he Civil War was by far the bloodiest in American history,
with most families, North and South, suffering some form of
loss. This had lasting effects—disabled veterans were a common sight
into the 20th century, and pension payments to veterans long remained
a major cost. Wars often produce unexpected consequences, too—
few in the North had sought the abolition of slavery when the war
began, but it had come to pass. The struggle had been asymmetrical
at its start, and its consequences were equally so. The war had
inspired industrial and economic growth in the North; conversely
some 60 percent of Southern wealth was destroyed or, in the case of
the capital value of slaves, abolished in the war.
The other of the war’s great issues, the doctrine of states’ rights,
met a decisive setback. The Federal government had taken and used
powers that would have seemed excessive in 1860, setting about the
T
LEGACIES OF THE WAR
The impeachment of Johnson
Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice
president, is thrust into office after
Lincoln’s assassination. A Southern
Democrat, he continually clashes
with the Republicans in Congress.
In 1868, he is even impeached, but
is found not guilty. Here he receives
the impeachment papers.VIRGINIA AND SURROUNDING AREA
R o c k y M o u n t a i
n
s(^) Sn
ake River
(^) Col
orado River
P A C I F I C O C E A N
San Francisco
Santa Fe
Sacramento
Portland
Virginia
City
Salt Lake City
CALIFORNIA
OREGON
COLORADO
TERRITORY
WASHINGTON
TERRITORY
UTAH
TERRITORY
NEW MEXICO
TERRITORY
NEVADA
IDAHO
TERRITORY
ARIZONA
TERRITORY
MONTANA
TERRITORY
WYOMING
TERRITORY
CANADA
MEXICO
Ma
tta
po
ni
Riv
er
James R
iver
Rapp
aha
nn
oc
k (^) R
ive
r
Po
to
ma
c (^) R
ive
r
James (^) R
iver
Sh
en
an
do
ah^ Riv
er
C
h
e
sa
p
e
a
k
e
B
ay
A
T
L
A
N
T
I
C
O
C
E
A
N
A
p
p
a
la
c
h
ia
n
M
o
u
n
ta
in
s
NORTH CAROLINA^1868
Cape Charles
Cape Henry
York River
Delaware
Bay
WEST
VIRGINIA
1863
NEW
JERSEY
DELAWARE
MARYLAND
PENNSYLVANIA
VIRGINIA
1870
DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA
Hampton
Portsmouth
Roanoke
Charlottesville
Winchester
Petersburg
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Lynchburg
Harpers Ferry
Centreville
Baltimore
Richmond
Philadelphia
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Grant’s presidency
War hero Ulysses S. Grant
has a troubled presidency in
1869–77. He is the obvious
candidate to replace Johnson
but, once elected, shows little
aptitude for Washington
politics and is mired in scandals
created by corrupt members of
his administration.
Richmond in ruins
The Confederate capital is
reduced to ruins by fires
that burn even as the city is
being evacuated by Lee’s
forces in 1865. With so
much of its wealth
destroyed, the South’s
rebuilding becomes a
protracted process.
Remembering the war
The Gettysburg anniversary
commemoration in 1913 sees
some 50,000 veterans from
both sides attend in a spirit of
reconciliation. They are
addressed by President
Woodrow Wilson, the first
Southern-born president
to hold the office since the
end of the Civil War.
States of the Union
Year of readmission of Confederate
states to the Union
U.S. Territories
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1877