When Abraham Lincoln came to Washington in March of 1861, following his election as

the 16th president of the United States, he had no thought that the country would soon

be embroiled in a costly and bloody civil war.

The slave states of the South had threatened secession in the past and always pulled back.

This time, Lincoln believed would be no different.

He was open to accommodation if it would avoid armed conflict, but he was unshakable

on one point.

Lincoln insisted that secession was a constitutional impossibility and that he was obligated by his

presidential oath to defend the integrity of the United States.

So when the Confederates launched their attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina,

on April 12, 1861, Lincoln called up federal troops and declared a naval blockade of the

southern coast.

The war was on.

Lincoln was completely unprepared for it.

Everything went badly at first.

A hastily assembled federal army met with a humiliating defeat at the first major battle

of the war at Bull Run in Virginia.

More defeats followed.

But Lincoln stood firm.

New armies were recruited, fresh funds were raised through taxes and bond sales, and

the naval blockade was strengthened.

Gradually, the military tide turned.

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