January 14, 1861, The Charleston Mercury PENSACOLA, January 12. – Fort Barancas, and the Pensacola Navy Yard, were taken possession of, at half past one o’ today, by the Alabama and Florida troops. The Federal troops had already deserted the post after spiking the guns, and have occupied Fort Pickens. A ship with provisions is [...]

January 14, 1861, The Charleston Mercury The relations of adopted citizens to the Federal Government, and to the States in which they live, are the same as those of native citizens. When a foreigner is naturalized, he takes the oath support the Constitution of the United States. This renders it his right and duty to [...]

January 14, 1861, The New York Herald TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. BROOKLYN, Jan. 8, 1861. There is considerable hue and cry in the papers about there not being any available vessels, of light draught, which the President could order to Charleston should he desire to do so. This is unnecessary, as there are [...]

January  14, 1861 The chairman of the Committee of Thirty-three, Thomas Corwin (OH), presents the group’s report to the House of Representatives. Recommendations include a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing slavery where it exists, a repeal of northern “personal liberty laws”, and jury trials for fugitive slaves. The committee does not unanimously approve of the proposals. Virginia [...]

January 13, 1861, The New York Herald STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN WHITING. The report which was circulated in this city on Friday last that Captain Whiting, of the steamer Marion, had left his vessel at Norfolk, and his non-arrival at this port, led to considerable apprehension as to his safety among his friends. In consequence of [...]

January 13, 1861, The New York Herald The sloop of war Brooklyn arrived off Charleston bay yesterday afternoon. She has not visited that port for a hostile purpose, but upon a mission of peace. Reports from Charleston state that the South Carolina authorities had communicated, under a flag of truce, with Major Anderson, but for [...]

January 13, 1861, The New York Herald SECOND MEETING OF THE UNION VOLUNTEERS. ADOPTION OF A CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS – ELECTION OF A CAPTAIN AND ORDERLY SERGEANT, ETC., ETC., ETC. The second meeting of the Union Volunteers–a corps of young men who have organized themselves into a military body, with the intent of offering their [...]

January 13, 1861, The New York Herald The steamer Star of the West, the focus of excitement for the last few days, arrived at this city at eight o’clock yesterday morning, and anchored off pier No. 29 North river. The Star of the West, under command of Captain McGowan, left New York on Saturday night [...]

January 13, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 1861. I learn that despatches have been sent from here by authority to Major Anderson, at Fort Sumter, and also to Governor Pickens, of South Carolina, informing them that the steam frigate Brooklyn was not ordered to Charleston for any hostile purpose. Her mission was [...]

January 12, 1861, The Charleston Mercury By letters from Anderson District, we learn that the gallant yeomanry of the up-country are no laggards in maintaining the honor and glory of the State, but are rapidly arming and forming themselves into companies. Below we give a list of the officers of the ‘Seneca Rangers, ‘a corps [...]

January 12, 1861, The New York Herald PENSACOLA BAY. Pensacola bay has rare properties as a harbor. It is now accessible to frigates. The bar is near the coast, and the channel across it short and easily passed. The harbor is perfectly landlocked and the roadstead very capacious. There are excellent positions within for repairing, [...]

January 12, 1861, The New York Herald Mr. Thomas yesterday resigned the post of Secretary of the Treasury, and the nomination of General Dix, Postmaster of New York, for the vacancy was sent to the Senate by the President, and confirmed without the usual reference. No nominations have yet been made for the War and [...]

January 12, 1861, The New York Herald In regard to the forts on the Florida reefs we quote the following from the last report of the Secretary of War. It will be remembered by our readers that the steamer Joseph Whitney sailed from Boston a few days ago with troops to take charge of these [...]

January 12, 1861, The New York Herald FORT MORGAN AND MOUNT VERNON ARSENAL. At the time Louisiana was purchased from France, in 1803, Mobile was claimed and held as a Spanish possession. The French claimed territory to the Perdido river flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, between Mobile bay and Pensacola. When we came into [...]

January 12, 1861, The Charleston Mercury Probably the most arbitrary act of despotism that can be perpetrated by a Government, next to the punishment of men by execution, imprisonment or otherwise, without trial, is the violation of private rights of confidence in the supervision of the mails, by the breaking private seals and the seizing [...]

January 12, 1861, The Charleston Mercury MONTGOMERY, January 11. – Alabama sends greeting to South Carolina: The Convention of her people today adopted the Ordinance of Secession from the Federal Union. It reads as follows: AN ORDINANCE. TO DISSOLVE THE UNION BETWEEN THE STATE OF ALABAMA AND THE OTHER STATES UNITED UNDER THE COMPACT STYLED [...]

January 12, 1861 Star of the West returns to New York City Attorney-general I. W. Hayne leaves Charleston with a demand from Governor Pickens that the federal government surrender Fort Sumter The image is of the steamship “Star of the West” (Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War)

January 11, 1861, The Chaleston Mercury NEW YORK, January 7. The secession of South Carolina from the Confederacy excites more condemnation now than it did when it first occurred. Since then business has decreased considerably among the merchants; orders to manufacturers are very limited; thousands of mechanics and clerks are thrown out of employment, all [...]

January 11, 1861, The New York Herald Savannah is the seat of justice and the largest city in the State of Georgia, and contains 20,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the southeast bank of the Savannah river, on a high bluff, forty feet above low water mark. It is twelve miles distant, in a direct [...]

January 11, 1861, The New York Herald Intelligence has reached us within the last twenty four hours of events transpiring in various quarters of the country pregnant with the most alarming symptoms of impending danger, which seem to be momentarily hurrying us towards inevitable civil war. The news published in the morning papers yesterday that [...]

January 11, 1861, The New York Herald Our intelligence from Charleston, published yesterday, relative to the arrival of the steamer Star of the West in the harbor of Charleston, and her retreat when fired upon by the State batteries, is fully confirmed by later advises. The particulars of the affair are detailed in another column. [...]

January 11, 1861, The New York Herald WILMINGTON, N.C., Jan. 10, 1861. Forts Johnson and Caswell were taken possession of on the night of the 8th by the Smithville Guard. DESCRIPTION OF THE FORTS SEIZED. FORT MACON, BEAUFORT, N.C. Fort Macon protects Beaufort, N.C., and is situated on a bluff on Rougebank, one and three [...]

January 11, 1861, The Charleston Mercury (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT) WASHINGTON, December 10 – 4 p.m. – President BUCHANAN and Gen. SCOTT have both expressed their gratification, this morning, at the narrow escape of the Star of the West on the morning of the 9th from the batteries on Morris Island. The general understanding is, [...]

January 11, 1861, The New York Herald CHARLESTON, Jan. 10, 1861. The despatches sent yesterday as to the Star of the West are strictly correct. The Charleston Courier says that at about half past six o’clock yesterday morning the steamer General Clinch discovered the steamship Star of the West, and signalized the fact of her [...]