American Civil War

The American Civil War was a significant event in the United States of America long before the Great War.

Background
For the first time in American history, the federal government issued a conscription which drafted over two million soldiers to fight for the Union. New technology also developed during the war; over one million .58 caliber percussion cap Type 1861 Springfield rifle-muskets were produced as the standard infantry armament.

The first land battle of the war happened near Philippi, Virginia, where a battlefield cemetery was subsequently established.

At the end of the war, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves. In Washington D.C., Hannibal Hamlin shares information about Lincoln and his role in the emancipation, when inquiring about the Lincoln Memorial.

Lincoln also made a famous speech titled the Gettysburg Address. In addition, Arlington Cemetery was founded as a national cemetery for all casualties. In Appalachia, recreations of battles were held at Prickett's Fort.

In Maryland, Point Lookout was a site for Union prisoner-of-war camps and mass graves which would contribute to natural gas wells throughout the area 400 years after the war. Several war items can be found in the area, such as Confederate hats.