Conversation so far:
What happened during James Buchanan's final years?
The Civil War erupted within two months of James Buchanan's retirement.
Was James Buchanan successful in preventing The Civil War?
Buchanan spent most of his remaining years defending his actions leading up to the Civil War, which was even referred to by some as Buchanan's War.

Question: What else happened?
Self-contained rewrite: What else happened after James Buchanan left office besides the Civil War erupting?