Events that Led to the Civil War: Slavery as an Economic Engine Not a Moal Isssue

[Minimalist]

Sumter was one of a series of coastal defense forts built in the aftermath of the War of 1812 across the south.  Designed to command the approaches and take advantage of the prevailing winds which sailing ships would have been forced to deal with approaching the harbor mouth it was rendered obsolete by the invention of steam powered warships and the introduction of heavy, rifled-cannon, on ships made its masonry walls merely decorative.

It was occupied by a small detachment of US troops.  Lincoln cleverly manipulated the rebs into firing the first shot.  Four states seceded after Sumter (Virginia, N. Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas) but the rest of the border states held.