Wars that Shaped the Nation

Wars that Shaped the Nation. The American Civil War. , From 1861 to 1865, the United States waged the deadliest and costliest conflict in its history. Union and Confederate soldiers numbering in the hundreds of thousands waged vast campaigns from the east coast to Texas from Pennsylvania to Florida. Although the war left much of the South in ruins, it also left the nation more unified and more dedicated to liberty for all its citizens., For the first time, West Pointers commanded entire armies during this conflict. By the end of the war, graduates commanded every major field army on both sides. The most notable were Ulysses S. Grant, commander in chief of the armies of the North, and Robert E. Lee, commanding those of the South. Hundreds of other graduates distinguished themselves as general officers on both sides, including William T. Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan for the North and Thomas J. Jackson and James B. Longstreet for the South., The many Civil War trophies displayed about Battle Monument represent not only the progress made in gun design during the war, but also the continuing reliance on smoothbore bronze cannon used in our earlier wars. Newer weapons show the trend toward iron casting and rifling, which improved accuracy and range. With iron casting, weapons also became larger and fired heavier shells., All cannon tubes are from the collections of the West Point Museum which exhibits other Civil War displays in its facility at Pershing Center.