logistics, telegraph C2, observation balloons, trench warfare (Petersburg foreshadowed WWI)

Cost

Union: ~$6.7B (1860 dollars). Confederacy: bankrupt by 1864. ~$80B in 2025 dollars combined

Sources

  • McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom
  • Official Records of the Rebellion
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.