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It would be an understatement to say that the Civil War caused unfortunate bloodshed and left a heritage of grief and bitterness in its path. This war is perhaps the most tragic of all time. Its epic feats and uncanny combats merit it as not only an unforgettable event in history, but a war that took over 600, 000 lives. It was the only war fought on American soil by Americans, and for that reason the Civil War has always of interest. Ironically, but not surprisingly, the Civil War still remains a fascinating event in American history. Few leaders have faced decisions as difficult as those confronting Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis in April of 1861.
At stake was the allegiance of the northern tier of slave states, wavering between the Union and their sister slave states. Beyond that, Lincoln had to find some way to get all the states back into the Union, and Davis to prevent it. All this now focused on Fort Sumter. With so much depending on this Fort and the events surrounding the outbreak of the Civil War, it is imperative to assess the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln's decision to hold Fort Sumter, and Jefferson Davis's decision to take it. Located on an island inside the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, and garrisoned by less then 100 U. S.
soldiers, Fort Sumter was to both North and South a symbol of national authority in the states claiming to have seceded (McPherson 264). The 40 foot brick walls that were eight to twelve feet thick were designed to be able to stop anything from leaving or entering the harbor (McPherson 264). On December 20, 1861, after decades of sectional conflict, the people of South Carolina responded to the election of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, by voting unanimously in convention to secede from the Union. Within six weeks five other states- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana-followed South Carolina's example. Early in February 1861 they met in Montgomery, Alabama, adopted a constitution, set up a provisional government-the Confederate States of America-and elected Jefferson Davis as their president. By March 2, when Texas officially joined the Confederacy, the new government had seized nearly all of the Federal forts and navy yards in these Seven States (Davis 159).
Fort Sumter was one of the few that remained in Federal hands. At his inaugural, Lincoln promised not to initiate hostilities against the South but nevertheless to "hold occupy and possess the property and places belonging to the government" (McPherson 268). One of the possessions he was talking about was the military post of Fort Sumter. Secretary of State William Seward was foremost in urging that the fort be abandoned in order to appease the south and keep the issue from being seen as one of slavery versus abolitionism. Against all such urgings, Lincoln remained firm on his decisions. Davis was equally distressed.
He was faced with the problem of whether to await the hoped for Northern evacuation of the fort or to order a Southern attack. It was an unpleasant dilemma. To allow a military force of Northern troops to remain in a fort in the harbor of one of its chief cities would appear to indicate the confederacy was neither independent nor in earnest about becoming so. Ultimately, Davis did not want to appear weak in any sense.
On the other hand, to attack the fort would be to take upon the South the burden of firing the first shot and initiating a civil war, make the south appear the aggressor, rather than the victim of aggression, as Davis and most other Southerns believed it to be. Meanwhile, the south clamored for Davis to take some sort of action. In addition, Davis surly knew that the border states would never join the Confederacy unless they proved their power to free themselves. An Alabama newspaper even suggested that: The spirit and even the patriotism of the people is oozing out under the do-nothing policy. If something is not done pretty soothe whole country will become so disgusted with the sham of the southern independence that the first chance the people get at a popular election they will turn the whole movement topsy turvy (Fort Sumter Confederate Military History). Davis's hope in all of this was Lincoln's dilemma: the fort was quickly running out of food.
Unless supplies could be gotten to it soon, its commander, Major Robert Anderson, would have to evacuate. Davis waited to see if this would spare him the necessity of choosing one unpleasant alternative or the other. However, Lincoln was determined to do something about it. Ever since Lincoln learned on March 5 that Anderson's troops at Sumter had supplies that would last no longer than mid-April, time became an increasingly weighty consideration for the President (Fort Sumter Confederate Military History). It would take time to organize and dispatch a relief expedition, whether small-scale or massive.
It would take time to reach Sumter from northern ports. Meanwhile, Confederate forces at both Sumter and Pickens were strengthening their batteries and tightening the noose around these Union positions. Every day made reinforcement more difficult, particularly at Fort Sumter. Despite pressure to act quickly, Lincoln took advantage of the time that remained to him. During the following ten days, Lincoln gathered information and explored ways of holding the Union's forts. By March 29, he was ready to decide on a course of action (Davis 184).
By April 4 Lincoln believed that a relief expedition was possible and ordered merchant steamers, protected by ships of war, to carry "subsistence and other supplies" to Anderson (Davis 197). He also notified Governor Francis W. Pickens of South Carolina that an attempt would be made to re-supply the fort. After debate and some disagreement, the Confederate cabinet telegraphed Beauregard on April 10 to fire on Fort Sumter if absolutely necessary to prevent reinforcement. By reinforcing the fort, Lincoln had checkmated his Confederate counterpart, who would now have to acquiesce in the permanent presence of a federal garrison in Charleston harbor or else take the responsibility of firing the first shot and firing it to keep food from hungry men. Lincoln probably hoped Davis would not choose war, but he was willing to risk the result if he did.
The confederacy's own secretary of state, Robert Toombs, pleaded with Davis not to...
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Research essay sample on Secretary Of State Fort Sumter
