The United States Civil War lasted from 1861-1865. There was many events that led up to it in the 1850s, like the hanging of John Brown and the Dred Scott Trial.

One debate was over slaves. Many abolitionists lived in the north of the U.S. People in the north did not have slaves. However, many southerners had slaves and plantations. The slaves would work for them, perhaps picking cotton, a popular crop. The southerners didn't have slaves just because they were lazy; they needed a large workforce to work their fields, since many southerners made all of their money through their crops. Unfortunately, slave labor was cheap and what everyone used.

Soon it was time for the presidential election. The Republican Presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln. Republicans were known for not supporting slavery, so the other candidate was supported in the south. However, Abraham Lincoln won, though many of the southern states voted against him. Almost as soon as Abraham Lincoln had won, South Carolina seceded. Many other southern states soon followed. They formed the Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy or abbreviated CSA). They had their own capital, Richmond, Virginia, and their own president, Jefferson Davis.

The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, when the south bombarded Fort Sumter. It was their first official victory.

By the time of Gettysburg the north (also called the Union) has suffered many losses that the south were celebrating. The CSA won the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Fredricksburg. All of these battles were fought in the south, though, so Robert E. Lee wanted to have a battle in the north so the south could repair itself from the battles. Northerners thought that if they won this battle in the north, they could possibly win the war itself.

 

 

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox Court House.

See how the Army was divided into Units


Correction: The battle flag of the Army Of Northern Virginia who fought at Gettysburg was square, instead of rectangular as shown here. And the Stars and Bars was the name of the first flag, and wouldn't be used in the case.