The Civil War 1861 - 1865

Differences between the nothern and southern states seemed irreconcilable as early as the 1850's, but the nation continued to work together. The final split came on April 12, 1861 when General Beauregard's forces fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Confederate States of America began forming an Army from a population of 1,140,000 white males between the ages of 15 and 40, compared to the North's 4,000,000 eligible males of the same age.

The Civil War ended when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virgina.

Civil War statistics in approximate numbers: Union Army soldiers - 2.2 million Union Army casualties - 640,000 Union Army fatalities - 360,000 Confederate soldiers - 850,000 Confederate casualties - 450,000 Confederate fatalities - 250,000

More American were killed in the Civil War than in all other American wars combined through 1975.

These Civil War records are available on microfilm at the National Archives and its regional centers, the LDS Family History Library and its Family History Centers, as well as archives and libraries: Union Army Alphabetical Card Name Index to the Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served in the Union Organizations Not Raised by the States or Territories, Excepting the Veterans Reserve Corp and the U.S. Colored Troops. Series M1290 General Index to Pension files, 1861-1934, Series T288 Confederate Army Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers. Series M253 Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizatioins Raised Directly by the Confederate Government. Series M258

© Palladium Interactive, Inc. 1997.