Lincoln's Code and the Laws of War

            Abraham Lincoln is one of the most memorable presidents in American history. Only a month after Lincoln took office, shots began to fire at Fort Sumter. The unexperienced commander was now faced with many decisions that would begin to change history. Lincoln was the first president born into the colonies, and he was the first republican president to ever take the platform. He led the Union through the Civil War, taking actions that no president had ever taken. Lincoln did not wait around for others while making decisions. He suspended the habeas corpus law without the consent of Congress. This swift move was unheard of until this point. Almost all the decisions that presidents make have to be approved by Congress before they can go into effect. Lincoln's fast techniques would prove to be beneficial but also disastrous at times.
             Lincoln was skeptical about the national laws of war. He saw the Confederates as rebels that required a different set of regulations. Many of his statesman urged him to consider the international laws, but Lincoln continued to rethink his plans. He loved to be more aggressive when it came to battle. Lincoln traveled to the front lines to encourage generals to take quick and sharp action. Leaders continued to warn him of the dangers of war, such as seizure of property. General McClellan recommended that a civilized war would leave the society apart from the war. Lincoln saw this as a pacifistic approach that would only lead to the loss of the Union. Lincoln continued to experience outcomes that ensured his decisions. The Confederates became angered from Lincoln's decision to treat southern raiders as pirates and threatened to take it out on Union prisoners. The North and South began to have increasingly harsh battles that threatened to cover America in blood. Lincoln had to come up with something to limit all of the terror. .
             Lincoln began to think of strategies that could benefit the Union and their effort.