Civil Servants

Exactly 150 years ago, the U.S. Civil War broke out, and everyone — in both the North and the South — believed God was on their side.

Shots were fired.

The date was January 9, 1861. Exactly 150 years ago. The Union ship Star of the West was attempting to deliver troops and supplies to Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Cadets from The Citadel fired on the ship and forced it to return to New York. This was the first time gunfire erupted between Southern and Northern forces.

Today is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

Historical purists might argue with this date, saying the war actually started in April 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter. But tension was running high in January of that year, when South Carolina removed itself from the Union, quickly followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. The attack on Fort Sumter prompted four more states to secede, leading to an 11-state Confederate States of America.

Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, the Union wasn’t split with a single shot.

As we look back on the start of the Civil War, let’s consider what this conflict ...