Instead, Galveston was a relatively new, rapid growing, and vibrant town with people who were attracted to its seemingly unlimited economic possibilities. During this time of war, Galveston was what today we might call a "Boom Town". .
The Civil War, upon arriving at Galveston, had already gone through a series of events that stirred the nation as a whole. Instead of becoming united, the nation had been divided into two parts, North and South. The election of Republican Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States in November 1860, set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. For months prior to the election, political leaders in the Southern states had argued that Lincoln's election would be a direct threat to the Southern way of life.6 If Lincoln were elected president people of the south were almost certain that slavery would be abolished. In effect, many Southerners declared that if Lincoln were successful they would withdraw from the Union. On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. By February 1, 1861, seven states had split from the Union, which created the Confederacy.7 In his inaugural address, Lincoln proclaimed that it was his duty to maintain the Union, which did not go too well with the Confederates, who on the twelfth day of April attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston.8 Thus, the Civil war had begun.
Lincoln insisted that the war was not about slavery or black rights, but was a war to preserve the Union. But indeed by the time the war had reached the Texas gulf in 1862, the war had been under way for almost one year exactly. Due to the geography of were Texas lay, Union commanders could not do much without sufficient land forces, so naval activities had to be adequate. As a first, Galveston, the major port of the state, had to be seized and occupied. While it was true at the time that there were a number of warships on duty off the Texas coast, a much larger force would be needed.
