The war officially began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.
Here are five fast facts about the Civil War.
1. Nearly 250,000 soldiers were 16 years old or younger.
2. July marks the 164th anniversary of the Civil War’s first major land battle between Confederate (South) and Union (North) troops — the First Battle of Bull Run. It took place July 21, 1861.
3. Bull Run was fought on Wilmer McLean’s farm. He later moved to Appomattox Court House, Virginia, but he couldn’t escape the war. When Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, they met in McLean’s parlor.
4. More than 620,000 Americans died in the Civil War.
5. After the war, the 13th Amendment was passed, which officially made slavery illegal in the United States.
Another fact is approximately 10% of the US Union Army that fought the civil war were made up of Foundational Black Americans. President Lincoln noted that the enlistment of Black soldiers was essential for the Union’s success, and by the end of the war, over 200,000 Black soldiers had served.