The causes of secession were complex and have been controversial since the war began, but most academic scholars identify slavery as the central cause of the war. The issue has been further complicated by

 ...

Secession crisis
The election of Lincoln provoked the legislature of South Carolinato call a state convention to consider secession. Before the war, South Carolina did more than any other Southern state to advance the notion that a state had the right t

 ...

The Civil War was a contest marked by the ferocity and frequency of battle. Over four years, 237 named battles were fought, as were many more minor actions and skirmishes, which were

 ...

Although the Confederacy hoped that Britain and France would join them against the Union, this was never likely, and so they instead tried to bring

 ...

The Eastern theater refers to the military operations east of the Appalachian Mountains, including the states of Virginia, West Virginia

 ...

The Western theater refers to military operations between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, including the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida,

 ...

The small U.S. Navyof 1861 was rapidly enlarged to 6,000 officers and 45,000 men in 1865, with 671 vessels, having a tonnage of 510,396. Its mission was to blockade Confederate ports, take control of the river system, defend against Confederate raiders on the

 ...