Source: The Battle of Shiloh, Wikimedia

The Civil War was one of the most dramatic and traumatic events in American history. Almost every part of the country experienced some loss. Casualty totals from this time period are not exact, but historical consensus places the total deaths at around 620,000 Americans, or about two percent of its population in 1860.

To place this in perspective, if the same percentage of Americans died today, that would be 6,174,910 deaths (using the 2010 census figures). That number is greater than the population of 33 individual states.

These men and women paid a severe price in blood to bring permanent change to the United States. This resource will look at some of the lasting legacies of the war: emancipation, the concept of total war, the great rhetoric ofInteractive popup. Assistance may be required. Abraham Lincoln.