On March 4, 1861. Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office as President of the United States. Less than a month had passed since the formation of the Confederacy. In his inaugural address as President. Lincoln appealed to the southern states to stay in the Union. He promised that he would not interfere with slavery. He warned that he Gould not allow them to break up the United Stares by seceding. Quoting from his oath of office, he told them: ‘You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I have a most solemn one to preserve. Protect and defend it’. " The southern states took no notice of Lincoln's appeal. On April 12 Confederate guns opened fire on Port Sumter. A fortress in the harbor of Charleston , South Carolina, that was occupied by United Slates troops. These shots marked the beginning of the American Civil War. Some people found it difficult and painful to decide which side to support. The decision sometimes split families. The son ...