Frequent Asked Questions

When was the Civil War?

The American Civil War (a.k.a the War Between the States or the War of the Rebellion), was fought between 1861 and 1865. (about 155 years ago)

What started the war?

When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860, many people in the South saw it as an end to their way of life. The power shift was going to the industrialized North and they decided to break away and form their own country, the Confederate States of America. The people of the North were determined to keep the country together. Then one day on April 12, 1861, Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, SC. Lincoln called for volunteers.

Wasn't the cause of the Civil War all about freeing the slaves?

Not quite. Slavery was a piece of the puzzle. In fact it was the "right" southerners felt was being threatened by the North.

However over the decades in the early 1800s, other states threatened to secede from the Union, including Massachusetts and at one time New York.

The Founding Fathers never clarified where the supreme power was to be placed - states or Federal level. This left the door open for states to feel they could leave if even they disagreed on policy, or an action by the Federal Govenment.

Lincoln wasn't going to free the slaves, but his policy of stopping its expansion was a threat to the balance of power - North and South (industry and agriculture). To lump the war to one or two causes is too simplistic.

Newburyport was not an abolitionist city. If it was all about freeing the slaves, why did over 1400 men go off to fight the war when most residents didn't care? Why did Jackman's shipyard build two ships for the U.S. Navy, even though pre-Civil War time the shipyards were busy with trade in the South?

Why did Albert Pike from Newburyport, who was against slavery and for Indian rights, fight as a Confederate General after living in Arkansas?

There weren't any battles is Newburyport. Why should we care?

In World War II, there weren't any battles in Newburyport either. Shouldn't we know about the people of the city who left to fight for their country and also those who kept life moving on the homefront? Newburyport's sons served in almost every corner of the Civil War and many never came home. Knowing their stories is not only interesting, but also reminds us not to take our republic for granted.