The origins of the Civil War were rooted in the fundamentally different economic and social structures of the North and South.
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first armed conflict of the Civil War.
The Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War, demonstrated to the public that the conflict would not be resolved quickly or easily.
The naval actions of the Civil War revolved around the Union Navy's blockades of Confederate ports.
Both the Confederacy and Union formed massive, elaborately organized armies through volunteerism and conscription.
Both the Union and countries in Europe refused to recognize the Confederacy as a sovereign nation.
Western states and territories witnessed major military campaigns by Confederate and Union forces.
Union General George B. McClellan attempted to capture Richmond in the Peninsular Campaign, but numerous sieges forced his retreat.
Fredericksburg was one of the most one-sided battles and the first instance of urban combat during the American Civil War.