Early in the morning hours of April 12, 1861 the Confederate forces fired their first shots on Fort Sumter. This event triggered the War between the States, the bloodiest conflict in the history of America. The war lasted for four years as the North debated the right of the Confederate states to secede from the Union. When the war finally ended, more than 600,000 men had lost their lives. The Union was able to prevail, yet the nation had been changed forever.
When the American Civil War is discussed, the names of many great leaders and generals are spoken: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, and many others. But this site is not dedicated to them, great though they might have been. This site concentrates on the common soldier: the 600,000 who lost their lives, the many more who were wounded, and all who risked everything they had to fight for what they believe in. For war is not won on the intent of presidents and the commands of generals, but on the desire and blood of the common man.
