In the South, on the other hand, there was a system of black slavery on the plantations. Slavery in the South was a tumor growing in American society, which seriously suffocated the development of industry and commerce in the North, and the contradictions and struggles between the North and the South became increasingly fierce since the beginning of the 19th century. The struggle revolved mainly around the western lands. The North demanded the development of capitalism in the western region, limiting or even prohibiting the expansion of slavery; The South sought to extend slavery in the West and even throughout the country. By the 50s of the 19th century, the contradictions between the two sides had led to armed conflicts in some areas. In the face of the advance of the slave owners, the people of the north launched a huge "abolition movement", and the black slaves in the south also continued to riot. Driven by the people's struggle, the northern bourgeoisie began to advocate the abolition of slavery.

In 1854 the Republican Party was founded in the North. In the same year, Southern slave owners attempted to extend slavery to Kansas by force, and an armed struggle broke out in Kansas against Western farmers and immigrants from the Free States. The Kansas Civil War lasted until 1859.

In 1857, slave owners used the Scott verdict to attempt to extend slavery to all U.S. territories, leading to the John Brown Revolt.

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln's election as president triggered a long-standing political crisis. On 20 December, South Carolina passed a decree declaring that "the Union existing in the name of the United States of America between South Carolina and other states" was dissolved. Within 6 weeks, 6 other southern states withdrew from the federation and began seizing federal assets located within the state boundaries, including Fort Sumter (Fo

t Sumte

), Pickensburg (Fo

t Picke

s) and other military facilities. On February 18, 1861, the Southern states formed the Confederate States of America, and on March 6, Jefferson Davis, the federal administrator, called up 100,000 volunteers. Davis's actions undermined the Standing Army, 286 of the 1,080 active-duty officers resigned or were dismissed and joined the Confederate Army, and West Point graduates were divided, with 184 of the 824 active-duty men defecting to the United States and joining the Confederate Army, and 114 of the 900 retired officers joining the Union Army and 99 joining the Confederate Army

On March 4, 1861, Davis sent a mission to Washington to expedite the reception of Fort Pickensburg and Fort Sumter, and after receiving assurances that these forts would not be strengthened without notice, the Southern Mission returned to Richmond to await the retreat of the garrison. On 29 March, after careful consideration, the President decided to supply Fort Sumter only, and then send an expeditionary force by sea. On 8 April, the president informed the governor of South Carolina of his decision, followed by military action by the local commander of the Confederate forces, Brigadier General Beauregard, and on the 11th, the commander of the defenders of Fort Sumter, Major General Robert Anderson, refused the demand for formal surrender. At 4:30 a.m. on the 12th, the Confederate artillery began a 34-hour artillery bombardment, and Anderson led his 90-man defenders to return fire, and after receiving the terms of honor, on April 14, Anderson surrendered the fort and led his troops to retreat to New York [6] .

On April 15, the president personally wrote and issued a statement declaring that there had been a rebellion in seven southern states that violated U.S. law. On the 19th, it ordered the blockade of the coastline from South Carolina to Texas and the requisition of 75,000 militiamen from the northern states. The presidential decree angered the eight slave-holding states that remained in the Union, forcing Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas to join the South, while Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware remain undecided

At the beginning of the war, the strength of the North greatly exceeded that of the South, with a population of 22.34 million in 23 states in the North and 7 in the South

The state has only 9.1 million. The North has a well-developed industry with an annual output of $1.5 billion, 1.3 million workers, a 22,000-mile rail network and an abundance of food, while the South has a weak industry with an annual output of $15.5 million, only 110,000 workers and only 9,000 miles of railroads.

But the South was well prepared militarily. Thanks to the recently concluded Mexican-American War, the Southern army was highly qualified, with experienced commanders and assistance from Britain and France. Moreover, on the eve of the civil war, President J. Buchanan (an agent of the slave owners) had managed to send large quantities of weapons and money to the South. The South wants to defeat the North with a quick victory.

April 1861 to September 1862 was the "Limited War" phase. Both sides concentrated their forces on the eastern battlefield and fought fiercely for the other side's capital. The commander of the southern army was Robert Lee, an outstanding military strategist, who, in light of the disparity in strength between the two sides, formulated a strategy of attacking and defending, concentrating his forces to find and destroy the main force of the northern army, and forcing the north to sign an alliance under the city. The North's lack of preparation for war led to the so-called "Great Serpent Plan", which spread its forces on an 8,000-mile-long front, and the passive tactics of the sympathetic slave-owner commander McClelland, which caused the Northern army to suffer one defeat after another.

Lincoln** fought in the early stages of the Civil War to restore the unity of the North and the South, fearing that touching the slavery system would push some of the border slave states over the side of the Southern rebels, thus losing the border states as an important strategic area. Due to the refusal of the North ** to declare the emancipation of the slaves. Thus, in the first phase of the civil war, the North suffered a series of military defeats

In July 1861, the Battle of Manassas was held in the Eastern Theater. On July 21, the North launched an offensive on the southern capital, Richmond, with 35,000 Northern troops marching to Richmond in a neat formation to the sound of military music. Because the North had made a big fuss in advance, believing that the Southern army was vulnerable, and that it was a Saturday, many Washington citizens, congressmen, and reporters dressed up in costumes, brought their wives and children, and carried baskets containing picnics.

The 22,000 troops of the South lined up at the railway junction of Manassas. The Northern Army attacked the Southern Army amid the cheers of the spectators, and the heavy artillery fire shrouded the Southern positions in smoke. The Northern Army then crossed the Boer River and attacked the opposite bank. Who would have thought that the commander of the Confederate Army was the famous General Thomas Jackson, who commanded calmly and repelled five charges of the Northern Army, so he received the reputation of "Stonewall". The battle was fierce, and because the uniforms of the two sides were almost identical, it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe for a while, and the battlefield was chaotic. Soon, 9,000 reinforcements from the Southern Army arrived and launched a counteroffensive. The untrained Northern Army collapsed at the touch of a button, leaving behind a large number of guns and ammunition and fled back to Washington. In this battle, the northern army lost 3,000 soldiers, and the southern army lost less than 2,000.

Battle of the Peninsula

In 1862, the war became more intense. Lincoln ordered a general attack with an army of 500,000 on February 22. The Northern Army won successive victories on the Western Front, almost opening up the Mississippi River, the main artery between the north and the south. The Navy also conquered New Orleans, the largest port in the South. But in the Eastern Theater, the Northern Army suffered another crushing defeat. The commander of the Northern Army, McClelland, had 100,000 heavy troops, but he did not move for several months, because he took the enemy's 50,000 horses for 150,000. Later, at the urging of Lincoln, the "Peninsula Campaign" was launched in an attempt to capture Richmond.

Robert Lee led the Confederate army to meet the attack. From June 25 to July 1, Lee's 90,000 troops and 100,000 troops of the Northern Army launched the "Seven-Day Battle", Li maneuvered to find fighters, mobilized the Northern Army, and then found the weak links of the Northern Army to launch an attack, driving the Northern Army out of the peninsula near Richmond, causing the Northern Army to lose 16,500 men and the Southern Army to lose 20,000 men, but strategically won the victory in defending the capital.

Li Chengsheng went north, and at the end of August, he fought the Second Battle of Manassas with the Northern Army. The Southern Army had 54,000 men and the Northern Army 80,000. Li Gaochao's conducting art was brought into full play. He attracted the main force of the Northern Army to the position with a small force, and the main force maneuvered, launched an attack from the flanks and rear, and then attacked from the front and flanks, defeating the Northern Army in one fell swoop. The Northern Army suffered 14,000 casualties and 7,000 prisoners. The Confederate army descended on the city of Washington. The Northern Army withstood the offensive of the Li Army in September at the Battle of Antitam.

In terms of naval warfare, although the navy of the north has an overwhelming advantage, the armored warships of the south also bring great trouble to the north.

Although the Northern Army achieved a series of brilliant victories on the Western Front and seized several important strategic positions from the Southern Army, these gains were offset by the crushing defeat on the Eastern Front. In the face of repeated military defeats in the North, radicals within the Republican Party and abolitionists in society advocated the emancipation of slaves and the arming of blacks. Lincoln was also aware of the need to emancipate slaves.

In 1862, the Northern Army launched an offensive, and the Western Front was under the command of Grant, which progressed well, capturing Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February, defeating the Confederate Army at the Battle of Charlotte in April 1862, capturing Corinthian and Memphis in May 1862, liberating Kentucky and Tennessee. On the Eastern Front, the Northern Army was slow to advance, and in July 1862 it was routed by the Southern Army under the command of Robert Lee, and Lee marched northward with victory, defeating the Northern Army again at the Boer River in August 1862, and the two armies fought the Battle of Antitam in September 1862, and Lee was repulsed. In December, the Northern Army was again defeated by Lee at the Battle of Fort Frederisk.

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preparatory emancipation proclamation. It was proclaimed that if the Southern rebels did not lay down their arms before January 1, 1863, slaves in the rebellious states would be freed from that date. When the news reached the South, thousands of slaves fled to the North. The British working class also launched a pro-North movement, forcing the British to abandon their original plans for intervention.

The Homestead Act of May 1862 stipulates that all those who are loyal to the Commonwealth

Adults, who pay a registration fee of $10, can claim 64.74 hectares of land in the west and become owners of the land after 5 years of farming. Lincoln** severely suppressed counter-revolutionaries and purged the army of agents in the South.

In 1863, a conscription law was introduced to replace conscription and to strengthen the forces of the North. At the same time, Lincoln adjusted the military leadership structure, implemented unified command, and appointed Grant, who had outstanding military talents, as the commander-in-chief of the whole army.

On New Year's Day 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which emancipated the black slaves and allowed blacks to join the Northern Army, and later promulgated the Homestead Act, which allowed all Americans to acquire land in the West. In May of the same year, the Northern Army attacked Richmond again, and was repulsed by Lee at Chesroville. On 22 May, the Northern Army launched a general offensive and carried out artillery bombardment for 47 days, and in June Lee again advanced north.

On 1 July 1863, the two armies fought a decisive battle at Gettysburg, and on 3 July the Confederates were defeated. The loss of 28,000 men by the Southern Army became a turning point in the civil war, and the initiative on the battlefield was transferred to the Northern Army. At the same time as Lee advanced northward, Grant encircled the Confederate fortress of Fort Vicks, which was defending the Mississippi River, on the Western Front, and the Confederate surrendered on 4 July. On 8 July, the Northern Army occupied Port Hudson, and the Southern Army was divided into eastern and western parts. In September, the Northern Army captured Chattanooga, and in November repelled the counterattack of the Southern Army.

In 1864, the Supreme Commander of the North adopted a new strategic approach and launched a powerful offensive on both the eastern and western fronts

。 On the Eastern Front, the main goal was the depletion of enemy forces; On the Western Front, with strong forces, penetrate deep into the enemy's hinterland and cut off the northeast and southwest of the "Southern Alliance".

In September 1864, the Northern Army under General Sherman captured Atlanta in one fell swoop, and two months later began the famous "March to the Sea", in which it completely destroyed all kinds of enemy military installations, dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's economic power, and paralyzed the Southern economy. On the Eastern Front, General Grant led the Northern Army to drive the enemy near the rebellious "capital" of Richmond.

At the beginning of 1865, slaves fled and the plantation economy was on the verge of collapse. The naval blockade imposed by the Northern Navy almost cut off trade between the South and Europe. At the same time, there was opposition within the South, and many small farmers joined the "Federalists" in anti-war activities. Deserters from the south are on the rise. Lack of food and daily necessities.