These 12 facts might give you a new perspective on the Civil War

via We Are The Mighty

The American Civil War was a bloody, brutal time in the history of the United States. It not only pitted “brother against brother,” as the saying goes, it was a fight over the soul of the country for (at least) the next 150 years.

But while most people know the broad brushstrokes of the war’s causes and conflicts, there are some little known facts that for some might cast America’s bloodiest war in a whole new light.

1. The first soldier killed in the war died entirely by accident.

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The opening salvos of the Civil War were fired during the siege of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. When P.G.T Beauregard accepted the surrender of the fort, there were zero fatalities on either side. When the Union troops lowered the American flag, they gave it a 100-gun salute.

An accidental discharge from a cannon firing that salute killed Pvt. Daniel Hough of the 1st US Artillery.

2. The Civil War began and ended at the same guy’s house.

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While the opening shots of the war were in Charleston Harbor, the first major battle was fought nearly three months later at the First Battle of Bull Run, also known as “First Manassas.”

General Beauregard used the house of Virginian Wilmer McLean as his headquarters during the fight. McLean moved his family away from the area shortly after to a two-story house at a place called Appomattox Court House.

It was at McLean’s house that Gens. Grant and Lee met to discuss the South’s surrender on April 9th, 1865.

3. Battles have multiple names because the of the backgrounds of their soldiers.

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The bulk of the Union troops were city dwellers and townspeople. When they talked about a battle, the notable things they saw were the natural features of the battlefield. Confederates were by and large from rural areas.

When they remember a battle, their inclination is to talk about the manufactured, populated, or otherwise man-made features of the area.

For example, both times the two forces met near Manassas Rail Station, the Southerners dubbed the fights First and Second Battle of Manassas, while the Union troops named it after Bull Run, the nearby stream. At least 230 such Civil War combat actions are known to have multiple names.

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