The First Shots
are fired
1.
The newly formed Confederacy met little resistance taking over many federal forts, mints.
And arsenals within its borders.
2.
Fort Sumter was one federal fort that did not fall early to the Confederacy
a.
Fort Sumter was a very important location to both the North and South as it sat in the harbor
or Charleston South Carolina, and you could control all traffic in and out of the harbor.
3.
In early March 1861 commander of Fort Sumter Major Robert Anderson sent word to Washington
that he was nearly out of supplies and would soon fall without reinforcements
a.
Lincoln hesitated because most of the 8 slave states that remained in the Union threatened
to leave if Lincoln used force against the Confederacy
b.
Lincoln decided to resupply the fort, but not send troops and arms
4.
Lincoln sent word of his intentions to the Governor of South Carolina, who notified Confederate
General P.G.T Beauregard
a.
Beauregard ordered Major Anderson to immediately evacuate the fort, Anderson refused
5.
April 12 Confederate forces opened fire on
Fort Sumter
a.
Fort was bombed for 36 straight hours
b.
April 13th Anderson finally surrendered
with the fort ablaze and his ammunitions supplies low
6.
April 15 Lincoln publically announces that the rebellion is ‘to powerful to be suppressed
by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings”
a.
He asks for the states to provide him with 75,000 soldiers for three months to put down
the rebellion.
