American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought between the northern and southern United States of America, commonly referred to as the "Union" and "Confederacy," respectively.

Background
The conflict's origins were in the issue of slavery and its expansion into newly acquired territories of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North, which also included some geographically western and southern states, proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery. Unable to compromise, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the president of the United States.

For the first time in American history, a national conscription was employed, constituting 46,000 Union soldiers and 100,000 soldiers within the Confederacy. During the war, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation executive order in 1862 and the Gettysburg Address in 1863, of which both were defining statutes of his presidential career.

After many years of fighting and heavy losses on both sides, Union forces advanced on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. The civilians fled and the Confederate army officials set fire to the city. One week later, on April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered.

The conflict was not yet over. A mere six days after Lee's surrender, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Skirmishes persisted between Confederate and Union forces. Over time, such activity dwindled as further Confederate forces surrendered and in August 1866, President Andrew Johnson declared a formal end to the conflict.

Appearances
The American Civil War is mentioned in Fallout 3 and weapons, clothing, and historical sites from the Civil War appear in Point Lookout and Fallout 76.