The Civil War: The First Year Preface . xix Introduction . xxi Charleston Mercury : What Shall the South Carolina Legislature Do?, November 3, 1860 Calling a Secession Convention: November 1860 . 1 John G. Nicolay: Memoranda Regarding Abraham Lincoln, November 5– 6, 1860 “Alarms from the South”: Illinois, November 1860 . 5 New-York Daily Tribune : Going to Go, November 9, 1860 The Threat of Secession: November 1860 . 8 Jefferson Davis to Robert Barnwell Rhett Jr., November 10 , 1860 The Need for Southern Cooperation: November 1860 . 11 Benjamin Hill: Speech at Milledgeville, November 15 , 1860 Debating Secession: Georgia, November 1860 . 14 New York Daily News : The Right of States to Secede, November 16 , 1860 “States cannot exist disunited”: November 1860 . 34 Sam Houston to H. M. Watkins and Others, November 20 , 1860 “I am for the Union as it is”: Texas, November 1860 . 37 George Templeton Strong: Diary, November 20 , November 26 – December 1, 1860 “Our sore national sickness”: New York, November 1860 . 43 Edward Bates: Diary, November 22 , 1860 “This dangerous game”: Missouri, November 1860 . 48 William G. Brownlow to R. H. Appleton, November 29 , 1860 The “Wicked Spirit” of Secession: Tennessee, November 1860 . 49 Frederick Douglass: The Late Election, December 1860 Lincoln and Slavery: December 1860 . 57 ix x contents William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Sr. and to John Sherman, December 1, 1860 Secessionism in Louisiana: December 1860 . 63 James Buchanan: from the Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1860 Washington, D.C., December 1860 . 67 J.D.B. DeBow: The Non-Slaveholders of the South, December 5, 1860 The Benefits of Slavery: December 1860 . 85 Joseph E. Brown to Alfred H. Colquitt and Others, December 7, 1860 Advocating Secession: Georgia, December 1860 . 98 Abraham Lincoln to John A. Gilmer, December 15 , 1860 Restating Positions on Slavery: December 1860 . 109 New-York Daily Tribune : The Right of Secession, December 17 , 1860 Rejecting Coercion: December 1860 . 111 Benjamin F. Wade: Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 17 , 1860 “I stand by the Union”: December 1860 . 114 John J. Crittenden: Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 18 , 1860 A Compromise over Slavery: December 1860 . 128 Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., December 18 – 20 , 1860 “Meanness and rascality”: Washington, D.C., December 1860 . 143 John G. Nicolay: Memorandum Regarding Abraham Lincoln, December 22 , 1860 A Confidential Message: Illinois, December 1860 . 147 South Carolina Declaration of the Causes of Secession, December 24 , 1860 Charleston, December 1860 . 149 Abner Doubleday: from Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860 – ’ 61 Occupying Fort Sumter: South Carolina, December 1860 . 156 Catherine Edmondston: Diary, December 26 – 27 , 1860 “A terrible revulsion of feeling”: South Carolina, December 1860 . 163 contents xi Stephen F. Hale to Beriah Magoffin, December 27 , 1860 Urging Kentucky to Secede: December 1860 . 165 Herman Melville: Misgivings “The tempest bursting”: 1860 . 177 Mary Jones to Charles C. Jones Jr., January 3, 1861 “Sad foreboding”: Georgia, January 1861 . 178 Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., January 8, 1861 “All depends on Virginia”: Washington, D.C., January 1861 . 180 Mississippi Declaration of the Causes of Secession, January 9, 1861 Jackson, January 1861 . 183 Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, December 25 , January 9– 10 , 1861 “A warlike aspect”: Washington, D.C., January 1861 . 186 Catherine Edmondston: Diary, January 9– 13 , 1861 The “Star of the West”: South Carolina, January 1861 . 189 Jefferson Davis: Farewell Address in the U.S. Senate, January 21 , 1861 Washington, D.C., January 1861 . 193 Robert E. Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, January 23 , 1861 The Evils of Anarchy and Civil War: January 1861 . 199 Jefferson Davis: Inaugural Address, Feb ruary 18 , 1861 Montgomery, Alabama, Feb ruary 1861 . 201 Frederick Douglass: The New Presi dent, March 1861 Hopes for Lincoln’s Administration: March 1861 . 207 Abraham Lincoln: First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 Washington, D.C., March 1861 . 210 Catherine Edmondston: Diary, March 4, 1861 “That wretch Abraham Lincoln”: North Carolina, March 1861 . 220 Alexander H. Stephens: “Corner-Stone” Speech, March 21 , 1861 Vindicating Slavery: Georgia, March 1861 . 221 xii contents Edward Bates: Diary, March 9– April 8, 1861 Relieving Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C., March– April 1861 . 237 Gideon Welles: Memoir of Events, March 1861 Seward and Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C., March 1861 . 242 William H. Seward: Memorandum for the Presi dent, April 1, 1861 Challenging Lincoln: Washington, D.C., April 1861 . 248 Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, April 1, 1861 “I must do it”: Washington, D.C., April 1861 . 250 Mary Chesnut, Diary, April 7– 15 , 1861 The War Begins: South Carolina, April 1861 . 252 Abner Doubleday: from Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860– ’61 Bombardment and Surrender: South Carolina, April 1861 . 261 George Templeton Strong: Diary, April 13 – 16 , 1861 New Yorkers Respond: April 1861 . 269 The New York Times : The People and the Issue, April 15 , 1861 Vindicating National Honor: April 1861 . 275 Pittsburgh Post : The War Begun— The Duty of American Citizens, April 15 , 1861 Fighting “the mad rebellion”: April 1861 . 278 William Howard Russell: from My Diary North and South , April 17 , 1861 Celebration in Charleston: South Carolina, April 1861 . 281 Charles C. Jones Sr. to Charles C. Jones Jr., April 20, 1861 “Infidel” Enemies: Georgia, April 1861 . 294 John B. Jones: Diary, April 15 – 22 , 1861 Secessionism in Richmond: Virginia, April 1861 . 297 John W. Hanson: from Historical Sketch of the Old Sixth Regiment of Mas sa chusetts Volunteers The Baltimore Riot: April 1861 . 305 Ulysses S. Grant to Frederick Dent, April 19 , 1861 , and to Jesse Root Grant, April 21 , 1861 “I have but one sentiment now”: Illinois, April 1861 . 310 contents xiii Jefferson Davis: Message to the Confederate Congress, April 29 , 1861 Montgomery, Alabama, April 1861 . 313 Frederick Douglass: How to End the War, May 1861 “Strike down slavery itsel f ”: May 1861 . 333 Walt Whitman: First O Songs for a Prelude New York, Spring 1861 . 336 Winfield Scott to George B. McClellan, May 3, 1861 A Strategic Plan: May 1861 . 339 Charles B. Haydon: Diary, May 3– 12 , 1861 Life in Army Camp: Michigan, May 1861 . 341 Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, May 6, 1861 Predicting a Short War: May 1861 . 347 John Hay: Diary, May 7– 10 , 1861 Life in the Executive Mansion: Washington, D.C., May 1861 . 350 Judith W. McGuire: Diary, May 10 , 1861 Fearing Attack in Alexandria: Virginia, May 1861 . 355 William T. Sherman to John Sherman, May 11 , 1861 Rioting in St. Louis: Missouri, May 1861 . 358 Benjamin F. Butler to Winfield Scott, May 24 , 1861 Slaves Seeking Freedom: Virginia, May 1861 . 361 The New York Times : General Butler and the Contraband of War, June 2, 1861 Defining Runaway Slaves: Virginia, May 1861 . 364 Kate Stone: Journal, May 15 – 27 , 1861 “Our Cause is just”: Louisiana, May 1861 . 369 George Templeton Strong: Diary, May 29 – June 2, 1861 A Visit to Washington: May– June 1861 . 376 John Brown’s Body, May 1861 Massachusetts, May 1861 . 383 Roger B. Taney: Opinion in Ex parte Merryman , June 1, 1861 The Writ of Habeas Corpus: Maryland, May 1861 . 386 Henry A. Wise: Speech at Richmond, June 1, 1861 “I rejoice in this war”: Virginia, June 1861 . 401 xiv contents Charles C. Jones Jr. to Charles C. Jones Sr. and Mary Jones, June 10 , 1861 The “blinded, fanatical” North: Georgia, June 1861 . 404 Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., June 10 – 11 , 1861 Anglo-American Relations: London, June 1861 . 407 John Ross to Benjamin McCulloch, June 17 , 1861 Cherokee Neutrality: Indian Territory, June 1861 . 412 James Russell Lowell: The Pickens-and- Stealin’s Rebellion, June 1861 Emancipating Northern Opinion: June 1861 . 415 Abraham Lincoln: Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4, 1861 Washington, D.C., July 1861 . 427 Kate Stone: Journal, July 4, 1861 An Unobserved Holiday: Louisiana, July 1861 . 443 Ulysses S. Grant: from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant Facing the Enemy: Missouri, July 1861 . 444 Sallie Brock: from Richmond During the War Defeats in Western Virginia: July 1861 . 447 Sullivan Ballou to Sarah Ballou, July 14 , 1861 A Farewell Letter: July 1861 . 451 Charles Minor Blackford: from Letters from Lee’s Army Battle of Manassas: Virginia, July 1861 . 454 William Howard Russell: from My Diary North and South The Union Army Retreats: Virginia, July 1861 . 464 Samuel J. En glish to his M other, July 24 , 1861 “Death and confusion everywhere”: Virginia, July 1861 . 491 Emma Holmes: Diary, July 22 – 23 , 1861 News of Manassas: South Carolina, July 1861 . 495 Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, July 23 , 1861 Straggling Soldiers: Washington, D.C., July 1861 . 498 Walt Whitman: from Specimen Days “A terrible shock”: Washington, D.C., July 1861 . 500 Abraham Lincoln: Memoranda on Military Policy, July 23 , 1861 Washington, D.C., July 1861 . 504 contents xv Mary Chesnut: Diary, July 24 , 1861 Celebrating Victory: Virginia, July 1861 . 506 Crittenden-Johnson Resolutions, July 22 – 25 , 1861 Noninterference with Slavery: July 1861 . 522 George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, July 27 , 1861 Assuming Command: Washington, D.C., July 1861 . 524 William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 28 , 1861 “Our men are not good Soldiers”: July 1861 . 526 Horace Greeley to Abraham Lincoln, July 29 , 1861 “Our late awful disaster”: July 1861 . 531 George B. McClellan: Memorandum for the Presi dent, August 2, 1861 Washington, D.C., August 1861 . 533 Confiscation Act, August 6, 1861 A Measure Against Slavery: August 1861 . 538 George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, August 8, 9, and 16 , 1861 “The Presdt is an idiot”: August 1861 . 540 E. F. Ware: from The Lyon Campaign in Missouri Battle of Wilson’s Creek: Missouri, August 1861 .