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The Mississippi River was the most important transport link in the United States and essential to winning the Civil War. It was the primary conduit for supplies and communication through the South and a vital lifeline for goods going North. The biggest war in the Mississippi River during the Civil War is the Battle of Vicksburg.

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Kentucky was the gateway to the Confederacy's strongholds in the interior South, and so control of the state would profoundly affect the outcome of the Civil War. Lincoln had declared, early in the war, "I think losing Kentucky is nearly the same as losing the whole game." Lincoln was so determined to keep slaveholding Kentucky on the Union side that he muffled all talk of abolition.

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During the Civil War, Tennessee’s rivers and rails were critical arteries to the Deep South, and both United States and Confederate forces fought hard to control them in major battles like Fort Donelson, Stones River, Chattanooga, Franklin, and Nashville. Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union on May 17, 1861. The state was the first state to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866.

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Montgomery was the Confederacy's first capital, establishing its position as the center of political and military strategy for the Southern states against the Union. Montgomery was also a major transportation and communications center, located in the heart of the Southern railroad network, which facilitated the movement of troops, supplies, and information vital to the Confederate war effort. Its location along the Alabama River also made it an important location for the transportation of cotton, a vital commodity for the Southern economy, to domestic and international markets.

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The Chesapeake Bay was crucial during the Civil War, serving as a key water route for both Union and Confederate forces. The Union blockaded Southern ports through the bay, and important naval bases were located there. Control of the Chesapeake Bay was vital for military strategies, impacting the overall course of the war in the Eastern Theater.

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Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina, USA

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The fall of Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of the American Civil War and triggered a wave of patriotic bluster on both sides. During the battle, Confederate forces fired over 3,000 artillery rounds at Fort Sumter. Over the course of the two days, Union forces fired about 1,000 artillery rounds of Confederate batteries around Charleston Harbor.

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During the Civil War, the James River played a very important strategic role in the fighting that took place around Richmond. It appeared in the Civil War as a defense against Union troops moving south, but it was also used by the Union Navy and infantry as an avenue of attack. The river also facilitated the large-scale transportation of Union troops and military supplies.

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The raid on Harpers Ferry brought worries to the South and convinced slaveholders that abolitionists would stop at nothing to end slavery. It also created a martyr, John Brown, for the antislavery cause. In the hope of triggering mass uprisings, Brown said, "I want to free all the enslaved people in this state. If the citizens interfere with me, I must burn the town and have blood."

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The Potomac River is 383 miles long and serves as the geographical boundary between Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It also served as the boundary between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. The Potomac River also served as a transportation channel during the war

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Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War. The fierce fight there forced both the North and South to face the sobering reality that the war would be long and bloody. The Battle of Bull Run ended with the Confederate victory.

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Capturing the most important Rebel outpost in the western theater, Grant stressed, "was of the first importance," because Vicksburg was the only rail and river junction between Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans. The Union victory at Vicksburg weakened the Confederacy by splitting it in half and isolating the Southern states of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. Moreover, the Confederacy lost control of the Mississippi River.

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The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought December 11-15, 1862, was one of the largest and deadliest of the Civil War. It was a crushing defeat for the Union, whose soldiers fought courageously and well but fell victim to mismanagement by their generals, including confused orders from Burnside to Franklin. Burnside planned to cross the river quickly at Fredericksburg, surprising General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army, and proceed 35 miles to Richmond, but the plan failed because the battle introduced obstacles his men had never before encountered.

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The Battle of Chancellorsville was a huge victory for the Confederacy and General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War, though it is also famous for being the battle in which Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was mortally wounded. It deepened the Union's command crisis, which chronically could not find a good military leader. This Confederacy's victory disrupted the Union's plan to take the Confederate capital Richmond.

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Turning-point battle near Sharpsburg, Maryland, leaving almost 25,000 soldiers dead or wounded, in which Union forces halted a Confederate invasion of the North. Most importantly, the Union victory at Antietam provided President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity he wanted to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, making the Battle of Antietam one of the key turning points of the American Civil War. The Battle of Antietam revived sagging Northern morale and dashed the Confederacy’s hopes of forging military alliances with Great Britain and France.

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Shiloh, a Hebrew word meaning “Place of Peace,” had become a place of anguish. Of the 100,000 men who participated, a quarter were killed or wounded, seven times the casualties at the Battle of Bull Run. And like Bull Run earlier and so many battles to come, Shiloh was less a story of brilliant strategy than it was missed opportunities and lucky accidents.

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1. South Carolina: December 20, 1860

2. Mississippi: January 9, 1861

3. Florida: January 10, 1861

4. Alabama: January 11, 1861

5. Georgia: January 19, 1861

6. Louisiana: January 26, 1861

7. Texas: February 1, 1861

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1. Delaware

2. Maryland

3. Kentucky

4. Missouri

5. West Virginia

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1. California

2. Connecticut

3. Illinois

4. Indiana

5. Iowa

6. Kansas

7. Maine

8. Massachusetts

9. Michigan

10. Minnesota

11. Nevada

12. New Hampshire

13. New York

14. Ohio

15. Oregon

16. Pennsylvania

17. Rhode Island

18. Vermont

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4 Confederate States that joined after Fort Sumter

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4 Confederate States that joined after Fort Sumter

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1. Virginia

2. North Carolina

3. Tennessee

4. Arkansas

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Draft Riot of 1863 took place in New York City.

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The Original Capital of the Confederacy.

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The Second Capital of the Confederacy.

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Illinois was the home state of Abraham Lincoln, served as his political base, and he began his political career there.

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Mississippi is the home state of Jefferson Davis, considered very important to their cause.

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The Potomac River was a strategic boundary between the Union and Confederate territories, separating the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., from Virginia, a Confederate state. It was crucial for the defense of the capital and saw significant military activity, including fortifications and crossings. The river also facilitated transportation and communication for Union forces.

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The Ohio River was a critical boundary that separated the Union states from the Confederate states to the south. It served as an important transport route for Union troops and supplies into the western theater of the war. Control of the river was essential for Union efforts to secure the western states and territories.

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The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, in Pennsylvania, was a turning point in the Civil War. It was the war's bloodiest battle with the largest number of casualties and ended with a significant Union victory. The defeat thwarted General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North and marked a significant shift in the war's momentum toward the Union.

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Baltimore, Maryland, held strategic importance during the Civil War due to its location and transportation networks. It witnessed early war tensions, including the Baltimore Riot of 1861, the first bloodshed of the Civil War, occurring as Union troops passed through the city. Throughout the war, it remained a vital supply and troop transport hub for the Union.

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New Orleans was a major port and economic hub captured by Union forces in 1862, in one of the war's most significant naval engagements. Its loss severed the Confederacy's access to the Mississippi River, critically disrupting southern supply lines. The capture of New Orleans demonstrated the strategic importance of naval power and blockades.

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Chickamauga And Chattanooga National Military Park, Lafayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, GA, USA

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The Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga were crucial in the western theater, with Chickamauga being one of the bloodiest battles of the war and a Confederate victory. However, the subsequent Union victories at Chattanooga opened the gateway to the deep South, leading to Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea. These battles were pivotal in securing Union control over Tennessee.

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Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was of immense symbolic and strategic value. It was the target of multiple Union campaigns, enduring sieges and battles throughout the war. Its fall in April 1865 marked the imminent end of the Confederacy.

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Savannah was a key Confederate port targeted by the Union's naval blockade. Its capture in December 1864 was a major outcome of General Sherman's March to the Sea, showcasing the Union's ability to project power deep into Confederate territory. The capture of Savannah further isolated the southern states.

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Appomattox Court House is famed as the site of General Robert E. Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. This event marked the collapse of the Confederate resistance and the reunification of the nation. The terms of surrender offered by Grant were seen as generous, aiming to promote healing and reconciliation.

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Washington, D.C., served as the Union's capital and symbolic heart throughout the Civil War. It was the focus of multiple Confederate threats and campaigns, but its defenses held strong against any direct attacks. The city also symbolized the Union's resolve and commitment to preserving the nation, hosting significant events like Lincoln's inauguration and assassination.