The American Civil War probably receives more notoriety than any other war in American history. Though most people have come to understand the War to be a Union victory over the institution of slavery and the Slave Power, the credit for this accomplishment is mostly given to Abraham Lincoln or the abolitionists. The unsung heroes of the Civil War are the War Governors, the most prominent of them being Andrew Curtin of Pennsylvania. Curtin's contributions to the war are significant because they helped develop a loyal and nationalistic culture in the state of Pennsylvania that would be displayed throughout the duration of the War. Furthermore Curtin had a strong relationship with President Abraham Lincoln. Curtin used this relationship to keep ties with the Union strong throughout his state. Further contributions of Curtin's include the establishment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps and also a conference with the Loyal Governors Known as the Altoona Conference in which Curtin would help coral more Union support against the rebels. Although Andrew Curtin did not fight in any particular battles, his contributions to the war effort transcend the battlefield as he was able to develop a patriotic spirit in his state of Pennsylvania which aided the war effort.
             The year of 1860 witnessed the greatest political revolution of our national history. At this point several changes had occurred in the market place and gave way to a new political culture. For a generation before, indeed from the passage of the Missouri Compromise in 1820, the constant agitation of the slavery question was gradually forcing profound convictions on the minds of thoughtful and earnest men, and while most of them retained their old party associations until 1856, the growth of the anti-slavery sentiment was steady, rapid and aggressive. These feelings toward the peculiar institution led to the emergence of the Republican Party in the mid-1850's. By 1860, the Republicans...