By Nancy
It’s called the American Civil War, but as it turns out, Canadians had a pretty significant part in it, too.
The war lasted from 1861 to 1865. It was an existential battle between the Unionist north and southern Confederates and killed an estimated 620,000 people, according to the Civil War Trust. John Boyko, author of Blood and Daring: How Canada fought the American Civil War and Forged a Nation, writes that roughly 40,000 Canadians participated in the conflict.
Despite sympathies for the Confederacy, most Canadians fought for the North. Some were working in the United States when the war began and volunteered with local regiments. Others left Canada to enlist. Canadian and Maritime soldiers and sailors fought in nearly every battle of the American Civil War.
While it could be argued that Canadians did not make a grand impression on the Civil War, the Civil War certainly left its mark on Canadians. It is said that the pressures of the 1861-65 Civil War helped nudge Canada to its own confederation and independence.