The Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 between the Union (Northern states) and Confederate (Southern states) after Southern states seceded from the Union over the issues of states' rights and slavery. Over 600,000 soldiers died in the war that ended with the defeat of the Confederacy, abolition of slavery, and restoration of national unity. Key events included Southern states seceding after Lincoln's election, the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the Union victory at Gettysburg that year which halted the Confederate invasion of the North.