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Attack on Ft. Sumter
Confederate forces under the command of General G.T. Beauregard attacked Ft. Sumter, which guarded the port city of Charleston, SC, on the morning of April 12, 1861. The Union officer in charge of defending Ft. Sumter was Major Robert Anderson. Ft. Sumter fell to the Confederates within 3 days. The attack on Ft. Sumter marked the beginning of the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation Goes into Effect
Issued by Pre. Lincoln in Sept. 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that freed slaves being held in the "rebellious" states and territories.