Eric | April 1, 2011
Monday, April 1, 1861 – All Fool’s Day On this April holiday, secrecy would turn out to be a fool’s game. Lincoln had ordered Gustavus Fox to ready some ships in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to prepare to sail, but whether they would sail for Fort Sumter or Fort Pickens was not yet mentioned (though [...]
Eric | March 29, 2011
Friday, March 29, 1861 – Good Friday Lincoln got little to no sleep the previous night. At noon, the cabinet gathered again, minus Secretary of War Simon Cameron. It came down to two choices. Should they follow General Scott’s plan and surrender Fort Sumter and, if the General got his way, Fort Pickens? Or should [...]
Eric | March 15, 2011
Friday, March 15, 1861 My dear Sir: Assuming it to be possible to now provision Fort Sumter, under the circumstances is it wise to attempt it ? Please give me your opinion in writing on this question. Your obedient servant, A. Lincoln. Lincoln asked this from each of the Cabinet members. Before they would reply, [...]
Eric | March 10, 2011
Sunday, March 10, 1861 It was a quiet Sunday in Washington DC. With Seward still sick and in bed, the Lincolns attended church services at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. They would become regulars. The pastor, Phineas Densmore Gurley was of the old school. He was anti-slavery as well as pro-Union. The Lincolns soon [...]
Eric | March 9, 2011
Saturday, March 9, 1861 President Lincoln held a Saturday Night Cabinet meeting to discuss the issue of surrendering or resupplying Fort Sumter. He knew nothing (or at least little) of Seward’s dealings with the Confederate Commissioners. It was at this Cabinet meeting that the rest of the Cabinet first heard about Sumter’s dilemma. The prevailing [...]
Eric | January 15, 2011
Tuesday, January 15, 1861 President Buchanan’s last selection for the Secretary of the Treasury, Philip Thomas, supposedly resigned over qualms he had with Buchanan’s stance on Fort Sumter. That may well be true, but actually, Thomas simply could not work with banks on Wall Street. In light of that, Buchanan asked the banks who they [...]
Eric | January 13, 2011
Sunday, January 13, 1861 Charleston itself had calmed down since the Star of the West incident. Rumors, of course, flew around rampantly. Occasionally small boats carrying South Carolina or Federal officials would come and go, sparking more speculation. It was also said that Major Anderson had killed two mutineers last week. More men were supposedly [...]
Eric | January 9, 2011
Wednesday, January 9, 1861 In the early morning hours, the merchant class steamer Star of the West arrived to reinforce and resupply Major Anderson at Fort Sumter. She had actually arrived on the scene before dawn, but due to the warning sent from Southern sympathizers in Washington (like the former Secretary of the Interior), Charleston [...]
Eric | January 7, 2011
Monday, January 7, 1861 Due to the situation around Fort Sumter and Anderson’s letter mentioning the new rebel artillery position built upon Morris Island, General Scott, under the approval of President Buchanan, ordered the sloop-of-war USS Brooklyn, with her 21 guns, to chase, catch up with and escort the Star of the West in her [...]
Eric on Big Black River Bridge – Pemberton’s Last Stand
Namuni Young on Big Black River Bridge – Pemberton’s Last Stand
Marc on You Must Ultimately Surrender – The Siege of Vicksburg Begins
AceGerard on You Must Ultimately Surrender – The Siege of Vicksburg Begins Namuni Young on Introducing the Project
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