Download April 1861

IV. Road to Ft. Sumter part III
Secession
A. Election of 1860
Rep- Abraham Lincoln (IL)
Platform: Slavery is
morally wrong, internal
improvements,
transcontinental RR
Constitutional Union
Party- John Bell (TN)
Platform:
Alcohol/Immigrants
So. Dem- John C.
Breckinridge (KY)
Platform: protection
of slavery
No. Dem- Stephen
Douglas (IL)
Platform: Popular
sovereignty
• Strategies in the election
– Democrats spent time attacking each other
– This split the democratic vote
– Republicans spent time on populous and midwestern states
Results of the Election
• Electoral Vote
– Lincoln 180 (every
northern state ex
NJ)
– Breckinridge 72
(most of the south
– Bell 39 (TN, VA,
KY)
– Douglas 12 (MO,
NJ)
• Popular Vote
– Lincoln 39.9%
– Douglas 29.5 %
– Breckinridge 18.1%
– Bell 12.5%
Other 3 candidates
received 1 million more
votes than LincolnLincoln did not appear
on 10 southern ballots
Reactions
• Northern
– Pleased with the
results & the
prospect of ending
slavery
• Southern
– Powder keg has
been ignited
– Lincoln did not
need the south to
win the election
B. Secession (Separate)
• History of Secession
– 1776: US Separates from Great Britain
– 1803: New England contemplates secession
over admission of LA
– 1814: The Hartford Convention- New England
tries to secede from US over War of 1812
– 1845: New England wanted to secede over the
admission of Texas
Legality of Secession
• Northern Argument
– The South entered
to union under a
contract (the
Constitution
– Lincoln’s Inaugural
address
• Secession was not
legal
• States still part of
the Union
• Lincoln would not
assail the south
• Gov’t control
federal property
• Southern Argument
– The contract was
breeched
– Declaration of
Independence
– 10th Amendment
-Declaration of
Independence
C. South Secedes
• December 20, 1860
– 129 delegates of S.C. met in Charleston &
unanimously voted to secede from the Union
• Reasons for secession
– Each state was sovereign & independent
– Entered the union voluntarily
– 10th amendment allows them to leave
• South Carolina held its breath, waiting for
the other southern states to secede
• Absolutely nothing happened
Order of Secession
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
South Carolina
Mississippi
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Louisiana
Texas
Dec 20, 1860
Jan 9, 1861
Jan 10, 1861
Jan 11, 1861
Jan 19, 1861
Jan 26, 1861
Mar 2, 1861
D. Confederate Constitution
• Est. and ratified Mar 11, 1861
• Same as the US Constitution with 4 major
differences
– The words “promote the general welfare” are
taken out of the preamble and “each state acting
in its sovereign & independent welfare” is
added
– Explicitly guarantees slavery in state &
territory- outlaws IST
– Prohibits protective tariffs for internal
improvements
– Limits the president to one 6 year term
The Confederate States of
America is Born
• Jefferson Davis is
elected President of
the CSA
• Alexander H.
Stephens is elected
Vice-President
E. Crisis in Charleston
• Dec. 26, 1860, six days after SC seceded,
Maj. Robert Anderson relocated his men
from Ft. Moultrie to a more defensible Ft.
Sumter
– The fort was about 90% complete at the time
• Anderson only had a garrison of about 85
men
• The South took this as a hostile move
• 1st attempt to re-supply Ft. Sumter
– Buchanan sends help
– Jan. 9, 1861: The Star of the west was sent
from New York to Ft. Sumter to bring
necessary supplies
– Orders were sent by mail and were never
received by the fort
• WHY?
– Cadets from the Citadel were manning guns in
the harbor
– The Cadets fire on the ship and turn it around
• Lincoln attempts to re-supply Ft. Sumter
– April 4: Lincoln informs SC governor Francis
Perkins of his intension to re-supply the fort
– April 10: Perkins notifies Jefferson Davis, who
orders PGT Beauregard to demand the
evacuation and surrender of the fort.
– April 11: Beauregard sends aides under a flag
of truce to deliver his ultimatum- Anderson
declines
– April 12, 1861, 3:20am: Aides revisit the fort
and make one more request for surrenderMajor Anderson refuses again. He is told the
CSA will open fire in 1 hour
F. Fort Sumter
• April 12, 1861, 4:30am: Cpt. George S.
James orders a tracer shot over the fort.
This tracer shot signals the firing to begin
• First shot was fired from Ft. Moultrie
• Union returned fire at daybreak
• Bombing from Ft. Moultrie ignited a fire in
the officer’s quarters threatening the main
powder magazine
• After 34 hours of bombing, Major Anderson
surrenders leaving the fort in CSA control
G. Captains Report
• Major Robert Anderson
• 0 casualties
• Gen PGT Beauregard
• 1 casualty
• CSA horse