Between 1860 and 1861, eleven Southern states defied the authority of the U.S. government and seceded from the Union, asserting a doctrine of states' rights. Ironically though, for several years before the war, Wisconsin had been the most thoroughgoing champion of states' rights. Unlike the Southern states, however, Wisconsin had used the doctrine in opposition to, rather than in support of, slavery. States' rights had been the basis of the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to nullify the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act after the controversy surrounding the fugitive slave Joshua Glover (see "Abolitionism and Other Social Reforms").
![Link to article: More than 200 Wis. newspaper stories about the war](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | More than 200 Wis. newspaper stories about the war |
![Link to article: Leonard Farwell, seeing Lincoln killed, saves Vice President Johnson](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Leonard Farwell, seeing Lincoln killed, saves Vice President Johnson |
![Link to article: The Civil War diary of a private from Sheboygan County](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The Civil War diary of a private from Sheboygan County |
![Link to article: The Iron Brigade recalled by a veteran, 20 years after the war](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The Iron Brigade recalled by a veteran, 20 years after the war |
![Link to article: Memories by a Wisconsin commander of Black troops in the Civil War.](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Memories by a Wisconsin commander of Black troops in the Civil War. |
![Link to article: An interview with a Black soldier among Wisconsin troops in the Civil War.](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | An interview with a Black soldier among Wisconsin troops in the Civil War. |
![Link to article: A Wisconsin logger saves the Union fleet in 1864](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A Wisconsin logger saves the Union fleet in 1864 |
![Link to article: A Wisconsin officer refuses to give slaves back to their owners (1), 1862](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A Wisconsin officer refuses to give slaves back to their owners (1), 1862 |
![Link to article: A Wisconsin officer refuses to give slaves back to their owners (2), 1862](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A Wisconsin officer refuses to give slaves back to their owners (2), 1862 |
![Link to article: A teenage nurse at the front, 1863-1864](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A teenage nurse at the front, 1863-1864 |
![Link to article: A 14-year-old Wisconsin boy fights in the Civil War](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A 14-year-old Wisconsin boy fights in the Civil War |
![Link to article: Wisconsin Governor Jeremiah Rusk (1830-1893)](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Wisconsin Governor Jeremiah Rusk (1830-1893) |
![Link to artifacts: A feather from war eagle Old Abe](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | A feather from war eagle Old Abe |
![Link to artifacts: A Tiffany punch bowl in honor of Bailey's heroics](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | A Tiffany punch bowl in honor of Bailey's heroics |
![Link to artifacts: An iron collar removed from a fugitive slave by Wisconsin soldiers in 1862](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | An iron collar removed from a fugitive slave by Wisconsin soldiers in 1862 |
![Link to book: A guide to the battles and engagements fought by Wisconsin troops.](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A guide to the battles and engagements fought by Wisconsin troops. |
![Link to book: Roster of Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers, vol. I](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Roster of Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers, vol. I |
![Link to book: The only Wisconsin unit of Black soldiers in the Civil War](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The only Wisconsin unit of Black soldiers in the Civil War |
![Link to book: The roster of Wisconsin's only unit of black Civil War soldiers](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The roster of Wisconsin's only unit of black Civil War soldiers |
![Link to book: The history and traditions of the Chippewa Valley](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The history and traditions of the Chippewa Valley |
![Link to book: A Wisconsin soldier recounts the Battle of Gettysburg for his family.](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A Wisconsin soldier recounts the Battle of Gettysburg for his family. |
![Link to book: An 1875 history of the Chippewa Valley](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | An 1875 history of the Chippewa Valley |
![Link to book: Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1885](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1885 |
![Link to book: Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1895](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1895 |
![Link to book: Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1905](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Names of ex-soldiers and sailors residing in Wisconsin, 1905 |
![Link to book: Roster of Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers, vol. II](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Roster of Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers, vol. II |
![Link to book: Alphabetical index to all Wisconsin Civil War soldiers](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Alphabetical index to all Wisconsin Civil War soldiers |
![Link to book: Official List of Wisconsin Soldiers Killed in the Civil War](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Official List of Wisconsin Soldiers Killed in the Civil War |
![Link to images: More than 500 photographs and other pictures from the Civil War](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | More than 500 photographs and other pictures from the Civil War |
![Link to images: A photo of former slave Peter Thomas](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | A photo of former slave Peter Thomas |
![Link to images: An 1887 portrait of General and Governor Lucius Fairchild](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | An 1887 portrait of General and Governor Lucius Fairchild |
![Link to manuscript: A Wisconsin soldier describes being a prisoner of war, 1863-1865](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Wisconsin soldier describes being a prisoner of war, 1863-1865 |
![Link to manuscript: A Wisconsin soldier writes home from the war, 1863](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Wisconsin soldier writes home from the war, 1863 |
![Link to manuscript: A Wisconsin soldier writes a prison poem on envelopes, 1863](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Wisconsin soldier writes a prison poem on envelopes, 1863 |
![Link to manuscript: Gettysburg day-by-day (June 30-July 6, 1863)](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Gettysburg day-by-day (June 30-July 6, 1863) |
![Link to manuscript: A Wisconsin soldier recounts the removal of a freedom seeker's iron collar](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Wisconsin soldier recounts the removal of a freedom seeker's iron collar |
![Link to manuscript: Letters by relatives of Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1861-1919](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Letters by relatives of Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1861-1919 |
![Link to manuscript: A Rock Co. soldier writes home, 1862-1865](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Rock Co. soldier writes home, 1862-1865 |