The Battle of Fort Sumter by Brian Downer

The Battle of Fort Sumter

April 12,1861 Charleston, South Carolina, was the start to the Battle of Fort Sumter.  The Battle began at 4:30am, when the Confederates bombarded the fort with artillery that was surrounding the harbor.  34 hours after the first shot was fired, Major Anderson agreed to evacuate the base.  The Union army was significantly out gunned, but neither army had any casualties. 

          

            There were an estimated 85 Union soldiers and 500 confederate soldiers.  After this battle there was a widespread support of military action to both the North and the South.   President Lincoln called immediately for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion.  This resulted in four southern slave states to join the confederacy.

        On Saturday, April 13 Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter to the confederates.  Major Anderson was allowed to have a 100 man gun salute as part of his surrender.  They were only able to do a 50 man gun salute due to an accidental gun explosion killing the man and injured another man.  They then marched out of the fort onto a ship that brought them to Union ships outside the harbor.  They were greeted in the north as heroes.   

Sources
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-sumter.html?tab=facts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter

"Copperheads" The Peace Democrats by Marcus Crespi

Marcus Crespi

Period 2

Mr. Smith

US History

The copperheads were a group of peace democrats who believed the union could be saved and salvaged. The major support for the copperheads came from the Midwest. Spokesmen earned them the name “copperhead” which originally came from a venomous snake the group turned this names meaning to support them it symbolizes the penny with the head of the goddess of liberty.

Clement L. Vallandigham spokesmen of the copperheads in Ohio started a rally at Mount Vernon, Ohio. Vallandigham, Samuel cox, and George Pendleton all gave speeches denouncing general order No. 38. Vallandigham opposed the order so much he allegedly said he “despised it, spit upon it, and trampled it under his feet.” He also encouraged democrats to resist Burnside. He went to chastise President Lincoln for not seeking a peaceful and immediate end to the civil war.

 Fernando Wood described as calm, polite, and courtly led the copperheads.

He was mayor of New York and favored peace negotiation. He came very close to treason and with that he decided to support the war effort. He raised one million dollars for the war effort. In everything he lost the reelection due to him having to recover patriotism. Mayor Woods wrote a letter of recommendation for succession of New York.

            Despite every effort the copperheads made to change the course of the war to a peaceful path Lincoln was ensured a reelection due to the fall of Atlanta crippling there efforts to avert the civil war

Sources:

http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org/inside.asp?ID=80&subjectID=3

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/mayor-woods-recommendation-of-the-secession-of-new-york-city/

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Clement_Vallandigham

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h730.html