The American Civil War (also known by other names) was a civil war that was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. As a result of the long - standing controversy over slavery, war broke out in April 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. The nationalists of the Union proclaimed loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States, who advocated for states ' rights to expand slavery.
who was the president at the time of the civil war
Abraham Lincoln