# Canonical recap data for American Civil War (1861)
# Source: https://recap.at/1861/american-civil-war-begins
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: american-civil-war-begins
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1861/american-civil-war-begins"
title: American Civil War
aliases:
- The Civil War
- War Between the States
- American Civil War
- The Rebellion
subtitle: When Lincoln's election shattered the Union and slavery's fate hung in the balance
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1861-04-12
datePrecision: day
year: 1861
decade: 1860
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, igniting a four-year war that killed 620,000 Americans and resolved the question of slavery's future.
summaryLong: |-
  The election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 accelerated what had been building for decades. South Carolina seceded within two months, followed by six more states that formed the Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The North, led by President Lincoln, refused to recognize the breakaway nation. When Confederate President Davis ordered General P.G.T. Beauregard to take Fort Sumter-a federal garrison in Charleston harbor still flying the Union flag-the war began on April 12, 1861, with Confederate artillery opening fire at 4:30 a.m.

  What followed was the deadliest conflict in American history. Neither side anticipated how long or costly it would be. The Union initially expected victory in months; the Confederacy believed European cotton dependency would force recognition and intervention. Neither calculation held. The war consumed entire generations. Ulysses S. Grant emerged from obscurity to command Union forces; Robert E. Lee became the Confederacy's finest general. Battles like Gettysburg (July 1863), with 51,000 casualties, and Sherman's March to the Sea (1864) defined industrial-scale warfare on a continent.

  Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, issued September 22, 1862, and effective January 1, 1863, transformed the conflict from a constitutional struggle into a war for human freedom. Enslaved people fled to Union lines by the thousands, and eventually 180,000 Black soldiers fought for the North. The moral stakes clarified even as the body count mounted. Hospitals overflowed. Entire towns lost a generation of men. The nation's economy warped around military production.

  By April 1865, Confederate General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. The Union held. Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment. But 620,000 Americans lay dead-nearly 2% of the population. The South's infrastructure was wrecked. The Reconstruction era that followed proved nearly as traumatic as the war itself, and the racial inequities the conflict purported to settle persisted for another century. The American Civil War didn't end American history; it reset it, leaving scars that never fully healed.
lede: Eleven Southern states seceded from the United States between December 1860 and June 1861, forming the Confederate States of America and triggering a four-year civil war that killed over 620,000 people. The conflict began when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861, and ultimately determined whether the nation would survive as a unified country and whether slavery would be abolished.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Battle_of_Gettysburg%2C_by_Currier_and_Ives.png/1280px-Battle_of_Gettysburg%2C_by_Currier_and_Ives.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "American Civil War"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 50
keyFacts:
- label: Confederate states at war's start
  value: 7 states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas)
- label: Fort Sumter attack date
  value: April 12, 1861
- label: Confederate states by war's end
  value: 11 states (added Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina)
- label: First major battle
  value: First Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861
- label: Confederate President
  value: Jefferson Davis
- label: Union President
  value: Abraham Lincoln
- label: Confederate capital
  value: Richmond, Virginia (from July 1861)
- label: War duration
  value: 4 years, 4 months (April 1861 – April 1865)
timeline:
- date: 1860-12-20
  title: South Carolina secedes
  description: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union, following Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860.
- date: 1861-01-09
  title: Mississippi secedes
  description: Mississippi becomes the second state to leave the Union.
- date: 1861-02-04
  title: Confederate States formed
  description: Delegates from six seceded states meet in Montgomery, Alabama, to establish the Confederate States of America.
- date: 1861-02-09
  title: Jefferson Davis elected Confederate President
  description: Jefferson Davis of Mississippi is elected president of the newly formed Confederacy.
- date: 1861-03-04
  title: Lincoln inaugurated
  description: Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States.
- date: 1861-04-12
  title: Fort Sumter attacked
  description: Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, marking the start of armed conflict.
- date: 1861-04-15
  title: Lincoln calls for volunteers
  description: President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion, prompting four more states to secede.
- date: 1861-05-24
  title: First Union casualty
  description: Colonel Elmer Ellsworth is shot and killed in Alexandria, Virginia-the first notable casualty of the war.
- date: 1861-07-21
  title: First Battle of Bull Run
  description: The first major battle of the war occurs near Manassas, Virginia; Confederate forces defeat Union General Irvin McDowell's army.
sources: []
related: []
relationships:
- targetSlug: missouri-compromise
  type: caused_by
  confidence: 92
  evidence: Missouri Compromise (1820) and subsequent territorial disputes over slavery expansion directly precipitated secession crisis; Southern states citing slavery protection as casus belli for 1861 rebellion.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: bleeding-kansas
  type: caused_by
  confidence: 88
  evidence: Bleeding Kansas (1856) armed conflict over Kansas-Nebraska Act demonstrated collapse of sectional compromise mechanisms, radicalizing both North and South toward armed confrontation by 1861.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: emancipation-proclamation
  type: enabled
  confidence: 95
  evidence: Civil War's military necessity and Union Army advances into Confederate territory enabled Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (1863) as war measure; conflict created the conditions for executive action on slavery.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: battle-of-gettysburg
  type: began
  confidence: 98
  evidence: Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863) occurred during American Civil War as major engagement; war began April 1861 when Confederates fired on Fort Sumter.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: trail-of-tears-indian-removal
  type: caused_by
  confidence: 78
  evidence: Indian Removal Act (1831) and Trail of Tears dispossession created decades of sectional resentment; Southern plantation expansion into Indian lands intensified slavery-dependent agricultural economy driving Civil War tensions.
  source: ai
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Civil_War_Unknowns_Memorial_-_looking_E_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.JPG/1280px-Civil_War_Unknowns_Memorial_-_looking_E_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.JPG"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Civil_War_Unknowns_Memorial_-_looking_E_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.JPG/800px-Civil_War_Unknowns_Memorial_-_looking_E_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.JPG"
  caption: Civil War Unknowns Memorial - looking E - Arlington National Cemetery - 2011
  credit: Tim1965 / Tim from Washington, D.C., United States of America
  width: 2000
  height: 1333
  alt: A white marble monument dedicated to Civil War unknowns stands in Arlington National Cemetery, framed by vibrant red flowers, green foliage, and manicured hedges along a concrete pathway. The classical-style memorial features an inscription panel and is surrounded by lush trees and ornamental landscaping characteristic of the cemetery's formal garden design.
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Men_of_Color_Civil_War_Recruitment_Broadside_1863.png/1280px-Men_of_Color_Civil_War_Recruitment_Broadside_1863.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Men_of_Color_Civil_War_Recruitment_Broadside_1863.png/800px-Men_of_Color_Civil_War_Recruitment_Broadside_1863.png"
  caption: Men of Color Civil War Recruitment Broadside 1863
  credit: Frederick Douglass
  width: 1676
  height: 2460
  alt: A historical recruitment broadside from 1863 urging African American men to enlist in the Union Army for three years of service, featuring bold typography, patriotic appeals to liberty and freedom, and a list of names of prominent Black leaders and organizers at the bottom.
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Centreville%2C_VA%2C_Quaker_Guns_in_the_fort_on_the_heights.jpg/1280px-Centreville%2C_VA%2C_Quaker_Guns_in_the_fort_on_the_heights.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Centreville%2C_VA%2C_Quaker_Guns_in_the_fort_on_the_heights.jpg/800px-Centreville%2C_VA%2C_Quaker_Guns_in_the_fort_on_the_heights.jpg"
  caption: Centreville, VA, Quaker Guns in the fort on the heights
  credit: George N. Barnard / Possibly James F. Gibson / Adam Cuerden
  width: 6630
  height: 5892
  alt: A Civil War soldier stands guard in a fortified position at Centreville, Virginia, with wooden log fortifications and "Quaker guns" (wooden cannon decoys) visible in the earthen fort, while other soldiers work in the background across the sparse, barren landscape.
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Portland%2C_Oregon_Civil_War_Flag_%281861%29.png/1280px-Portland%2C_Oregon_Civil_War_Flag_%281861%29.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Portland%2C_Oregon_Civil_War_Flag_%281861%29.png/800px-Portland%2C_Oregon_Civil_War_Flag_%281861%29.png"
  caption: Portland, Oregon Civil War Flag (1861)
  credit: The Oregon daily journal
  width: 966
  height: 706
  alt: A large American flag with stars on the left canton and horizontal stripes fills most of the frame, displayed indoors with architectural elements and figures visible in the background. An inset illustration in the lower left corner shows a portrait of a bearded man wearing a head covering, with text indicating the flag was made by Mrs. Anna E. Bills of Portland in 1861.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Battle Hymn of the Republic
  artist: Julia Ward Howe (lyrics), William Steffe (melody)
  year: 1861
  note: Published in The Atlantic Monthly in November 1861; became the unofficial anthem of the Union cause.
  referenceCard:
  status: not_found
  checkedAt: "2026-05-29T09:29:16.816Z"
- title: Dixie
  artist: Daniel Decatur Emmett
  year: 1859
  note: Originally a minstrel song, it became the de facto anthem of the Confederacy despite its Northern composition.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-21T14:22:57.350Z"
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: The Civil War era produced vast amounts of soldier letters, battlefield photography (especially Alexander Gardner and Mathew Brady), and newspaper reporting that defined modern war documentation. Lincoln's rhetoric-the Gettysburg Address (November 1863), Second Inaugural Address (March 1865)-set the standard for presidential moral language. Popular culture was dominated by military enlistment drives, patriotic songs, and increasingly realistic depictions of combat's human cost.
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: U.S. Population
  thenValue: 31.4 million
  thenYear: 1861
  nowValue: 335 million
  nowYear: 2023
  note: The nation more than tenfold larger; the war's death toll of 620,000+ represented roughly 2% of the population at the time.
- metric: Enslaved Persons in U.S.
  thenValue: 3.95 million
  thenYear: 1860
  nowValue: "0"
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Slavery is constitutionally prohibited; however, mass incarceration and labor disparities persist.
- metric: Cost of War (nominal dollars)
  thenValue: $5.2 billion
  thenYear: 1865
  nowValue: $130+ billion (adjusted for inflation)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The war consumed roughly 27% of Northern GDP annually at its peak; no subsequent U.S. conflict has approached that fiscal burden.
impactStatement: The American Civil War (1861–1865) killed more than 620,000 soldiers and fundamentally rewrote the nation's constitutional order, abolishing slavery through the 13th Amendment and forcing a violent reckoning over federalism that no political compromise could prevent. It ended the question of whether the United States would endure as a single republic or fragment into competing sovereignties.
consequences:
- title: Emancipation Proclamation
  year: 1863
  description: Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order on January 1, 1863, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free, transforming the war from a fight for union into a fight for liberation.
- title: 13th Amendment Ratification
  year: 1865
  description: Congress passed and states ratified the 13th Amendment in December 1865, permanently abolishing slavery throughout the United States and its territories.
- title: Reconstruction Acts
  year: 1867
  description: Congress imposed military rule on the South and required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment (guaranteeing equal protection) and 15th Amendment (protecting voting rights regardless of race) to rejoin the Union.
- title: Rise of the Republican Party
  year: 1868
  description: The Republican Party, founded in 1854, solidified as the dominant Northern party by 1868 under Ulysses S. Grant, reshaping the two-party system for the next generation.
- title: Jim Crow Era Begins
  year: 1877
  description: The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction and Northern occupation of the South, allowing Southern states to implement discriminatory Black Codes and segregation laws that would persist for nearly a century.
archiveSnapshots: []
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Fort Sumter falls. Lincoln takes office. The nation splits wide open. Eleven states secede, armies mobilize, and America's bloodiest chapter begins with a shot heard 'round the divided country.
originSignals:
- "wikipedia:american-civil-war-begins"
wikidataQid: Q8676
relatedQueries:
- Fort Sumter April 12 1861
- Confederate States secession
- Abraham Lincoln Civil War
- slavery American Civil War
- Battle of Gettysburg 1863
- General Robert E Lee
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Sherman's March to the Sea
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- civil_war
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: cascading
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
peoplesVoice:
- source: President Abraham Lincoln, US Executive
  voiceType: official
  context: Lincoln's immediate response to the Confederate attack, framing the conflict as rebellion against constitutional government
  excerpt: A war has been inaugurated. The Union must be preserved. I will call forth the militia to suppress this insurrection.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 92
  attribution: Presidential statement to Congress, April 12-15, 1861
  publishedAt: 1861-04-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Jefferson Davis, Confederate President
  voiceType: official
  context: Davis justified the Confederate bombardment as a defensive measure against Federal occupation of sovereign territory
  excerpt: The assault upon Fort Sumter was made when it was apparent that the supply of the garrison could not be withheld except by our acceptance of a condition injurious to the sovereignty of the Confederate States.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Message to Confederate Congress, April 29, 1861
  publishedAt: 1861-04-29
  originalLanguage: en
- source: William Tecumseh Sherman, Union Colonel
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Sherman, witnessing the bombardment firsthand, recognized the event's catastrophic implications for the nation
  excerpt: This is no trivial contest-it means a long, hard war, and the South has entered upon it with great unanimity and determination.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 79
  attribution: Letter to brother John Sherman, April 15, 1861
  publishedAt: 1861-04-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Horace Greeley, Editor, New York Tribune
  voiceType: media
  context: Greeley, a prominent Northern journalist, called for swift military response and preservation of the Union
  excerpt: The batteries of the rebels have opened fire upon Fort Sumter. War is upon us. The nation must rise as one man.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 85
  attribution: New York Tribune editorial, April 13, 1861
  publishedAt: 1861-04-13
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Mary Boykin Chesnut, South Carolina Diarist & Witness
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Chesnut recorded the emotional intensity of Charleston society at the moment Confederate guns opened fire on the Federal garrison
  excerpt: I do not pretend to go to sleep. How can I? The shells are bursting. In the dark I hear nothing but the sound of the cannon.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 76
  attribution: A Diary from Dixie, entry April 12, 1861
  publishedAt: 1861-04-12
  originalLanguage: en
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: THE UNION FIRED UPON-Fort Sumter Attacked by Rebel Forces
  publishedAt: 1861-04-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor at dawn on April 12, after months of escalating tension over the Federal garrison's refusal to evacuate the strategic installation. The bombardment continued throughout the day, forcing Major Robert Anderson to surrender the fort by evening.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States (North)
- publisher: The Charleston Mercury
  publisherSlug: the-charleston-mercury
  headline: "GLORIOUS VICTORY-Sumter Taken: Confederate Forces Triumphant"
  publishedAt: 1861-04-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - South Carolina secessionists celebrated the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter as a decisive blow against Federal tyranny, with crowds gathering in Charleston streets to hear official dispatches read aloud.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States (South)
- publisher: The London Times
  publisherSlug: the-london-times
  headline: American Civil War Commenced-Fort Sumter Falls to Confederate Cannon
  publishedAt: 1861-04-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - British observers expressed alarm at the outbreak of hostilities in America, with diplomatic correspondents warning that the conflict threatened to disrupt cotton supplies and reshape the Atlantic world.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
  publisherSlug: frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper
  headline: THE BOMBARDMENT OF FORT SUMTER-Vivid Scenes from the Opening Battle
  publishedAt: 1861-04-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: This week's illustrated edition features engravings and eyewitness accounts of Confederate artillery opening fire on the Federal garrison, capturing the dramatic moment the Union began to tear itself apart.
  significance: 80
  type: magazine
  region: United States (North)
searchInterest:
term: American Civil War
points:
- date: 2015-07-15
  value: 54
- date: 2015-08-15
  value: 31
- date: 2015-09-15
  value: 33
- date: 2015-10-15
  value: 31
- date: 2015-11-15
  value: 33
- date: 2015-12-15
  value: 34
- date: 2016-01-15
  value: 39
- date: 2016-02-15
  value: 45
- date: 2016-03-15
  value: 39
- date: 2016-04-15
  value: 50
- date: 2016-05-15
  value: 44
- date: 2016-06-15
  value: 31
- date: 2016-07-15
  value: 28
- date: 2016-08-15
  value: 27
- date: 2016-09-15
  value: 33
- date: 2016-10-15
  value: 35
- date: 2016-11-15
  value: 42
- date: 2016-12-15
  value: 34
- date: 2017-01-15
  value: 43
- date: 2017-02-15
  value: 36
- date: 2017-03-15
  value: 37
- date: 2017-04-15
  value: 34
- date: 2017-05-15
  value: 49
- date: 2017-06-15
  value: 28
- date: 2017-07-15
  value: 29
- date: 2017-08-15
  value: 73
- date: 2017-09-15
  value: 33
- date: 2017-10-15
  value: 32
- date: 2017-11-15
  value: 30
- date: 2017-12-15
  value: 31
- date: 2018-01-15
  value: 30
- date: 2018-02-15
  value: 29
- date: 2018-03-15
  value: 33
- date: 2018-04-15
  value: 33
- date: 2018-05-15
  value: 35
- date: 2018-06-15
  value: 25
- date: 2018-07-15
  value: 27
- date: 2018-08-15
  value: 29
- date: 2018-09-15
  value: 27
- date: 2018-10-15
  value: 28
- date: 2018-11-15
  value: 33
- date: 2018-12-15
  value: 30
- date: 2019-01-15
  value: 29
- date: 2019-02-15
  value: 28
- date: 2019-03-15
  value: 28
- date: 2019-04-15
  value: 32
- date: 2019-05-15
  value: 37
- date: 2019-06-15
  value: 27
- date: 2019-07-15
  value: 30
- date: 2019-08-15
  value: 25
- date: 2019-09-15
  value: 27
- date: 2019-10-15
  value: 28
- date: 2019-11-15
  value: 31
- date: 2019-12-15
  value: 32
- date: 2020-01-15
  value: 35
- date: 2020-02-15
  value: 33
- date: 2020-03-15
  value: 33
- date: 2020-04-15
  value: 44
- date: 2020-05-15
  value: 46
- date: 2020-06-15
  value: 100
- date: 2020-07-15
  value: 51
- date: 2020-08-15
  value: 30
- date: 2020-09-15
  value: 33
- date: 2020-10-15
  value: 37
- date: 2020-11-15
  value: 45
- date: 2020-12-15
  value: 31
- date: 2021-01-15
  value: 49
  keyframe:
  relatedRecapSlug: taliban-takeover-afghanistan-2021
  label: Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan
  context: Wikipedia pageviews for this event spiked around 2021-01, the same window as our recap on "Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan".
- date: 2021-02-15
  value: 34
- date: 2021-03-15
  value: 33
- date: 2021-04-15
  value: 33
- date: 2021-05-15
  value: 34
- date: 2021-06-15
  value: 33
- date: 2021-07-15
  value: 31
- date: 2021-08-15
  value: 27
- date: 2021-09-15
  value: 30
- date: 2021-10-15
  value: 26
- date: 2021-11-15
  value: 25
- date: 2021-12-15
  value: 28
- date: 2022-01-15
  value: 33
- date: 2022-02-15
  value: 31
- date: 2022-03-15
  value: 29
- date: 2022-04-15
  value: 28
- date: 2022-05-15
  value: 31
- date: 2022-06-15
  value: 28
- date: 2022-07-15
  value: 28
- date: 2022-08-15
  value: 30
- date: 2022-09-15
  value: 31
- date: 2022-10-15
  value: 31
- date: 2022-11-15
  value: 33
- date: 2022-12-15
  value: 34
- date: 2023-01-15
  value: 36
- date: 2023-02-15
  value: 31
- date: 2023-03-15
  value: 38
- date: 2023-04-15
  value: 34
- date: 2023-05-15
  value: 36
- date: 2023-06-15
  value: 33
- date: 2023-07-15
  value: 35
- date: 2023-08-15
  value: 33
- date: 2023-09-15
  value: 30
- date: 2023-10-15
  value: 30
- date: 2023-11-15
  value: 32
- date: 2023-12-15
  value: 41
- date: 2024-01-15
  value: 46
- date: 2024-02-15
  value: 36
- date: 2024-03-15
  value: 39
- date: 2024-04-15
  value: 54
- date: 2024-05-15
  value: 42
- date: 2024-06-15
  value: 33
- date: 2024-07-15
  value: 33
- date: 2024-08-15
  value: 29
- date: 2024-09-15
  value: 29
- date: 2024-10-15
  value: 29
- date: 2024-11-15
  value: 32
- date: 2024-12-15
  value: 26
- date: 2025-01-15
  value: 34
- date: 2025-02-15
  value: 28
- date: 2025-03-15
  value: 32
- date: 2025-04-15
  value: 28
- date: 2025-05-15
  value: 28
- date: 2025-06-15
  value: 30
- date: 2025-07-15
  value: 30
- date: 2025-08-15
  value: 24
- date: 2025-09-15
  value: 31
- date: 2025-10-15
  value: 27
- date: 2025-11-15
  value: 26
- date: 2025-12-15
  value: 24
- date: 2026-01-15
  value: 27
- date: 2026-02-15
  value: 24
- date: 2026-03-15
  value: 24
- date: 2026-04-15
  value: 23
- date: 2026-05-15
  value: 17
translations:
es:
lede: Once estados del Sur se separaron de los Estados Unidos entre diciembre de 1860 y junio de 1861, formando los Estados Confederados de América e iniciando una guerra civil de cuatro años que mató a más de 620.000 personas. El conflicto comenzó cuando las fuerzas confederadas dispararon contra el Fuerte Sumter en Charleston Harbor el 12 de abril de 1861, y finalmente determinó si la nación sobreviviría como país unificado y si la esclavitud sería abolida.
summaryShort: El 12 de abril de 1861, las fuerzas confederadas dispararon contra el Fuerte Sumter en Charleston Harbor, iniciando una guerra de cuatro años que mató a 620.000 estadounidenses y resolvió la cuestión del futuro de la esclavitud.
summaryLong: |-
  La elección de Abraham Lincoln en noviembre de 1860 aceleró lo que se había estado gestando durante décadas. Carolina del Sur se separó en dos meses, seguida por seis estados más que formaron los Estados Confederados de América bajo Jefferson Davis. El Norte, liderado por el presidente Lincoln, se negó a reconocer la nación separatista. Cuando el presidente confederado Davis ordenó al general P.G.T. Beauregard que tomara el Fuerte Sumter-una guarnición federal en Charleston Harbor aún ondeando la bandera de la Unión-la guerra comenzó el 12 de abril de 1861, con la artillería confederada abriendo fuego a las 4:30 a.m.

  Lo que siguió fue el conflicto más mortal en la historia estadounidense. Ningún bando anticipó cuánto tiempo o cuánto costaría. La Unión inicialmente esperaba victoria en meses; la Confederación creía que la dependencia europea del algodón forzaría el reconocimiento e intervención. Ningún cálculo se sostuvo. La guerra consumió generaciones enteras. Ulysses S. Grant emergió de la oscuridad para comandar las fuerzas de la Unión; Robert E. Lee se convirtió en el mejor general de la Confederación. Batallas como Gettysburg (julio de 1863), con 51.000 bajas, y la Marcha al Mar de Sherman (1864) definieron la guerra a escala industrial en un continente.

  La Proclamación de Emancipación de Lincoln, emitida el 22 de septiembre de 1862 y efectiva el 1 de enero de 1863, transformó el conflicto de una lucha constitucional en una guerra por la libertad humana. Los esclavizados huían hacia las líneas de la Unión por miles, y eventualmente 180.000 soldados negros lucharon por el Norte. Las apuestas morales se aclararon incluso cuando el recuento de muertos aumentaba. Los hospitales se desbordaban. Pueblos enteros perdieron una generación de hombres. La economía de la nación se distorsionó en torno a la producción militar.

  Para abril de 1865, el general confederado Lee se rindió en Appomattox, Virginia. La Unión se mantuvo. La esclavitud fue abolida por la 13ª Enmienda. Pero 620.000 estadounidenses yacían muertos-casi el 2% de la población. La infraestructura del Sur fue arrasada. La era de Reconstrucción que siguió resultó casi tan traumática como la guerra misma, y las inequidades raciales que el conflicto pretendía resolver persistieron durante otro siglo. La Guerra Civil Estadounidense no terminó la historia estadounidense; la reinició, dejando cicatrices que nunca sanaron completamente.
generatedAt: "2026-05-21T13:51:19.824Z"
fr:
lede: Onze États du Sud se sont séparés des États-Unis entre décembre 1860 et juin 1861, formant les États confédérés d'Amérique et déclenchant une guerre civile de quatre ans qui a tué plus de 620 000 personnes. Le conflit a commencé lorsque les forces confédérées ont ouvert le feu sur Fort Sumter dans le port de Charleston le 12 avril 1861, et a finalement déterminé si la nation survivrait en tant que pays unifié et si l'esclavage serait aboli.
summaryShort: Le 12 avril 1861, les forces confédérées ont ouvert le feu sur Fort Sumter dans le port de Charleston, déclenchant une guerre de quatre ans qui a tué 620 000 Américains et a résolu la question de l'avenir de l'esclavage.
summaryLong: |-
  L'élection d'Abraham Lincoln en novembre 1860 a accéléré ce qui s'était construit pendant des décennies. La Caroline du Sud s'est séparée en deux mois, suivie par six autres États qui ont formé les États confédérés d'Amérique sous Jefferson Davis. Le Nord, dirigé par le président Lincoln, a refusé de reconnaître la nation séparatiste. Lorsque le président confédéré Davis a ordonné au général P.G.T. Beauregard de prendre Fort Sumter-une garnison fédérale dans le port de Charleston arborant toujours le drapeau de l'Union-la guerre a commencé le 12 avril 1861, l'artillerie confédérée ouvrant le feu à 4 h 30 du matin.

  Ce qui a suivi a été le conflit le plus meurtrier de l'histoire américaine. Aucune des deux parties n'a anticipé la durée ou le coût. L'Union s'attendait initialement à une victoire en mois; la Confédération croyait que la dépendance européenne au coton forcerait la reconnaissance et l'intervention. Aucun de ces calculs ne s'est avéré juste. La guerre a consumé des générations entières. Ulysses S. Grant a émergé de l'obscurité pour commander les forces de l'Union; Robert E. Lee est devenu le meilleur général de la Confédération. Des batailles comme Gettysburg (juillet 1863), avec 51 000 victimes, et la Marche vers la mer de Sherman (1864) ont défini la guerre industrialisée à l'échelle continentale.

  La Proclamation d'émancipation de Lincoln, publiée le 22 septembre 1862 et effective le 1er janvier 1863, a transformé le conflit d'une lutte constitutionnelle en une guerre pour la liberté humaine. Les esclaves ont fui vers les lignes de l'Union par milliers, et finalement 180 000 soldats noirs ont combattu pour le Nord. Les enjeux moraux se sont clarifiés même alors que le nombre de morts augmentait. Les hôpitaux débordaient. Des villes entières ont perdu une génération d'hommes. L'économie du pays s'est déformée autour de la production militaire.

  En avril 1865, le général confédéré Lee s'est rendu à Appomattox, Virginie. L'Union a tenu bon. L'esclavage a été aboli par le 13e Amendement. Mais 620 000 Américains gisaient morts-près de 2 % de la population. L'infrastructure du Sud était dévastée. L'ère de la Reconstruction qui a suivi s'est avérée presque aussi traumatisante que la guerre elle-même, et les inégalités raciales que le conflit était censé résoudre ont persisté pendant un siècle de plus. La Guerre de Sécession n'a pas terminé l'histoire américaine; elle l'a réinitialisée, laissant des cicatrices qui ne se sont jamais complètement guéries.
generatedAt: "2026-05-21T13:51:26.734Z"
de:
lede: Elf südliche Staaten traten zwischen Dezember 1860 und Juni 1861 aus den Vereinigten Staaten aus, bildeten die Konföderierten Staaten von Amerika und lösten einen vierjährigen Bürgerkrieg aus, der über 620.000 Menschen tötete. Der Konflikt begann, als Konföderiertentruppen am 12. April 1861 Fort Sumter im Hafen von Charleston bombardierten, und entschied letztendlich, ob die Nation als vereinigtes Land bestehen würde und ob die Sklaverei abgeschafft werden sollte.
summaryShort: Am 12. April 1861 eröffneten Konföderiertentruppen das Feuer auf Fort Sumter im Hafen von Charleston und entfachten einen vierjährigen Krieg, der 620.000 Amerikaner tötete und die Frage über die Zukunft der Sklaverei entschied.
summaryLong: |-
  Die Wahl von Abraham Lincoln im November 1860 beschleunigte das, was sich Jahrzehnte lang aufgebaut hatte. South Carolina trat innerhalb von zwei Monaten aus, gefolgt von sechs weiteren Staaten, die unter Jefferson Davis die Konföderierten Staaten von Amerika bildeten. Der Norden unter Präsident Lincoln weigerte sich, die Separatistennation anzuerkennen. Als Konföderiertenpräsident Davis General P.G.T. Beauregard befahl, Fort Sumter – eine föderale Garnison im Hafen von Charleston, die noch die Unionsflagge hisste – einzunehmen, begann der Krieg am 12. April 1861 um 4:30 Uhr morgens mit Artilleriebeschuss der Konföderierten.

  Es folgte der blutigste Konflikt in der amerikanischen Geschichte. Keine Seite antizipierte dessen Länge oder Kosten. Die Union erwartete zunächst Sieg innerhalb von Monaten; die Konföderation glaubte, dass europäische Baumwollabhängigkeit Anerkennung und Intervention erzwingen würde. Keine Berechnung hielt stand. Der Krieg verschlang ganze Generationen. Ulysses S. Grant stieg aus der Bedeutungslosigkeit auf, um die Unionstruppen zu befehligen; Robert E. Lee wurde der beste General der Konföderation. Schlachten wie Gettysburg (Juli 1863) mit 51.000 Opfern und Shermans Marsch zum Meer (1864) prägten industrialisierten Krieg in Kontinentalausmaßen.

  Lincolns Emanzipationserklärung, verkündet 22. September 1862 und wirksam ab 1. Januar 1863, verwandelte den Konflikt von einem verfassungsrechtlichen Kampf in einen Krieg um menschliche Freiheit. Versklavte Menschen flohen zu Tausenden zu Unionstruppen, und schließlich kämpften 180.000 schwarze Soldaten für den Norden. Die moralischen Einsätze wurden klarer, auch wenn die Opferzahl stieg. Krankenhäuser liefen über. Ganze Städte verloren eine Generation von Männern. Die Wirtschaft der Nation wurde um Rüstungsproduktion verformt.

  Im April 1865 kapitulierte Konföderiertengenerał Lee in Appomattox, Virginia. Die Union blieb bestehen. Die Sklaverei wurde durch die 13. Änderung abgeschafft. Aber 620.000 Amerikaner waren tot – fast 2 % der Bevölkerung. Südinfrastruktur war zerstört. Die darauffolgende Reconstructionzeit erwies sich als fast genauso traumatisch wie der Krieg selbst, und die rassischen Ungleichheiten, die der Konflikt zu regeln vorgab, hielten sich noch ein Jahrhundert lang. Der Amerikanische Bürgerkrieg beendete nicht die amerikanische Geschichte; er setzte sie zurück und hinterließ Narben, die sich nie vollständig heilten.
generatedAt: "2026-05-21T13:51:36.041Z"
geo:
lat: 39.7837304
lng: -100.445882
place: United States
note: Location inferred from recap.country via OSM Nominatim.
significance: 25
heroImageAlt: A colorized Civil War illustration depicting Union soldiers in blue uniforms engaged in battle, with artillery cannons firing and smoke billowing across the field as troops advance with American flags while casualties lie on the ground.
