The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states' rights and westward expansion. ... The War Between the States, as the Civil War was also known, ended in Confederate surrender in 1865.
The Civil war was fought between the Union and the Confederates. They had different ideas and point of view on slavery , freedom and Westward Expansion. President Lincoln and the Union won the Civil war under the Emancipation Proclamation made by Lincoln to free all slaves. hope i helped :)
I would say maybe the author makes one of the main characters lose a shoe or falls on the ground and has to go to the hospital. as these things arnt people or animals so they won't be considered antagonists.