366 A Short History of The World debts that he did not fully pay off for fifteen years. In 1834, when he was still only five and twenty, he was elected member of the House of Representatives for the State of Illinois. In Illinois particularly the question of slavery flamed because the great leader of the party for the extension of slavery in the national Congress was Senator Douglas of Illinois. Douglas was a man of great ability and prestige, and for some years Lincoln fought against him by speech and pamphlet, rising steadily to the position of his most formidable and finally victorious antagonist. Their culminating struggle was the presidential campaign of 1860, and on the fourth of March, 1861, Lincoln was inaugurated president, with the southern states already in active secession from the rule of the Federal government at Washington, and committing acts of war. This civil war in America was fought by improvised armies that grew steadily from a few score thousands to hundreds of thousands — until at last the Federal forces exceeded a million men ; it was fought over a vast area between New Mexico and the eastern sea, Washington and Richmond were the chief objectives. It is beyond our scope here to tell of the mounting energy of that epic struggle that rolled to and fro across the hills and woods of Tennessee and Virginia and down the Mississippi. There was a terrible waste and killing of men. Thrust was followed by counter thrust ; hope gave way to despondency, and returned and was again disappointed. Sometimes Washington seemed within the Confederate grasp ; again the Federal armies were driving towards Richmond. The Confederates, out- numbered and far poorer in resources, fought under a general of supreme ability. General Lee. The generalship of the Union was far inferior. Generals were dismissed, new generals appointed ; until at last, under Sherman and Grant came victory over the ragged and depleted south. In October, 1864, a Federal army under Sherman broke through the Confederate left and marched down from Ten- nessee through Georgia to the coast, right across the Confederate country, and then turned up through the Carolinas, coming in upon the rear of the Confederate armies. Meanwhile Grant held Lee before Richmond until Sherman ^losed on him. On April 9th, 1865, Lee and his army surrendered at Appomattox Court House, and within a month all the remaining secessionist armies had laid down their arms and the Confederacy was at an end. This four years' struggle had meant an enormous physical and moral strain for the people of the United States. The principle of
