February 15, 1861 Provisional Confederate Congress votes to take Ft. Sumter and Ft. Pickens (FL) by force if necessary passes a resolution to appoint commissioners to the USA to negotiate friendly relations Delegates from Texas arrive at the Convention of Seceding States (now the Provisional Congress of the CSA)

February 14, 1861; The Charleston Mercury In spite of the constant excitements to which it has been subjected during the past two months, the sensibility of Washington is not yet extinct. Gov. BROWN’S bold reprisals at Savannah, and the seizure of the Arsenal at Little Rock, turned up the depths on Saturday. The commotion soon [...]

February 14, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 1861. Owing to the apprehensions of a conspiracy of purpose in seizing the public buildings they have been privately guarded, though not in large force, some three weeks past; and, in addition to other fears, the blowing up of the Capitol was regarded as an [...]

February 14, 1861; The New York Herald The counting of the electoral votes for President and Vice President took place yesterday at Washington, when Abraham Lincoln was declared President and Hannibal Hamlin Vice President of the United States for four years from the 4th of March next. The following is the vote: – Lincoln and [...]

February 14, 1861; The New York Herald Last evening a large torchlight procession marched to the Burnet House and called out Mr. Lincoln, who briefly returned his thanks for the honor done him. A number of citizens afterwards had the pleasure of shaking Mr. Lincoln’s hand. It was not until after midnight that the corridors [...]

February 14, 1861; The New York Herald The Joint Committee of the Common Council, specially appointed to make arrangements for extending the hospitalities of the city to Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States elect, on his arrival here, held their first meeting yesterday afternoon. Alderman Cornell presided, and Aldermen Barry and Smith, and [...]

February 14, 1861; The New York Herald ALBANY, Feb. 13, 1861. The committee to entertain the President elect is yet in hot water. Gov. Morgan insists that he shall have his own way, and that Lincoln shall dine at his house with a select party. He informed one of the committee that the dinner had [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald The Southern Congress at Montgomery, Alabama, yesterday in secret session adopted a resolution declaring that the new government takes under its charge the questions and difficulties existing between the States of the confederacy and the United States, relative to the forts, arsenals and other public establishments. We shall, [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 12, 1861. Last night, previous to Mr. Lincoln’s departure from the Bates House, he was again introduced by the Hon. Sol Meredith. Mr. Lincoln said he had no speech to make. If he made speeches whenever his friends desired, he would not be able to reach [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald In the course of his very remarkable speech at Springfield, the President elect made an allusion to the pills of the homeopathists’ as being too large for the opponents of coercion to swallow. The comparison is more after the manner of Hon. Massa Greeley than that of the [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald The bells of St. Germain d’Auxerrois have at length tolled forth the signal for massacre and bloodshed by the incoming administration. The speech of Mr. Lincoln, at Indianapolis, is the first authoritative proclamation of his intentions in the present crisis. His words are pregnant with meaning, and deserve [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald That the Northern States at the present moment are on the eve of a calamitous commercial crisis, which threatens to plunge us into disorder, and perhaps ruin, no one with any foresight can fail to see. Apart from the evils resulting from the political difficulties now shaking the [...]

February 13, 1861; The New York Herald ALBANY, Feb 12, 1861. The joint committee to entertain the President elect held a meeting this afternoon in the Executive chamber. Governor Morgan appeared before them, and insisted that he should be his guest whilst here, the State to pay the bills, and that the members and all [...]

February 13, 1861; The Charleston Mercury South Carolina is but not forgotten. Abolitionists of the North and traitors from the South do not permit her name and fame to pass away from the memory of men. She is the chosen theme of their bitterest revilings. But, albeit she is without a representative in either House, [...]

February 13, 1861; The Charleston Mercury MONTGOMERY, February 10, 1861. The Provisional Constitution being disposed of, I understand that yesterday a committee was raised, of two from each State, to frame and report a Permanent Constitution for the Confederacy. The members of this committee from your State, I learn, are Mr. RHETT and Mr. CHESNUT. [...]

February 13, 1861 A Joint Session of Congress meets to count and certify the Electoral College votes. The U. S. Electoral College makes Lincoln’s win official. In Richmond, former President John Tyler and former Virginia governor Henry Wise lead the notables who meet for the first time as Virginia’s secessionist convention.

February 12, 1861; The New York Herald The President elect left Springfield, Illinois, yesterday morning, en route for the White House at Washington, via Buffalo, Albany and New York. He will reach this city, according to the published programme… on Tuesday, the 19th instant. His journey is divided into easy stages, and all the arrangements [...]

February 12, 1861; The Charleston Mercury Great efforts are making by the Republican press and by men in and out of Congress, to detach, by every sort of trick, the Border Southern States from union or sympathy with the other Southern States. They promise them, if they will only renounce the seceding States, any amount [...]

February 12, 1861; The New York Herald The President elect and suite left Springfield, Illinois, at half past seven o’ yesterday morning, en route for the White House. Mr. Lincoln made a farewell address to his neighbors just before the train started, which so affected both himself and his hearers that tears were copiously shed. [...]

February 12, 1861; The Charleston Mercury BALTIMORE, February 6. 1861. The crisis in Maryland is rapidly approaching. Last evening delegates were elected in all the wards to attend a City Convention, for the purpose of selecting delegates to represent the city in a State Convention to consider the present state of affairs, to meet on [...]

February 12, 1861; The Charleston Mercury Our readers will perceive that the United States Constitution, with a few emendations, has been adopted, and also, by a sweeping enactment, the United States laws, for the temporary government of the seceding States confederated at Montgomery. We regret that any Provisional Government was formed at all, and in [...]

February 12, 1861; The Charleston Mercury MONTGOMERY, February 9, 1861. Last night the Congress agreed on the Constitution of a Provisional Government, and today they are to sign it at twelve o’clock. There must have been some tough debating, from their procrastinated sittings, but I understand the Constitution is announced as unanimously adopted. Its temporary [...]

February 12, 1861; The New York Herald The Start from Home–Speech to His Neighbors–The Presidential Cortege–Speed of the Train–Cheers for Lincoln and the Constitution, &c., &c., &c. THE LAST DAY AT HOME. SPRINGFIELD, ILL., Feb. 10, 1861. The President is spending this last day of his stay in Springfield quietly in a select circle of [...]

The following messages were received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Glossbrenner, his secretary: To the Senate of the United States: I nominate — Hamilton H. Dalton to be a lieutenant in the Navy, from the 16th December, 1860, vice Lieutenant John R. Hamilton, resigned. George A. Bigelow to be a lieutenant [...]