The History of~The American Civil War (Part 6: The End to the bloodshed)

The American Civil War; the bloodiest conflict in US Military history. It was a deadly time for the United States, but it gave the nation a new definition for the nation and it's people.

This is the final part of this 6-part wiki page series about the American Civil War. In this part, we will talk about how the war will finally end, and how the after effects of this war is still effects America today.

## The end of the bloodshed

The year 1864 was a grueling year for the Confederacy, not only did they lose 2 key major cities, but their worst nightmare came true; Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as President, and now the Union smells blood in the water as the curtain will finally fall on this already deadly conflict.

By the beginning of 1865, the Union has won the Battle of Fort Fischer as well as the Battles of Bentonville and Fort Steadman. But it won't be until late March when the Union was getting ever closer onto the Confederate capital of Richmond, and after the Union won the Third Battle of Petersburg, it put the Union right onto the city's doorstep. Confederate President Jefferson Davis decides to evacuate Richmond, and gave orders his forces to evacuate as well, but some were ordered to destroy the warehouses and armories before the Union takes the city and uses it against the Confederacy.

Unfortunately, the fires they set burn out of control, and now the entire city is burning, as Union forces arrive, they had to put out some of the residual fires in the city. Still, the Confederates continue to fight, but not for long. On April 9, General Lee and whatever was left of his forces were outnumbered and surrounded at Appomattox Court House, with no other option Lee decides to surrender to Grant.

In the court house, Grant and Lee's forces have gathered and after a few hours, they all agreed to Grant's terms of surrender. The Confederates in the northeast are finally defeated. But the Confederates weren't done in the deep south.

### Assassination

Lincoln, who was emotionally exhausted by the war, was relieved that he can finally relax and hopes to be a peacetime President (for once). On the night of April 14, he decides to enjoy himself at the local Ford's Theater to watch a show.

But what he doesn't know is that a man, an actor and Confederate sympathizer named "John Wilkes Booth" is planning to assassinate Lincoln.

Booth waited until the loud, cheering of the crowd erupted, and then he made his move, shooting Lincoln in the back of the head, Booth escapes and the attention is now turned to the wounded President. He was taken to the Petersen townhouse across the street from the theater. But by the following morning, President Abraham Lincoln was pronounced dead, a nation was in shock, even the CSA was surprised by the assassination of Lincoln.

### The final nail

Nearly 2 weeks after Lincoln's death, Confederate General "Joseph Johnston" surrendered to Sherman on April 26, but it wasn't until May when Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas decided to surrender too. On November 6, the war that brought death and destruction to America and divided the nation for 5 years is finally over. Jefferson Davis was captured and imprisoned, and the Confederate States came under US Military occupation, with the former Confederate States re-joining the union (one-by-one) in the years following the American Civil War.

### Aftermath

The American Civil War remains even today as the bloodiest conflict in American history, over 1 Million casualties (with almost equal amounts for each side), more US Soldiers died in this war than the 2 world wars combined.

But things weren't so "honky dory" so to say in the eras following the war. For the African-Americans who are now free, living in a new United States without slavery was still very difficult. By the dawn of the 20th century, there city riots (like in Chicago) where African-Americans lived in separated communities from their white counterparts. In the southern states, now that they can't have African-Americans as slaves, have passed what are known as "Jim Crow" laws where separating African-Americans from White-Americans weren't just encouraged, but mandatory, this would lead to America's "Great Migration" just a few decades after the war. It wouldn't be well into the 1980s where Civil Rights activist; Coretta Scott-King (the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.) would sign a bill where it would make this separation (called "segregation") illegal. But, still today the cause for the rights of everybody (including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and even those of special needs) can prove difficult to champion.

That'll do it for this 6-part wiki page series. Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis too. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.