The War begins
March 4, 1861. Major Anderson, the commander in charge of Fort Sumter, and 80 men, reported that the Confederate patience for having a foreign fort in its territory was wearing thin. On April 11, 1861 Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard sent 500 men to Major Anderson to demand the fort’s surrender. Major Anderson refused and the next day Confederates opened fire on the fort. The fort was continuously under fire for 34 hours until Major Anderson surrendered. Even though no one was killed in this battle it was significant because it was the first real battle of the Civil War. For the North, they viewed Major Anderson and his men as a heroes and the South viewed General Beauregard and his men as heroes as well. President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as president on March 4, 1861. His election was one of the reasons the South seceded from the Union. He restricted slavery in the rebelling states with the Emancipation Proclamation. He also gave the Gettysburg Address, which helped the soldiers of the Union remember what they were fighting for, giving them the morale to push onward with the war effort.
The reasons for the South seceding varied. Lincoln’s election was the main reason, since none of the southern states voted for him yet
…show more content…
Letters provided morale boosts for both the soldier himself and the family waiting for his return. The majority of the letters were love letters from husband to wife, while the rest were usually life advice from father to son. Content.lib.washington says that most of the letters shared the same sentiment. “The battle has been raging all day in the distance and I am unable to ascertain whether anything has been gained or not. I long for the end of this War. How I long for peace. How I will hail the day when I will return.” However, 22 percent of those vows to return were sadly not destined to