V. Attack on Fort Sumter and the
Aftermath
A. After Secession
• Lincoln refused to recognize secession.
• He wanted to keep the Union together
• Confederate States begin to take over US:
– arsenals
– forts
B. Attack on Ft Sumter
• Federal Outpost in
Charleston, South Carolina
• Confederates wanted to
take over the fortress
• Fort was important because
it controlled the entrance to
Charleston Harbor
• Confederates surrounded
the fort with heavy guns
• Lincoln did not want to surrender the fort
• He sent ships to bring supplies to it
• On April 12, 1861 Confederates open fire on Fort
Sumter
• After 30 hours of cannon blasts, Fort Sumter
surrendered
C. Lincoln’s Reaction
• Declared the south to be in a state of
Rebellion
• Asked state governors to supply troops to end
it
• States had to choose sides
D. Choosing Sides
• North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas
joined the Confederacy
• Lincoln sent troops into border states: Delaware,
Maryland, Missouri, and Kentucky to keep them in
the Union
• West Virginia broke away from Virginia and became a
Union state in 1863