Brother against Brother

Abraham Lincoln, one of the most influential men to ever live in America. He really had to earn this title; at the beginning of his 1st term as President of the United States he was considered an enemy in the South. Once he moved in the White House after the election, he had a note from the last president James Buchanan that said, “My dear sir, if you are as happy on entering the White House as I on leaving, you are a happy man indeed." Slavery was very controversial subject that was rocking the nation. The South was threatening to secede and the North was trying to be "peacekeepers" on the subject. The nation was torn into two with no chance of being united as the Forefathers had intended it to be.

The Beginning of the Civil War

The next year didn't bring any solution to the problem. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. Little did anyone in the North know, this act would lead to the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Later these states would form the Confederate States of America. Washington D.C. was the only part of Virginia left in the Union. The Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis as president. The new formed country made a constitution, similar to the Union's. In April of 1861, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, officially starting the Civil War. Later that month Richmond, Virginia was named capital of the Confederate States of America.
How Did The Union Respond?


The Union was shocked by this attack, but did not take aggressive action against the Confederates, until January of 1862. Lincoln ordered General George McClellan to take unified aggressive action against the Confederacy. General McClellan ignored this order. Less than two months later, he was still ignoring this order. Lincoln, angry about General McClellan's inactivity, relieved him of this particular duty. General McClellan was now given command of Army of the Potomac.
The South: Before the Civil War

The South's economy had depended on cotton. Not grown by the white's hand however, but by their African slaves. Slaves were treated like animals. They were sold at auctions and often separated from family. When the Civil War broke out slaves and men went to join the army, Slaves usually went to Union unless forced by their masters to join the Confederacy. With the men gone, women were alone to face daily chores of the plantation. Many women feared a slave revolt may break loose and their children and also they would be brutally killed. A slave couple killed their mistress, by pouring scalding hot water down her throat and escaped, only to publish their story after abolition. Even though with this fear, very few revolts were successful.

The Turning Point in the Civil War

In 1863, President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves, but not officially. General Ulysses S. Grant was bringing honor to the Union with several victories in Vicksburg, Mississippi leading to the Fall of Vicksburg. The Battle of Gettysburg marked the end of the hopes of recognition from foreign governments for the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln declared part of the Gettysburg battlefield a national cemetery, where he delivered his famously quoted "Gettysburg Address".
The Ending of the Civil War

Many blockades prevented supplies from reaching the South in January of 1865. Transportation was also a rare luxury. Many starving soldiers abandoned General Robert Lee, in battle to go home in hopes of food. The shrinking army was a big problem in the Fall of the Confederacy. In April, 1865 Richmond was in ruins and the Union was victorious.

What Ever Happened to Major Union Leaders?

Abraham Lincoln was very joyful after the Union’s victory. He unfortunately was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Ford’s Theater. Booth was captured 12 days later. General Grant would later become President of the United States. Lincoln’s vice-president Andrew Johnson was sworn in after the death of Abraham Lincoln, only to be the first president to be impeached.