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Also known simply as the Confederacy, the Confederate States of America was an unrecognized nation that existed in North America between 1861 and 1865. Abbreviated as CSA or CS, the Confederacy was initially formed by only seven states that still permitted slave ownership. The initial states were South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. Aside from allowing owning of slaves, the states’ economies were heavily dependent on agriculture, which was fueled by slaves. The capital city of the Confederacy was Montgomery, Alabama although it was later replaced by Richmond, Virginia.

Formation And Disintegration

The Confederacy was formed in 1861 in a hasty manner by the seven initial states just before Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the president. After that, the Confederacy added other states until they had 11 states by July 1861. The other four states that joined were North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Each state decided to secede from the United States, which was later known as the Union, after Abraham Lincoln won the election on a slave-abolishing ticket.

The Union then deemed the new Confederacy as illegal, which is when The Civil War started. On an international level, foreign governments did not acknowledge the new Confederacy as an independent nation. The first attack of The Civil War was carried out on April 12, 1861, after Confederate forces attacked Fort Summer, which belonged to the Union. The War went on for four years and ended in the early stages of 1865. In the end, it is estimated that between 620,000 and 850,000 fighters died before the Confederacy finally disintegrated.

South Carolina

South Carolina was actually the first state to cut off ties to the Union in December 1860. Interestingly, however, it was the sixth state to be admitted to the Confederacy back on April 3, 1861. The state was a major source of troops for the Confederacy war against the Union. However, it was also a major source of troops for the Union as most former slaves joined the Union. Aside from military personnel, it also provided textiles and other war materials for The Civil War. Some of the war leaders from the state included Wade Hampton III, James Longstreet, and others.

Alabama

Alabama was the fourth state to secede from the Union back in January 11, 1861. However, Alabama is interesting because it was the first state to join the Confederacy back on March 13, 1861. For this reason, it is usually considered as the home of the CSA. Unsurprisingly, therefore, Alabama was pivotal during the Civil War. An important thing to note is that Alabama was always rebellious towards the rule of the Union even before the succession. However, the secession vote was largely divided with some people siding with the Union. Consequently, just like South Carolina above, the state ended up distributing forces and resources to both the Confederacy and the Union during the war.

After The War

Following the end of The Civil War, some 14,000 petitioned for a pardon from the Union, which was granted. A general amnesty was also given to participants of a later Civil War in 1868. Some people, like Jefferson Davis, were tried for treason and released while others like Henry Wirz were tried and executed.