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

[Nope]

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.

Just because it is interesting, here is a link the order that the states seceded

State Date of Secession
South Carolina December 20, 1860
Mississippi        January 9, 1861
Florida        January 10, 1861
Alabama        January 11, 1861
Georgia        January 19, 1861
Louisiana        January 26, 1861
Texas        February 1, 1861
Virginia        April 17, 1861
Arkansas       May 6, 1861
North Carolina May 20, 1861
Tennessee June 8, 1861

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civi..._order.htm

This thread made me curious why Tennessee and NC waited to leave the union. Apparently, NC still had land requirements to serve in the General Assembly. There was some support for the Union but after Ft. Sumter, the state sided with the Confederacy. I did not know that.

http://history.ncsu.edu/projects/cwnc/ex...conclusion

Thank you for showing those posters, Min. They are fascinating to read.