Tennessee in the American Civil War was one of the most divided states in the country at the outset of the war. Before the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Tennessee was staunchly pro-Union, though there were still a few secessionist hot beds in the western and middle portion of the state. The situation rapidly changed when Fort Sumter was bombarded and Lincoln made the call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion. Tennesseans saw this as a threat to their "southern brethren," and though Tennessee voted to secede, there were still areas scattered all over state that had strong Union sympathies. The areas Unionism was most prominent
Names of the American Civil War used the terms "the present civil war between the United States and the so called Confederate States", as well as "the civil war such as that now waged between the Northern and Southern States". English-speaking historians outside the United States usually refer to the conflict as the "American Civil War". These variations are also used in the United States in cases in which the war might otherwise be confused with another historical event (such as the English Civil War, the Irish Civil War or the Spanish Civil War). The term "War Between the States" was rarely used during the war