After secession from the Union, the South formed the Confederacy. They were at an extreme disadvantage to the North to begin the war because of their lack of manpower and lack of manufactured goods. However, with the great leadership of Robert E. Lee they were able to compete with the all powerful North for four years. In 1865, it was simply the fact that they didn't have enough men to finish out the war. Robert E. Lee was forced to surrender in 1865 in Virginia.
This is a photo of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, where the Confederate army ignited the Civil War in 1861. Although the Confederate army won this battle, they lost a lot of men which was significant in the long run.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
This is a photo of Robert E. Lee taken by Mathew Brady in 1865. Lee was the major Confederate General who led the army in many battles. It was Lee who eventually surrendered to the Union's Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
This is a photo of "Stonewall Jackson", Robert E. Lee's right hand man. Jackson was a strong leader and led the South in many battle campaigns. He was killed by friendly fire in the Battle of Chancellorsville 1863.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cwp/
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cwp/
This is a photo taken in South Carolina in 1862 of African American slaves picking cotton. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
This is a photo of Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital during the Civil War. The photo was taken in 1865 at the end of the war when the Union Army forced Confederate troops out of the area. A large fire also swept through the city, leaving a lot of buildings and bridges in ruins.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/
This is a photo of a Union Army member after being held hostage in one of the Confederate prisons. These prisons were notorious for extreme torture and very poor conditions.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
This is a photo of a grave after the defeat at the battle of Antietam. This would have been a pivotal win for the Confederate Army because they would have gained international aid.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
This is a photo of John Wilkes Booth. Booth assassinated president Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was also a stage actor, famous around the Southern states.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
In 1864 the Union Army began to take over the war and begin their campaign into Virginia, the Confederate Capital. This is an image of dead bodies of Confederate Army members.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
This is a photo of the Confederate Army in 1862 walking through Fredrick, Maryland.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/