The 18th Century

American Revolution
Dates: 1775 - 1783
Where: Eastern seaboard of North America
How It Ended: The Treaty of Paris was signed on Sept. 3, 1783
American Casualties: 4,435 (approx.)

The 19th Century

War of 1812
Dates: 1812 - 1815
Where: Canada, Eastern seaboard of the United States, Great Lakes and Lake Champlain
How It Ended: The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Dec. 24, 1814. Unaware of the treaty, Gen. Andrew Jackson engaged and crushed the British at New Orleans on January 8, 1815.
American Casualties: 2,260 (approx.)

Mexican War
Dates: 1846 - 1848
Where: Mexico and southwestern United States, including modern-day Texas, California and New Mexico
How It Ended: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on Feb. 2, 1848.
American Casualties: 13,283 (approx.)

Civil War
Dates: 1861 - 1865
Where: Primarily in the Eastern half of the United States (east of the Mississippi River)
How It Ended: Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the small settlement of Appomattox Court House in southwestern Virginia on April 9, 1865.
American Casualties: Union forces 646,512 and Confederate forces 133,821 (approx.)

Spanish-American War
Dates: April 25 - Aug. 12, 1898
Where: Mainly in the Spanish possessions of Cuba and the Philippines
How It Ended: The Treaty of Paris was signed on Dec. 10, 1898.
American Casualties: 2,446 (approx.)

 

The 20th Century World War I Dates: 1914 - 1918 Where: The Atlantic Ocean and Europe How It Ended: Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. American Casualties: 116,708 (approx.) World War II Dates: 1939 - 1945 Where: Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands including Hawaii, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans How It Ended: Japan was the last Axis power to surrender on August 14, 1945, after the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki American Casualties: 407,316 (approx.) Korean War Dates: 1950 - 1953 Where: North and South Korea How It Ended: The war reached a stalemate in June 1951. An armistice was finally reached on July 27, 1953. American Casualties: 36,512 (approx.) Vietnam War Dates: 1954 - 1975 Where: Southeast Asia How It Ended: The U.S. withdrew after a ceasefire in 1973, the war ended in a North Vietnamese victory in 1975. American Casualties: 58,193 (approx.) Persian Gulf War Dates: August 1990 - April 1991 Where: Iraq and Kuwait How It Ended: After a four-day ground war, an American-led coalition declared victory. A cease-fire agreement was signed on April 9, 1991. American Casualties: 148 (approx.) The 21st Century War on Terrorism Dates: Oct. 7, 2001 (War begins with U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan, after the terrorist attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Approximately 3,000 civilians and members of the military died as a result of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.) - Conflict continues... Where: An effort to combat terrorism world-wide begins in Afghanistan. American Casualties in Afghanistan: 279 as of March 27, 2006 Iraq War Dates: March 19, 2003 - Conflict continues... Where: Iraq American Casualties: 2,406 as of May 3, 2006