What do you consider the official end of the war?

[Stryker65]

There are many possible dates:
April 1866: Johnson officially proclaims the war over
November 1865: Bulloch surrenders the Shenandoah
June 1865: Watie surrenders the last brigade
May 1865: Smith surrenders the last geographical department
April 1865: Johnston surrenders the last active field army

And of course:
April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox.

And many others.

 

[19thGeorgia]

Last fight by officially organized forces - Palmito Ranch, TX, May 12-13, 1865.

 

[19thGeorgia]

Last man killed. Last man wounded. Last man sick from bad army food.

 

[Stryker65]

Personally don't see why a Lone ship in international ship would affect the end of the ACW.

Why personally I'd go with last organized army laying down it arms in the US.

Militarywise, I'd say it was the last element of the Confederate military serving under the Confederate flag, to surrender.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Believe the key term to focus on here is 'officially'. Thought the dates are different for when the war officially concluded to when actual hostilities ended.

It could be argued that the Civil War finished when the fleeing Davis and the remains of his cabinet met in Washington, GA, on May 5, '65, and officially dissolved the Confederate government – one of the contesting belligerent entities in the conflict. This is not withstanding that apparently the last battle was fought remotely at Palmito Ranch, May 13, '65, Kirby Smith did not sign the surrender of the final department (being the trans-Mississippi) of the once-existing Confederacy, until June 2, '65, and the commerce raider CSS Shenandoah surrendered on Nov. 6, '65, at Liverpool, England.

Nevertheless, the official end of the Civil War occurred when President Andrew Johnson proclaimed the war was completely over on Aug. 20, '66. On this date Johnson officially decreed, …'I do further proclaim that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exist in and throughout the whole United States of America'…

 

[J. Horace]

I tend to think of this question in the same vein that I think of the "Beverly Hillbillies Episode" when Granny asks,

"Are we still holdin' Richmond?"

 

[archieclement]

I would also think those saying recognized belligerent, wouldn't it apply to Watie. If I recall Indians nations were recognized as entities and separate treaties were required at the end of war for them.

So Watie would represent last organized army in the field as a belligerent as well.

 

[jackt62]

the official end of the Civil War occurred when President Andrew Johnson proclaimed the war was completely over on Aug. 20, '66.

That is the only answer if the standard is the "official" end of the war. If the standard is something else (cessation of hostilities, surrender of belligerents, etc.), then we can argue about the specific "end" date.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

That is the only answer if the standard is the "official" end of the war. If the standard is something else (cessation of hostilities, surrender of belligerents, etc.), then we can argue about the specific "end" date.

Agree. Thought too, it was a no brainer - there was only the one standard of 'authoritative proclamation/decree' that could apply as the one official 'end date'.

 

[Choatecav]

Over???? It ain't over!!! We're just observing a temporary "cease fire."

 

[Borderruffian]

Over???? It ain't over!!! We're just observing a temporary "cease fire."

Amen Brother!!! Amen!

 

[Rebforever]

"It ain't over 'tell it's over"- Yogi.

 

[TallTallMan]

The 1964 Civil Rights Bill

Well, that one has not been accepted yet still

 

[TallTallMan]

"It ain't over 'tell it's over"- Yogi.

I wouldn't trust a bear that talks like Ed Norton...

 

[Zack]

According to The Band it ended on May 10, 1865


In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

 

[jepridgen]

According to The Band it ended on May 10, 1865


In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Hard to beat that argument.

 

[Stryker65]

I tend to think of this question in the same vein that I think of the "Beverly Hillbillies Episode" when Granny asks,

"Are we still holdin' Richmond?"

Love that show!

 

[WScott]

First off it was never a Civil War. The South was seeking to succeed / leave the Union to form it's own government, not to overthrow the Federal Government and take over the USA. I think it was easier to call it a Civil War than to call it a war for southern independence.

Be that as it may, when "organized" armed resistance ended, the "Government of the CSA" ceased to exist (Davis - May 10, 1865) and the last major military district surrendered (Smith - May 26, 1865) the Civil War was over.

 

[midnitelamp]

You could use to get license plates that proclaimed Lee Surrendered I Didn't.

 

[Llewellyn]

I have always taken the 1866 Proclamation as being the end of the official end of the war. A more modern example I like to use is the 1918 Armistice for WWI. Most people consider it the end of the war, but technically, a state of war still existed until all the treaties were signed and concluded in 1919.

When war memorials were being made and erected in UK in the 1920s most bore the 1914-1918 dates, but a great many bore the dates, "The Great War, 1914-1919" and they are still so thus.

Whilst the Versailles Treaty was indeed concluded in 1919 its terms only became binding and effective in January 1920, so maybe that could be legitimately deemed as the war end . . .

EXCEPT that there were several conflicts going on which had arisen from the events of the Great War. Russian Civil War, Graeco-Turkish War, Irish Civil War and so on. Should they have been included in the calculations of the war's end ?

And then you have the peculiar situation arising from the Brits statutorily stating several legal end dates for different enemy belligerents, vide this little gem:-

Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act 1918 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Act, passed into law in late 1918, enabled the government to declare varying dates without having to go through the pahlava of progressing further formal Acts. It allowed the government to maintain wartime legal provisions which had been imposed "for the duration of hostilities."

 

[GwilymT]

First off it was never a Civil War. The South was seeking to succeed / leave the Union to form it's own government, not to overthrow the Federal Government and take over the USA. I think it was easier to call it a Civil War than to call it a war for southern independence.

Be that as it may, when "organized" armed resistance ended, the "Government of the CSA" ceased to exist (Davis - May 10, 1865) and the last major military district surrendered (Smith - May 26, 1865) the Civil War was over.

You are right, it was a failed insurrection conducted by rebels and traitors.

As to organized resistance, as the government of the CSA was never recognized we can take organized to refer to any groups conducting illegal hostilities against the government and people of the United States while emulating the ideology of the CSA. In this we have the KKK, the White League, Red Shirts, and other white power southern groups. If that's the case it becomes quite difficult to pinpoint the end of armed resistance.