| Battles of the American Civil War by Theater, | | | | April 12, Confederate soldiers fired upon the Federal |
| YearLincoln's victory in the presidential election of 1860 | | | | troops stationed at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South |
| triggered South Carolina's secession from the Union. | | | | Carolina, until the troops surrendered. Lincoln called for |
| By February 1861, six more Southern states had | | | | all of the states in the Union to send troops to |
| seceded. On February 7, the seven states adopted a | | | | recapture the forts and preserve the Union. Most |
| provisional constitution for the Confederate States of | | | | Northerners hoped that a quick victory for the Union |
| America and established their capital at Montgomery, | | | | would crush the nascent rebellion, and so Lincoln only |
| Alabama. The pre-war February peace conference of | | | | called for volunteers for 90 days. Four states, |
| 1861 met in Washington, as one last attempt to avoid | | | | Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, and-most |
| war; it failed. The remaining southern states as yet | | | | importantly, Virginia-which had repeatedly rejected |
| remained in the Union. Confederate forces seized all | | | | Confederate overtures now decided that they could |
| but three federal forts within their boundaries (they did | | | | not send forces against the seceding states. They |
| not take Fort Sumter); President Buchanan made no | | | | seceded and to reward Virginia the Confederate |
| military response, but governors in Massachusetts, | | | | capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia, a highly |
| New York and Pennsylvania began secretly buying | | | | vulnerable location at the end of the supply line. Even |
| weapons and training militia units to ready them for | | | | though the Southern states had seceded, there was |
| immediate action. On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln | | | | considerable anti-secessionist sentiment in certain |
| was sworn in. In his inaugural address, he argued that | | | | scattered localities in the seceding states. Eastern |
| the Constitution was a more perfect union than the | | | | Tennessee, in particular, was a hotbed for |
| earlier Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, | | | | pro-Unionism. Winston County, Alabama issued a |
| that it was a binding contract, and called the secession | | | | resolution of secession from the state of Alabama. |
| "legally void". He stated he had no intent to invade | | | | The Red Strings were a prominent Southern |
| southern states, but would use force to maintain | | | | anti-secession group. Winfield Scott, the commanding |
| possession of federal property. His speech closed with | | | | general of the U.S. Army, devised the Anaconda Plan |
| a plea for restoration of the bonds of union. The South | | | | to win the war with as little bloodshed as possible. His |
| did send delegations to Washington and offered to | | | | idea was that a Union blockade of the seacoast would |
| pay for the federal properties, but they were turned | | | | strangle the rebel economy, then capture of the |
| down. Lincoln refused to negotiate with any | | | | Mississippi would split the South. Lincoln adopted the |
| Confederate agents because he insisted the | | | | plan but overruled Scott's warnings against an |
| Confederacy was not a legitimate government. On | | | | immediate attack on Richmond. |