"You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government. While I have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.
"We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
"The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
It was all in vain and South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas in turn led off in secession. They met at Montgomery, Alabama and formed the "Confederate States of America," with Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi as president and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia as vice-president. Arsenals, custom-houses, forts and ships of the United States were seized. Fort Sumter was fired upon by Gen. Beauregard April 14, 1861, and the great Civil war, the greatest in history, began.
This was the hardest place a president of the United States was ever in. There was but a small army, and as I said the navy was scattered. President Lincoln at once called for volunteer troops. The attack on Fort Sumter so aroused the North that men rapidly left their families and homes, that which one most loves, and rushed to enlist as volunteer soldiers. They had a song in which were these words:
"We are coming Father Abraham, Three hundred thousand strong."
Thus they called the great president "Father Abraham" and showed how much they loved him.
Gen. George B. McClellan was put in command of the army. The first battle of any note was that of Bull Run, near Washington. In this the Northern soldiers were driven back and beaten. It seemed very discouraging then for the cause of the Union.
More soldiers enlisted and the army was trained and drilled until Mr. Lincoln thought they ought to attack Gen. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army. He felt sure as they had more men they could defeat him and capture Richmond, which was now the capital of the Confederate States. General McClellan seemed to be afraid to move forward and wanted more time to drill the men he had and make other preparations and also wanted more men. In the meantime, of course Gen. Lee was making stronger his army and preparing more defences around Richmond so that it was harder to defeat him.
The army in the West was not doing very well either. But at last Illinois furnished another son in the person of General Grant, who won great and decisive victories. Vicksburg, which was the great stronghold of the Southern army in the West surrendered to him July 4, 1863. President Lincoln had been trying in every way to get General McClellan to move on the enemy but could not, and at last the general was moved from command. General Meade had command of the Eastern army which fought the battle of Gettysburg and won that great victory on the same Fourth of July that General Grant captured Vicksburg.