On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This marked the beginning of the bloody Civil War. Union soldiers volunteered and were later drafted to fight the war. An estimated 2.1 million Northern men served in the Union Army. Their lives were difficult, as they faced brutal combat, disease, starvation, and loneliness. The four long years of war changed their lives forever.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This marked the beginning of the bloody Civil War. Union soldiers volunteered and were later drafted to fight the war. An estimated 2.1 million Northern men served in the Union Army. Their lives were difficult, as they faced brutal combat, disease, starvation, and loneliness. The four long years of war changed their lives forever.