when was the civil war

The American Civil War took place from April 12, 1861, to around May 26, 1865. It began when Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 12, 1861. The war ended in the spring of 1865 with various surrenders of Confederate armies, including the major surrender by Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. The last battle was fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas, on May 13, 1865. The Civil War was fought between the Union (the North) and the Confederacy (the South), which was comprised of Southern states that had seceded from the Union, largely over disputes related to slavery and states' rights.