February 8, 1861; The Charleston Mercury MONTGOMERY, February 4. The Convention (or as it is here called), the Congress, will meet today in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol, which, I understand, has been handsomely fitted up for their accommodation. It will probably not organize today, as the Louisiana and Texas delegation have not arrived. [...]

February 8, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 1861. Letters are received this morning from Charleston, bearing date February 4. Governor Pickens has yielded the point to allow Major Anderson to make his own contract for provisions, consisting chiefly of fresh meat. It was very difficult to find parties who would venture to [...]

February 8, 1861; The Charleston Mercury WASHINGTON, February 5, 1861. The returns from Virginia, as given in the telegraphic columns of the morning papers, have greatly elated the Republicans. But the Secessionists are by no means discouraged. They expected the State to go against them, and trust to the rupture of the Peace Congress, the [...]

February 8, 1861 The Convention of Seceded States adopts a provisional constitution forming the Confederate States of America. The document contains only a few variations from the U.S. Constitution, among which are a clause protecting slavery and one that prohibits tariffs designed to protect domestic industry.

February 7, 1861; The Charleston Mercury The Aetna Guard, Capt. E. F. SWEEGAN, were out in full force yesterday on a target excursion. The corps comprises the members of the Aetna Fire Engine Company, and have been mustered into the military service of South Carolina within the last month. The uniform is a grey pea [...]

February 7, 1861; The Charleston Mercury We have had placed upon our table the Annual Catalogue of the above institution, by which it appears that the class in attendance amounted to two hundred and twenty two students, from the States of South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Kansas and New [...]

February 7, 1861; The New York Herald The reply of the government to the communication of Colonel Hayne, the South Carolina envoy, was sent to that gentleman last evening, and a reply was requested, which will close the correspondence. The administration refuse decidedly to comply with the demand for the surrender of Fort Sumter. It [...]

February 7, 1861; The New York Herald The returns of the national census, upon which we commented yesterday, show a very material growth of the slave population during the last decade – a growth, indeed, which may surprise many who supposed that slavery was declining under the pressure of abolition propagandism, virulent denunciation and fanatical [...]

February 7, 1861; The Charleston Mercury WASHINGTON, February 4, 1861. An eventful day this. Virginia chooses her destiny–if, indeed, destiny can be chosen–and a clap trap Congress meets here to help her in choosing the wrong side of the question. Some of her Commissioners, with whom I have conversed, think a majority of secessionists will [...]

February 7, 1861; The Charleston Mercury WE ARE PREPARED TO MAKE FATIGUE MILITARY CAPS to order, any color or material, to correspond with the undress of the uniform. Being HOME MANUFACTURERS, we solicit a call for supply of Regiments or Rifle Companies for the same, in or out of the city. WILLIAMS & BROWN. No. [...]

February 7, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 1861. The Secretary of War communicated late this evening the reply to Col. Hayne’s letter. It calls for an answer from Col. B., which will be made tomorrow, and which will close the correspondence. The government respectfully refuse to comply with the propositions of South [...]

February 6, 1861; The Charleston Mercury MONTGOMERY, February 3, 1861. I stated to you this morning by the last mail, the Mississippi project for the organization of a Provisional Government. I propose now to state to you the Georgia project. It is this: That the Convention here shall elect a President of the Southern Confederacy. [...]

February 6, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 1861. The Peace Congress assembled this morning at twelve o’clock, and ex-President John Tyler was elected President. Mr. Tyler being the highest official dignitary in the United States, and the State of Virginia, which he in part represents, having initiated the movement creating the convention, [...]

February 6, 1861; The New York Herald It will be seen, from the extracts from the London journals published elsewhere, that the alarm occasioned in England by the prospect of the suspension of the cotton supply from this country is assuming all the features of a panic. The commercial and industrial interests there feel that [...]

February 6, 1861; The Charleston Mercury Our Montgomery Correspondence. The members of the convention have commenced coming in. Mr. RHETT and Mr. BARNWELL from South Carolina, Governor SWAIN from North Carolina, and several from Mississippi, arrived today by the 12 o’ train. Many others will most probably arrive tonight, but the greater part will doubtless [...]

February 6, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 1861. Colonel Hayne, the messenger of South Carolina, has again postponed his departure until tomorrow. The President has not yet communicated his reply to Col. Hayne. He will probably do so tomorrow. It was under consideration by the Cabinet today. The whole correspondence will be [...]

February 6, 1861; The New York Herald A despatch from New Orleans states that a report prevailed there that the Texas State Convention has passed a secession ordinance by a vote of 154 to 6. Should the report be true, and there is little reason to doubt its correctness, Texas will make the seventh State [...]

February 6, 1861; The Charleston Mercury The Petersburg Express described the shells lately sent through that city, en route for this State. The cavity in these bombs is six inches and three quarters in diameter, leaving a shell of 1 5/8 thickness. The explosive force must be tremendous. The shell is perforated by an inch [...]

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February 5, 1861; The Charleston Mercury A detachment of the Richardson Guard, Lieut. C.H. AXSON, were out on duty Sunday afternoon. Another platoon passed the MERCURY office yesterday afternoon, under the command of Lieut. BOAG. The detachment of Citadel Cadets who have been on the seashore since the first of January, passed our office yesterday [...]

February 5, 1861; The Charleston Mercury The Carolina Light Infantry have now been on duty, without intermission, since the 27th of December last. On Saturday, 2d inst., a little incident broke in upon the routine of their military discipline at Fort Morris which will not soon be forgotten by those present on the occasion. The [...]

February 5, 1861; The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 1861. There is not a shadow of foundation in the report that the Brooklyn threw men into Fort Sumter. I have it on authority. The President has not yet finished his reply to the ultimatum of South Carolina, hence Col. Hayne and Lieut. Hall, the [...]

February 5, 1861; The Charleston Mercury One of the most important, if not the greatest, of all questions to be brought before the Southern Congress, will be the question of taxation. Shall the treasury of the new confederacy be filled by direct or indirect taxation? As a measure of taxation alone, the latter method, whose [...]

February 5, 1861; The Charleston Mercury We commend to perusal Executive Document No. 2, relating to Fort Sumter, published in our issue of yesterday morning. This correspondence distinctly indicates what never was a secret – that the fortification is not held alone as property of the United States, but because of its importance as a [...]