The Crisis at Fort Sumter

Season 3, Episode 5. With Lincoln in office and the Confederate government formally in place, the decision about how to handle Fort Sumter changed hands. Even before taking office, Lincoln had resolved to maintain the Fort, or retake it in the event that Buchanan had the fort evacuated. Once in office, the new president was faced with military leaders and a cabinet that were almost unanimously in favor of evacuating the fort. Lincoln decided to ignore their advice. In this episode, Chris Calton analyzes Lincoln’s momentous—and historically controversial—decision.

Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. This is the fifth episode in the third season of Historical Controversies.