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Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860.
For starters, it was the election that most defined the democratic and republican parties as the dominant parties in the US, who would continue to dominate the judicial, federal, and congressional floor of American politics for years to come. It also revealed the saturated opinions on slavery and abolition in the USA, Lincoln being the clear Abolitionist candidate, and Douglas being the clear pro slavery candidate. -
Knowing Lincolns election meant a hard time for the south, South Carolina took it upon itself to secede from the union. It's politicians drafted a declaration of secession, stating the reasons why it would be immediately seceding from the territories, freeing itself from the of influence the north had on it. While the north may not have entirely recognized South Carolina’s secession from the union, it’s peers saw it as the beginning of a movement, and quickly began to follow in it’s steps.
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President Lincoln’s election angered many southerners, and instantly after the election, tensions began to brew. On April 12 of 61’ confederates fired on the sea fort, Fort Sumter. The Shots Fired at Fort Sumpter first put war on the table, the war that was what would become the greatest civil conflict in American History. It also enflamed both sides, as the north bristled at the assault, and the south began to brace themselves, expecting the north to retaliate in a more volatile fashion.
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The north came down to damage Manassas junction, in an attempt to sever southern trade. Despite advantage, the North was routed. It was an outcome no one was expecting. This became the first named battle of the Civil War. The South's success painted their determination in gore in this first battle. It also defined the horrors of war to the American civilians. Not a valiant struggle of two ideals; it was a bloody waking nightmare, nothing to be glorified. Suddenly, everything got serious.
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The ironclad warships Merrimack of the south and Monitor of the north clashed on the waters, ending in a draw between the two. It changed the course of Naval history in entirety, as it was the first clash between ironclads in history.
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The North and south clashed as the north tried to penetrate the southern interior, and the carnage was unprecedented, with a death toll of over 23,000 soldiers lost during the battle, including on of the souths most reliable leaders, Jefferson Davis. The Nation was staggered by the death toll, and the south knew the death of Davis was a significant blow to their forces.
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Southern forces lead by Lee and northern forces lead by McClellan clashed, and for the first time on Union soil. It was a bloodbath where over 10,000 were lost on both sides, and though the Union lost significantly more, they prevailed. For starters, it was a major victory in the favor of the Union, though after the battle Lincoln retired McClellan as general of the forces when he did not continue to pursue and push onward after their victory.
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At the dawn of the third year of carnage, president Lincoln issued a proclamation that stated that all people held as slaves in the united states were thereby free people, and no longer slaves. All slaves in the territories were freed. Lincoln intended this to be effective everywhere in the territories, including the states that has “seceded”, as Lincoln didn’t recognize their secession from the territories. Because of this, the “seceded” territories did not observe the proclamation.
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Union and confederate forces clashed, both ultimately ending in decisive Union victories. With the outcome of these battles, both sides could already fairly predict how the war would won, as the power was now with the Union, as the Confederate forces were divided, routed, and pushed back. These two battles
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When a portion of the battle of Gettysburg was dedicated to the battle as a graveyard, Lincoln gave a short speech about it. It was not meant to be anything of huge impact, but simply a short address from Lincoln before the main event. His thoughts and words about the nature of the war, why it was being fought, and the memory of the soldiers who had given their live on the grounds of Gettysburg for the cause. It gave the Union a new resolve, that would ensure their victory.
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In the conclusion of the battle of fort pillow, a number of union soldiers attempted to surrender to the confederate forces, most of them African American, who were instead slaughtered by the spiteful confederate soldiers. It was a sad and gruesome day for the Union, and it showed to both sides the spite at the idea of loosing the war the south felt. It was so great, that they decided to unleash it on defenseless people who they saw as less than themselves. A telling moment for the Confederacy.
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General Sherman Williams lead 60,000 soldiers across Georgia, stealing supplies and damaging property in the hopes that it would discourage Georgians from the confederate cause. Ultimately, the needless cruelty enflamed Georgians and made them only wish more pain on the Union.
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After a short battle, fought with beleaguered troops, general Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union forces. This surrender effectively signified the end of the Civil War.