On March 4th, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States. During his inaugural address, President Lincoln spoke for Union preservation and compromise. President Lincoln promised he would not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which already existed (americaslibrary). However, a decisive decision was soon made to resupply Fort Sumter in Confederate Charleston, South Carolina. President Lincoln vowing not to give up federally controlled property ordered the fort be supplied and manned. On April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter was attacked by Confederates and the American Civil War had officially begun. July 1 – 3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was the decisive Civil War battle that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Union. The Confederate troops had high moral and had been controlling the war. Confederate General Robert E. Lee wanted to threaten Northern cities, weaken the North’s appetite for war and, especially, win a major battle on Northern soil and strengthen the peace movement in the North (civilwar). Union Major General George Gordon Meade just replaced the removed Major General Joseph Hooker. Keeping his Army between the Confederates and Washington DC, General Meade pushed his Army Northward into Pennsylvania. General Lee soon caught wind of General Meade’s movement and positioned his men around Gettysburg. Union and Confederate troops encountered each other west and north of Gettysburg on the first day of battle. Union cavalry upheld against the advancement of the Confederate troops. However, Confederate reinforcements aided in the push and ultimately 30,000 Confederates overran 20,000 Union troops who retreated to Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. The second day of battle, the Union defended the Hill’s with 90,000 troops versus the Confederates 70,000. Full scale assaults brought by the Confederates gained ground, but Union defenses held strong throughout the day. The third and final day of battle raged dramatic events. Cemetery Ridge was assaulted by 12,000 Confederates trying to push through the center of the Union’s line. Being suppressed by heavy fire from the Union, the Confederate Army suffered catastrophic …show more content…
Lee surrenders his Northern Virginia Army at the McLean House. Five days later President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by Southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC. Andrew Johnson is sworn in as President of the United States and General Lee’s surrender is sweeping across the South. President Johnson declares a virtual end to the conflict on May 9, 1865, and the following day Confederate President Jefferson Davis is taken into custody and imprisoned. Two years later, Jefferson Davis is released on bail where he lived the rest of his life a free