The War Of The United States - 2222 Words

From 1861 until 1865, the United States was embroiled in a war that took or changed the lives of some 625,000 people, leaving many more scarred, mutilated, mentally incapacitated, and with family torn asunder. The war, not fought against an opposing nation or an invading force, but with brothers and countrymen on opposite sides of armed lines, was both longer and bloodier than either side had predicted, though it had been coming for years. The question of slavery had caused numerous debates and fights at the state level as well as in the federal houses, and the many states holding slaves believed it was their right to decide their own future. After the election of Abraham Lincoln to the office of President of the United States, many saw†¦show more content†¦In December of 1861, after the election of Lincoln, South Carolina became the first state to break away from the union that had held together since the ending of the Revolutionary War. In the weeks that followed South Car olina’s secession from the United States, several more states followed suit. With great speed a nation was seemingly born out of thought and created, like biblical tales, in what seemed like no time at all. On the morning of April 12, 1861, forces under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. These were the first shots fired in what would become known as the American Civil War. The fort was taken two days later by Confederate forces, with zero lives lost on either side (civilwar.org, n.d.), something that, unfortunately, was not signal the future of the war itself. With war officially declared, a sudden rising of Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive in the Confederate government, and the election of a President, Vice President, and a body of politicians to fill the various departments that were essentially carbon copies of those that existed still in the federal government of the United States, it