In April of 1861, the Confederate army was on its way to claiming all of the forts and other federal buildings in the South. If they claimed the federal buildings, then they had control over the Confederate states and the North wouldn't have any influence on the South. Fort Sumter was one of the major forts. It was located in Charleston and Robert Anderson was the person in control of it. When the Confederate army came to seize it, Anderson asked Lincoln for help and supplies. Not wanting to be the one to fire the first shots, Lincoln gave Anderson's men food, but no weapons or additional soldiers. The following battle was a short one and Anderson was forced to surrender. This marked the beginning of the Civil War.
Lincoln was right in his decision not to send weapons or soldiers to help Anderson. Although the North lost Fort Sumter, they were not the ones to initiate the war. Lincoln could have placed the blame for the war on the Union's hands if he had allowed the soldiers of Fort Sumter to fire the first shots. This battle goes to show that peace isn't something that can be used to preserve a nation. The Union tried to use peace, but they clearly needed to use military force since the Confederates were willing to use it. It would not have been wise for the Union to use military force at Fort Sumter, but after this it was completely necessary to fight back in order to stop the South's progression and reunite the nation. Without military force, the South would have kept on gaining power. The confidence boost that the Confederates received from winning this battle would not last long, for they provoked the North into putting them back in their place.
Lincoln was right in his decision not to send weapons or soldiers to help Anderson. Although the North lost Fort Sumter, they were not the ones to initiate the war. Lincoln could have placed the blame for the war on the Union's hands if he had allowed the soldiers of Fort Sumter to fire the first shots. This battle goes to show that peace isn't something that can be used to preserve a nation. The Union tried to use peace, but they clearly needed to use military force since the Confederates were willing to use it. It would not have been wise for the Union to use military force at Fort Sumter, but after this it was completely necessary to fight back in order to stop the South's progression and reunite the nation. Without military force, the South would have kept on gaining power. The confidence boost that the Confederates received from winning this battle would not last long, for they provoked the North into putting them back in their place.
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