Few leaders have faced decisions as difficult as those confronting Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis in April of 1861. At stake was the allegiance of the northern tier of slave states, wavering between the Union and their sister slave states. Beyond that, Lincoln had to find some way to get all the states back into the Union, and Davis to prevent it. All this now focused on Fort Sumter. With so much depending on this Fort and the events surrounding the outbreak of the Civil War, it is imperative to assess the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln's decision to hold Fort Sumter, and Jefferson Davis's decision to take it.

Located on an island inside the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, and garr

At his inaugural, Lincoln promised not to initiate hostilities against the South but nevertheless to "hold occupy and possess the property and places belonging to the government"(McPherson 268). One of the possessions he was talking about was the military post of Fort Sumter. Secretary of State William Seward was foremost in urging that the fort be abandoned in order to appease the south and keep the issue from being seen as one of slavery versus abolitionism. Against all such urgings, Lincoln remained firm on his decisions.

Brigadier-General Commanding.

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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)