April 12: On This Day in World History … briefly
The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the first military action of the American Civil War. Following the surrender, Northerners rallied behind Lincoln's call for all states to send troops to recapture the forts and preserve the Union. With the scale of the rebellion apparently small so far, Lincoln called for 75 000 volunteers for 90 days
1861: Confederates challenge Lincoln
Confederate forces threw down the gauntlet to Republican President Abraham Lincoln by firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbour.
The fort, which was still under construction, and its garrison of around 85 Federal troops have been under threat since the new president first took office five weeks previously.
Lincoln’s opposition to the second Crittenden amendment, which would have allowed states to be either pro-slavery or pro-freedom, resulted in six more states seceding from the Union and joining South Carolina to form the Confederate States of America.
Federal troops garrisoned in Fort Sumter and at other military installations within the confederacy were called on to surrender or face starvation. Lincoln responded by announcing that reinforcements would be sent to relieve the beleaguered fort, indicating his determination to bring the rebels to heel.
It can only be a matter of time before President Lincoln, a firm believer in centralised government, mobilises the vast resources available to his generals. Theoretically outnumbered by a ratio of 2:1 in manpower and 30:1 in availability of arms, Confederates were hoping that their cause would attract aid from overseas.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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