In April 1861, after years of strife over slavery and states’ rights, secessions from 11 Southern states escalated into war when Conf. Gen. Pierre Beauregard’s forces attacked and seized Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC. At the bloody battle of Bull Run (also known as the battle of Manassas), Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s Confederate forces soundly defeated the Union Army, which demonstrated the rebels’ resolve and affirmed a lengthy conflict. From the Fort Sumter attack until Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox (VA) Courthouse in April 1865, more than 600,000 soldiers died.
Memorials abound that chronicle the events and carnage. Although these monuments certainly preserve these historical legacies, they don’t define local culture. This gallery marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s onset, but doesn’t focus solely on commemorative signage. While it’s important to honor the past, celebrating the present seems an equally appropriate tribute.