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South Carolina secedes.
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Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas follow, forming the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as president.
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War begins as Confederates fire on Fort Sumter
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Edwin M. Stanton named secretary of war
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Grant wins first important Union victory in West, at Fort Donelson; Nashville falls.
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Ironclads, Union's Monitor and Confederate's Virginia fight at Hampton Roads.
