The American Civil War

The American Civil War was from 1861 to 1865 it was a civil war between the United States of America and the Southern slave states of the newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The Union included all of the free states and the five slaveholding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party. Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States, and their victory in the presidential election of 1860 resulted in seven Southern states declaring their secession from the Union even before Lincoln took office. The Union rejected secession, regarding it as rebellion. Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a large volunteer army, then four more Southern states declared their secession. In the war's first year, the Union assumed control of the border states and established a naval blockade as both sides massed armies and resources. In 1862, battles such as Shiloh and Antietam caused massive casualties unprecedented in U.S. military history. In September 1862, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal, which complicated the Confederacy's manpower shortages. In the East, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee won a series of victories over Union armies, but Lee's reverse at Gettysburg in early July, 1863 proved the turning point. The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson by Ulysses S. Grant completed Union control of the Mississippi River. Grant fought bloody battles of attrition with Lee in 1864, forcing Lee to defend the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Union general William Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia, and began his famous March to the Sea, devastating a hundred-mile-wide swath of Georgia. Confederate resistance collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in April 1865. The war, the deadliest in American history, caused 620,000 soldier deaths and an undetermined number of civilian casualties, ended slavery in the United States, restored the Union by settling the issues of nullification and secession and strengthened the role of the Federal government. However, issues affected by the war's unresolved social, political, economic and racial tensions continue to shape contemporary American thought. The Civil War Memorial, in Sycamore, Illinois, it is located in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse on a public square, it was shown in 1896 and dedicated in 1897. The monument is constructed from a combination of marble, masonry and the metal used for the sculpted copper and masonry soldiers. The structure also incorporated wood into its design. The front facade is adorned with a marble plate engraved with an excerpt from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, also marble faced, are emblazoned with the names of major battles and campaigns of the war.

World War II

On June 6, 1944 , the western Allies launched the single largest invasion.

On June 22, 1944, Soviet forces opened a major offensive defending the center of the eastern front in western Belorussia.

On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender became official, and the world could celebrate the liberation of Europe from Nazi rule.

In 2004, with the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the nation honored veterans of World War II with a memorial on the national mall. 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II. Explore the links on this page to learn about the liberators' experiences as Allied troops moved across Europe during the war.

The World War II Memorial designed by Indianapolis architect Patrick Brunner. The design of the memorial is similar to both the Korean and Vietnam Memorials. However the World War II Memorial is larger and is the first to truly be a half-circle with a radius of 9 feet 2 inches. The convex side faces Pennsylvania Street. This side contains a brief history of the war and pays special attention to Hoosier Medal of Honor recipients and distinguished Hoosier units. The memorial includes an engraving typical of the Kilroy graffiti: "Kilroy was here".