Surprise!

The election of 1860 is a total disaster for the pro-slavery cause. Most of the border states essentially vote to stay neutral (YELLOW and ORANGE on small map), including the all-important plantation state of Virginia.

This is the South's worst nightmare, pretty much closing the door on extending slavery into the territories. That leaves them with one option. Leave the Union. Let the smug Northerners live in their own, tidy world.

Within a month, South Carolina has voted to secede from the Union. Within another month, six more Deep South states have joined South Carolina, and the 'Confederate States of America' is born. But can it survive?
Election of 1860

  America is Split
The election of Abraham Lincoln is like a bell ringing for Southerners to get out of town. South Carolina votes to secede (leave the Union) almost immediately, followed by the entire Deep South (in YELLOW). Note that eight states in the 'border' area have not yet made a decision to join the Confederacy, including Virginia, and are thus not shown in gray highlight, above.

South seizes forts and arsenals, 1861

  Seizing Weapons
During the interval before Lincoln is inaugurated, rebel forces (it's now officially an armed rebellion) move quickly to seize weapons at US Army installations all over the South. Most important of these is the armory at Harper's Ferry, which is one of only two in the country that produces army muskets. Musket barrels require special tools, which the Confederates are able to move down to Richmond. Had the armory been better defended, the South would have had more difficulty equipping its armies.


Ft Sumpter, Civil War, 1861

  Taking the Initiative
For South Carolina, the immediate issue is Fort Sumter. It's a US Army facility, built to protect Charleston Harbor from attack. But it can also become a choke point for southern shipping, should Lincoln decide to press the issue. Lincoln himself has other matters to attend to, as the incoming President. Arriving by train from Illinois, he has to evade would-be assassins in Baltimore just to get to the Capital, in Washington. Confederates decide to take the initiative and attack Fort Sumter, which surrenders.