While America has had many battles and wars, the Civil War was one of the most important wars ever, if not the most important war ever. The Civil War defined what kind of nation America would be. Furthermore, it forever changed the lives of slaves and set the tone for how America would be run. Divisions between the free North and the slaveholding South erupted into full-scale conflict after Abraham Lincoln's election as president in 1860.11 Southern states seceded from the Union, collectively turning their backs on the idea of ​​one nation American. Lincoln, who had been in office for only six weeks, declared these acts of secession illegal and asked Congress for 500,000 troops to quell what threatened to be an aggressive rebellion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In April 1861, the first shots were fired, and what followed became a national tragedy of unimaginable proportions. More than 600,000 soldiers were killed and millions more wounded. Large swathes of the South were devastated by violent battles, and the Union nearly collapsed under determined Confederate forces. The war itself began hesitantly, but after the Battle of Bull Run, in Manassas, Virginia, in July 1861, it was clear that the war would last many months, perhaps even years. Huge battles raged in places like Fredericksburg, Chickamauga, and Shiloh, as well as in Virginia and Tennessee, where 40 percent of the war's 10,000 engagements were fought. Winning victory after victory over poorly led Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee invaded Maryland. in September 1862. But there he suffered a serious loss in the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest engagement of the war. The following year, Lee defeated the Union army at Chancellorsville and invaded Pennsylvania, leading to the climactic Battle of Gettysburg in which 50,000 men were killed or wounded and Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia, never to invade the North again . In the West, Union General Ulysses S. Grant captured the important Confederate city of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River on July 4, 1863, the same day news of the Union victory at Gettysburg reached Washington. But despite these key victories, the war was not yet over. Grant launched his land campaign in 1864 and fought a series of major battles. He hoped to destroy Lee's army using a strategy of attrition, but the tactic failed. In retaliation, Union General William Tecumsah Sherman marched from Atlanta to Savannah, burning the countryside as he went. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay By the spring of 1865, the South was exhausted, and on April 9, Lee finally surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the war. Although most Americans knew that the main reason for the war was slavery, it was not until the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 that Lincoln began to emancipate the slaves. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in conquered Confederate territory. From that point on the war officially became a war over the issue of slavery. However, it was not until after the war, in December 1865, that the 13th Amendment was ratified, finally freeing all slaves in America..