The Civil War

A nation fractured. Four years of battle. A growing visual atlas tracing the people, places, and decisions that remade the United States.

1861 1865
Historical map titled North and South in 1861, showing the division between Union and Confederate states
North and South in 1861, W. L. G. Joerg Library of Congress
Open the atlas

A Union tested.
A nation remade.

In 1861, eleven Southern states seceded from the United States to protect a slaveholding order and formed the Confederacy. The Union fought first to preserve the nation; emancipation transformed the conflict as it grew into the deadliest war in American history.

About this atlas

This is a history built in chapters. Each battle story combines strategic movement, decisive moments, and the human cost of the field. New entries will join the archive over time.

1861

Secession
& rupture

1863

Emancipation
& turning point

1865

Surrender
& reunion

Four years that changed the republic

Enter the field.

Every entry is a self-contained visual history. Begin with the first open volume.

Union troops and artillery fighting through the woods at the Battle of Shiloh
Now open

April 6—7, 1862 · Tennessee

Shiloh

Two armies met in the Tennessee woods. America learned how long and bloody the war could become.

Read the story
Theater
Western
Duration
Two days
Outcome
Union victory

A war in chapters.

The archive will grow across both theaters and all four years of the conflict. Shiloh is only the beginning.

  1. 1861

    Fort Sumter

    South Carolina · Eastern coast

    Planned
  2. 1861

    First Bull Run

    Virginia · Eastern theater

    Planned
  3. 01
    1862

    Shiloh

    Tennessee · Western theater

    Read story ↗
  4. 1862

    Antietam

    Maryland · Eastern theater

    Planned
  5. 1863

    Gettysburg

    Pennsylvania · Eastern theater

    Planned
  6. 1863

    Vicksburg

    Mississippi · Western theater

    Planned
  7. 1864

    Atlanta

    Georgia · Western theater

    Planned
  8. 1865

    Appomattox

    Virginia · Eastern theater

    Planned

1861—1865

Follow the story
as the atlas grows.

Begin at Shiloh