January 11, 1861, The Charleston Mercury WILMINGTON, JANUARY 10. The people here, in consequence of a despatch received from the Hon. W.S. ASHE, at Washington, directed to some of the Minute Men, and stating that the revenue cutter Forward, with fifty men and eight guns, under the command of Lieut. NONES, had left Wilmington, Del., [...]

January 11, 1861 Alabama secedes from the United States. Federal soldiers seize buildings in St. Louis to prevent them from falling into Rebel hands South Carolina demands the surrender of Fort Sumter. Major Anderson refuses. Image: Fort Sumter, seen from the rear, at low water (Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War)

January 10, 1861, The Charleston Mercury Great Events crowd rapidly one upon another. Three short weeks ago, and the greatest event of the century upon the Western Hemisphere was transacted in Charleston. The Union of the States of North America, was dissolved by the action of the State of South Carolina. It appears to be [...]

January 10, 1861, The New York Herald When Major ANDERSON spiked the guns of Fort Moultrie, and transferred his command to Fort Sumter, he perpetrated hostile acts against this State. They clearly looked to a bitter instrumentality to coerce South Carolina by military power. The President of the United States understood this when he agree [...]

January 10, 1861, The New York Herald The Star of the West arrived at Charleston yesterday forenoon, and the South Carolina troops at Morris Island and Fort Moultrie opened fire upon her. The steamer immediately put to sea. An officer from Fort Sumter, under a flag of truce, had an interview with the Governor and [...]

January 10, 1861, The New York Herald CHARLESTON, Jan. 9, 1861. The Star of the West, in endeavoring to enter our harbor about daylight this morning, was opened upon by the garrison on Morris Island, and also by Fort Moultrie. The steamer put about and went to sea. I have not been able to learn [...]

January 10, 1861, The Charleston Mercury ATTEMPTED REINFORCEMENT OF FORT SUMTER. The Star of the West is Fired Into and Driven Back. The Citadel Cadets Fire the First Shotted Gun – The United States Flag Hauled Down – Three of the Shots Take Effect – The Steamer Puts to Sea with a Tender – What [...]

January 10, 1861 Florida becomes the third state to secede from the Union. They simply replace the term “United States” with “Confederate States” in their constitution Lieutenant Adam Slemmer moves his small federal garrison from Barrancas Barracks at Pensacola to Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. Slemmer will refuse repeated surrender demands from Florida authorities, [...]

January 9, 1861, The Charleston Mercury We are pained to record, that, on Monday night, shortly after 10 o’clock, as one of the sentinels at Castle Pinckney was going on is rounds, he was approached by a person at the time unknown. The sentinel presented his musket in the act of challenging him, when the [...]

January 9, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 1861. Secretary Thompson this morning called upon the President and showed him a despatch which he had just received from Judge Longstreet, of Charleston, desiring to know whether reinforcements had been sent to Major Anderson. The President at once informed him that the steamer Star [...]

January 9, 1861, The New York Herald The news from Washington is highly important. Mr. Thompson yesterday resigned his post as Secretary of the Interior. The despatch of reinforcements to Major Anderson at Fort Sumter by the Star of the West from New York is the cause of this step on the part of Mr. [...]

January 9, 1861, The Charleston Mercury Up to one o’clock last night, when our reported left the vicinity of Fort Sumter and Morris’s Island, all was quiet in our harbor. The guard boats were actively plying up and down the entrance, overhauling every unknown craft. The rumors that the Star of the West would make [...]

January 9, 1861 “Star of the West” incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina. Secessionist forces in South Carolina fire at the Star of the West, forcing it to withdraw. Artillery fires on the Star of the West from Morris Island as it crosses into the main entrance channel to Charleston Harbor. As the ship comes [...]

January 8, 1861, The New York Herald We have learned, from information gathered from gentlemen recently arrived from the city of Charleston, some few later details relative to that part of South Carolina, which we believe will be interesting to most of our readers. People belonging to the city and State of New York, and [...]

January 8, 1861, The Staunton Spectator A correspondent of the Alexandria Gazette, writing from the county of Marion, under date of December the 22nd says: Western Virginia is becoming aroused on the great question of disunion. Groaning under a burden of unequal taxation, the people are wide awake to their interest. The forum of the [...]

The Alabama state convention received Commissioner from South Carolina. North Carolina Senate bill arming the State passed the North Carolina House: yeas 73, neas 26. The Virginia state legislature passed anti-coercion resolution. Jacob Thompson , Buchanan’s Secretary of the Interior, went to Raleigh, to persuade the North Carolina Legislature to vote for secession, November 18, [...]

January 8, 1861, The New York Herald The rumors which prevailed in this city on Sunday last that there was in the wind’s about Governor’s Island, were the cause of great excitement and public concern. The report, which it now appears was not altogether unfounded, was to the effect that a considerable body of federal [...]

January 8, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 1861. Among the causes of the prevailing excitement may justly be designated, as one of the most productive, the telegraphic correspondence from the seceding States. Much of this may be quite correct, but a very great deal of it is extremely exaggerated, and not a [...]

January 7, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 6., 1861 The President, in submitting the correspondence with the South Carolina Commissioners to Congress tomorrow, will accompany it with a special message, setting forth the condition of affairs in South Carolina and other Southern States that have and are still engaged in taking possession of [...]

January 7, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 1861. Those who are well acquainted with Major Anderson are much amused at the descriptions which are given of him by Northern papers. He seems to be thought a phlegmatic statesman rather than a soldier, and to have acted, in removing the troops under his [...]

January 7, 1861, The Charleston Mercury THE RICHARDSON GUARD, preceded by a fine band of music, passed through our principal streets last night, and in the evolutions of their drill evinced remarkable proficiency. They proceeded to the residence of their First Lieutenant, CHAS. H. AXSON, Esq; where, in response to repeated cheers and calls, he [...]

January 7, 1861, The Charleston Mercury THE MERCURY BULLETINS, we are proud to learn, are always looked for at all the forts and fortifications as containing the very latest and most reliable news in this great crisis. Yesterday afternoon, when copies or our special despatches from Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Washington, reached Fort Moultrie, [...]

January 7, 1861 John Crittenden tries to resurrect his proposal on the floor of the Senate. It had earlier been killed by committee. Virginia calls a special session of its Assembly to consider convening a convention on the question of secession. The image is of the steamship “Star of the West” (Harper’s Pictorial History of [...]

January 6, 1861, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 1861. There are no facts here. An event today is nothing tomorrow, and the scene shifts every hour. The storm is tremendous; but I think it will end without desolating the country. There are many unreasonable men at both extremes – men of precipitation and [...]