American history chapters · 1861–1865
A Nation Divided:
The Civil War.
Explore slavery, secession, the struggle to preserve the Union and the path toward emancipation. Discover everyday life, communities and familiar makers and flavors with roots by 1865.
1861–1865 · A short historical timeline
From a divided nation to a new chapter.
Follow five turning points.
Select a moment to read its story.
The geography of a divided nation · 1861–1865
North. South.
The states in between.
Explore the states and the borderlands.
Select a state to see where it stood.
- Union
- Confederacy
- Border states · Union
- Territorial areas
Modern outlines provide orientation. Colors summarize wartime affiliations through 1865, not military control on a particular day. Muted red areas were territories; their historical boundaries differed.
From Delaware’s shelves
Fisher's Popcorn
A current product with a Delaware connection. This state feature does not establish Civil War-era availability.
View product →From Maryland’s shelves
Otterbein's Cookies
A current product with a Maryland connection. This state feature does not establish Civil War-era availability.
View product →From New Jersey’s shelves
Fralinger's Saltwater Taffy
A current product with a New Jersey connection. This state feature does not establish Civil War-era availability.
View product →From South Carolina’s shelves
Olde Colony Bakery
A current product with a South Carolina connection. This state feature does not establish Civil War-era availability.
View product →Browse the state groups
Union states
California · Connecticut · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Maine · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Vermont · Wisconsin
Confederate states
Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia
Border states · remained in the Union
Delaware · Kentucky · Maryland · Missouri · West Virginia
Western territorial areas
Arizona · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · Nebraska · New Mexico · North Dakota · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Washington · Wyoming
Union capital district
District of Columbia
Explore state products & stories
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Browse the chapter
Candy counters & the home-front pantry.
6 products in this chapter
Home front
Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix
Café du Monde opened its original coffee stand in the New Orleans French Market in 1862, during the Civil War years. Today’s packaged coffee and beignet mix connect to that café heritage. The date identifies the café’s founding, not the introduction of those retail packages or evidence of military supply.
$5.49
View product →Add to a history box
Home front
Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory Decaf
Café du Monde opened its original coffee stand in the New Orleans French Market in 1862, during the Civil War years. Today’s packaged coffee and beignet mix connect to that café heritage. The date identifies the café’s founding, not the introduction of those retail packages or evidence of military supply.
$10.50
View product →Add to a history box
Home front
Café du Monde Coffee & Chicory
Café du Monde opened its original coffee stand in the New Orleans French Market in 1862, during the Civil War years. Today’s packaged coffee and beignet mix connect to that café heritage. The date identifies the café’s founding, not the introduction of those retail packages or evidence of military supply.
$9.95
View product →Add to a history box
Home front
Café du Monde French Roast Coffee
Café du Monde opened its original coffee stand in the New Orleans French Market in 1862, during the Civil War years. Today’s packaged coffee and beignet mix connect to that café heritage. The date identifies the café’s founding, not the introduction of those retail packages or evidence of military supply.
$11.00
View product →Add to a history box
Home front
New Hope Mills Old Fashioned Buckwheat Pancake Mix
New Hope Mills began as a flour mill serving the farming community in Moravia, New York, in 1823. Its history reaches back before the Civil War. Today’s Buckwheat Pancake Mix connects to that milling heritage; 1823 dates the mill, not this packaged mix or its wartime availability.
$8.50
View product →Add to a history box
Candy & comforts
Necco Wafers
The wafer-candy tradition behind NECCO Wafers traces its origins to 1847, before the Civil War. The date describes the candy’s early roots, not today’s brand ownership, recipes or packaging. This feature introduces a familiar sweet with roots in the era; it does not establish that every current variety was sold then.
$2.00
View product →Add to a history box
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On the battlefield. In homes and communities.
The people behind the dates.
Slavery, secession and the Union
Slavery was central to the conflict that led to Southern secession and the Civil War. The Union fought to preserve the United States; emancipation became a defining part of the war and its outcome.
Read about the causes of the war ↗Pennsylvania and Gettysburg
Gettysburg brings this history close to home in Pennsylvania. The battle unfolded over three days in July 1863, and its aftermath brought the work of caring for the wounded into the surrounding community.
Explore Gettysburg history ↗Lives beyond the battlefield
Women served as nurses, civilian volunteers and writers while families faced wartime disruption. Enslaved women also acted to secure their freedom, including escaping slavery and supporting Union forces. Their experiences belong in the home-front story.
Read the stories of women ↗Freedom and the unfinished work
The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment were distinct milestones. The proclamation applied to areas in rebellion; the amendment abolished slavery nationwide, with its exception for punishment after criminal conviction. Freedom and equal rights remained contested after the fighting.
Explore the Thirteenth Amendment ↗This chapter presents the war in historical context, with recognition of slavery, emancipation and the human cost of the conflict.
Familiar names, carefully explained
Old roots. Everyday comforts.
Discover products and makers with researched roots by 1865. Each card distinguishes a product introduction from a maker, mill or earlier brand history. These are current retail products; a founding date does not establish that every modern variety was sold during the war.
State tags follow the map’s affiliations through 1865. They describe the product’s saved state connection, not the maker’s allegiance or documented wartime use. Border states remained in the Union.
Carry the story forward
A little history in every box.
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