When was the American Civil War?

The war began when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on 12 April 1861. Eleven Southern states had seceded to form the Confederate States of America, largely to protect slavery. Major turning points came in July 1863 with the Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on 9 April 1865, and the remaining Confederate forces gave up over the following weeks. Around 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers died, making it the deadliest war in American history.