The last battle of the war was fought at .

When tension mounted between the two sides further when Lincoln became president, the south succeeded from the Union. The Union did not want this and fought to have the Confederate join back. Thus ensued a bloody war until it ended April 9, 1865, with the battle fo Palmito Ranch.

The Civil War ended April 9, 1865

Robert E. Lee surrendered the last Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.

Lee asked Grant for the terms of surrender. Grant wrote them out quickly with the pardoning of all men and officers. They would be sent home with their private property, as well as their horses. (They would be used for spring planting.) Officers would keep their side arms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations.

Last battle fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas

Union Private John J. Williams

The last battle was fought at Palmito Ranch, Texas, on May 13, 1865 — a month after the war ended.

The news of the surrender spread slowly, but both sides knew the war was over at this time.

The reason for the battle is not fully known. Some say that Union Colonel Theodore H. Barrett desired “a little battlefield glory before the war ended altogether.” Others say he needed more horses to get his men home and decided to steal them.

Between the 500 Union soldiers and 300 Confederate, it’s estimated that 4-30 Union were killed and no Confederate were killed (although, 5–6 were wounded).

The last soldier to be killed in the entire Civil  War was Union Private John J. Williams.

How the Civil War began

For many years before the year 1861, the pressure mounted between the North and the South of the United States. There were a few things that caused this tension:

• What freedom looked like. Freedom for black people looked drastically different in the north compared to the south. In the north, they were free, and in the south, it was legal to own then as slaves. The Underground Railroad to Canada was the only way for them to escape.
• How they got their money. The North produced goods via factories and railroads. The South produced farming and cotton.
• Who did the working. The North employed immigrants from other countries to do the work in the factories. The South forced millions of men, women, and children to do free labor in fields and plantations.
• How politics were handled. The North and South both made compromises as more states joined each side. Both were similar in size and power and both were concerned about the other becoming too powerful. The states on top were “free” states and the states on the bottom were “slave” states.

Heroes and noteworthy people of the Civil War

Here’s a brief list of Civil War heroes and noteworthy people and what they are known for during the American Civil War:

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th president of the United States and preserved the Union during the U.S. Civil War and brought about the emancipation of slaves.

Ulysses S. Grant

He served as U.S. general and commander of the Union armies during the Civil War, later becoming the 18th U.S. president.

Robert E. Lee

He was the leading Confederate general during the Civil War and has been venerated as a heroic figure in the American South.

Stonewall Jackson

He was a leading Confederate general during the Civil War. Loved as a commander, he was accidentally shot by friendly-forces during a battle and died eight days later from health complications.

Clara Barton

She was an educator, nurse, and founder of the American Red Cross.

Harriet Tubman

She escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the route of the Underground Railroad.

The Battle of Middle Creek was a tragic example of the fratricidal, neighbor-against-neighbor warfare that characterized the struggle for Kentucky. Read about the history of this battle, see reenactments, and the preservation of this site.

From Military History magazine's editor-in-chief, Stephen Harding, The Last Battle tells the unlikely but true story of the last World War II battle fought by American troops in Europe, when U.S. Army regulars and Wehrmacht soldiers fought side by side to protect a castle full of French VIP prisoners from an attack by desperate and fanatical SS units bent on killing them in the war's waning days.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREMay, 1945. Hitler is dead, the Third Reich is little more than smoking rubble, and no GI wants to be the last man killed in action against the Nazis. The Last Battle tells the nearly unbelievable story of the unlikeliest battle of the war, when a small group of American tankers, led by Captain Lee, joined forces with German soldiers to fight off fanatical SS troops seeking to capture Castle Itter and execute the stronghold's VIP prisoners. It is a tale of unlikely allies, startling bravery, jittery suspense, and desperate combat between implacable enemies.

Many people believe that fighting in the American Revolutionary war ended with the Siege of Yorktown, Va., Oct. 19, 1781, when Lord Cornwallis was forced to surrender to George Washington.

But west of the Appalachian Mountains the fighting would continue for almost a year, with the last big battle being fought in August of 1782 at a place called the Blue Licks in Kentucky. It was there a combined British and Indian force surprised the Kentucky militia. And one of the men leading that militia was none other than Daniel Boone.

Even though the Americans were on the verge of victory in the 13 colonies, the British still controlled Canada and the Great Lakes region. Now a band of English rangers under the command of Capt. William Caldwell crossed the Ohio River and joined with natives in the area. Their hope was to draw as much of the Kentucky militia as possible into an ambush and destroy them. This would leave the settlements defenseless and make it possible drive the colonials back across the mountains.

The British plan was to attack Bryan’s Station with half their force, but would allow some of the settlers to escape and go for help. When help arrived they would fall back to a bend in the Licking River called the Blue Licks where the other half of their force would be hidden. It would be there they would spring the trap.

The attack against Bryan’s Station had the desired effect as 182 militia responded to the call for help. Among them where 44 men under command of now Lt. Col. Daniel Boone, including Boone’s son Israel.

With Col. John Todd in overall command, the officers quickly conferenced at Bryan’s Station to decide if they should go after the Indians or wait for additional help. Maj. Hugh McGary suggested they wait for Col. Ben Logan to arrive with his large force of 500 men.

Historians disagree, but either Todd or Boone said something to the effect of “What’s wrong McGary, you afraid to fight?” McGary sat quiet through the rest of the meeting but those words would come back to haunt whoever said them.

Fearing the Indians might escape and reach the safety of the Ohio River it was decided not to wait for Col. Logan but to strike out after their retreating foe and let the reinforcements catch-up.

As they trailed their enemy through the woods Boone noticed something was wrong. The Indians were leaving a very clear path behind them but walking in each others footsteps to hide their true number. This was a sure sign of an ambush.

After two days of following the trail, they reached the Licking River ford that would take them across to the Blue Licks. They could see a few Indians on top of the hill, a couple smoking pipes. The officers quickly gathered to come up with a plan of action. Boone said he was sure it was a trap and they should wait for Col. Logan and his men.

McGary had had his bravery questioned when he made that same suggestion earlier. Now he flew into a rage and shouted at Boone “I never saw any signs of cowardice about you before.” He then mounted his horse and as he started across the river yelled to the militia “Them that ain’t cowards follow me, and I’ll show you where the yellow dogs are.”

Several in the militia followed McGary across thus committing Col. Todd and Boone to the battle regardless of if they wanted it or not.

Once the militia crossed the river Col. Todd divided it into three companies with Lt. Col. Stephen Trigg commanding the right, Todd and McGary the center and Boone the left.

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As the militia reached the top of the hill it seemed as if every tree and bush exploded as 300 Indians and 50 British rangers opened fire. Trigg and most of his company were killed in the opening volley. The center faired the same as Todd was wounded and soon died as the company was over run when the Indians charged out from the trees.

The left was a different story. Boone spotted the Indians and fired first. His company was driving the enemy back “elated with their success” when, ironically, it was McGary who came running by shouting “Boone, why are you not retreating?”

Boone looked around and saw everything to his right had been wiped-out. In addition, the Indians and rangers had gotten around behind and cut him off from the river ford. He ordered his men into the trees on their left and to run for the river.

While the survivors headed for the river, Boone and a couple of men, including his son Israel, were covering the retreat. As things got worse, Boone grabbed a horse and gave it to his son and told him to leave.

“Father, I won’t leave you,” was his son’s reply. Boone looked around for another horse when he heard a sound behind him and turned around to see his son fall, shot through the neck and blood rushing from his mouth. Boone saw that his son was dead and all was lost so he turned and ran for the river.

The militia from Boonesborough that were able to get away had gathered on the other side of the river and were firing back across the water at the Indians. Many men were missing, including Boone, and were feared dead. Suddenly the men heard a big splash down river. It was Boone making his escape.

Boone got the survivors back to Bryan’s Station and prepared to defend the fort. But there would be no attack as Logan and his force of 500 had arrived in the area.

The last major battle of the American Revolution was a British victory. It had cost the Kentucky militia 72 dead and 11 captured out of 182.

Five days later Boone and some of the men returned to the Blue Licks. They found the bodies of their dead rotting in the sun with the buzzards feasting on them. Many had been scalped and most of the bodies so mangled it was difficult to determine who was who. Boone was able to find the body of his son Israel and bury him. All over the hill some men were buried where they fell while about 40 were buried in a mass grave.

Although the Kentucky militia had been routed, it was not a complete victory for the British.

Col. Logan’s forces were soon joined by the forces of George Rogers Clark who was in overall command of the region. With more than 1,000 men, including Boone, Clark went after Caldwell’s rangers and Indians, but there would be no battle. The enemy, many of whom feared Clark, fled across the Ohio River without ever coming to blows.

The war was over and the settlers would remain in Kentucky.

Ned Jilton II is a page designer and photographer for the Times News as well as the writer of the “Marching with the 19th” Civil War series. You can contact him at .