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Right, no 'p' in Sumter.  There is a guy I worked with named "Sumpter" and I spell it wrong out of habit quite often.

On 8 Apr., 1861 Confederate President Davis and the Confederate States Congress debated what to instruct Genl. Beauregard to do regarding Fort Sumter and the expected Federal fleet.  Fearing that Lincoln had actually sent supplies and re-inforcements on the relief fleet to Sumter (he had) and already knowing that Lincoln had supposedly promised to not send the relief fleet if VA voted to no secede, and then had ordered the fleet anyway (he had), they did not trust that the arriving fleet would be benign.  On the morning of 9 Apr., 1861 President Davis sent a message to Charleston instructing Genl. Beaurgard that in his and the Congress' view Fort Sumter should be reduced before the Federal fleet arrived.  Other than that, Genl. Beauregard had no other detailed instructions and had to make the decission on how best to achieve the reduction of the Fort.  As his guns were still arriving and being placed, he was overseeing assembly of artillery crews most of whom had never served even light artillery and many of whom had never even seen a cannon up close.  The Federal fleet was at sea...

11 Apr., 1861:
   Approximately 2:30pm, C.S. General Beauregard sends a demand to U.S. Major Robert Anderson inside Fort Sumter that the Fort must be evacuated immediately.

   At ten past 5:00pm, Gen'l Beauregard receives Major Anderson's reply that he is not authorized to abandon the Fort, but with the supplies cut off from shore, he states that the Fort will be starved out in a matter of days anyway.  Gen'l Beauregard wires this information to the Confederate President.

   Word is coming into Charleston, mostly rumors, that the Federal relief fleet is nearing the harbor.  If relief supplies reach the Fort, the Federals could hold out much longer, and Beauregard also has reason to fear that the fleet will bring ammunition, powder, guns and men to make taking the Fort by force more precarious as well as allowing the mighty Fort to more easily command Charleston's valuable ports. 

   At about 9:00pm, Confederate Gov't wires Beauregard to advise that if Maj. Anderson will give him the precise time the Fort is to be evacuated, and agree to not fire from the Fort during said evacuation, South Carolina's batteries will not disrupt the evacuation nor fire upon the Fort.  Gen'l Beauregard sends the message to the Fort and awaits the answer...   

 

12 Apr., 1861

At 12:45am, Major Anderson replied to Gen'l Beauregard's demand to evacuate by stating that  he will evacuate on 15 Apr., 1861 but will not promise to not fire from the Fort.

3:00am, as Gen'l Beauregard awaits instructions from the Confederate Gov't to Maj. Anderson's declaration that he will evacuate on 15 Apr., news from the batteries reaches his headquarters that a large Federal fleet has just entered Charleston harbor!

Knowing that the reliefe ships have arrived and knowing he has been instructed to reduce the Fort before it can be re-inforced, Beauregard sends a message to Maj. Anderson in the Fort at 3:20am that time is up and South Carolina's shore batteries will open fire in 1 hour, giving Anderson just 1 hour to strike his colors and surrender the Fort.

4:30am Citizens around Charleston are jolted awake by a sudden tremendous thunder as multiple huge naval and siege cannons fire their first salvos at Fort Sumter!  Windows rattle, dishes quake, shouts of men and screams of women and children fill the air as windows are flung open and doors open wide to spill inhabitants to the scene.  On rooftops, widow's walks and balconies neighbors gather to cheer the reports and arcing lights racaing from the shore batteries over the bay and down to the dark form of the Fort.  Few guns answer from the Fort but with each flash over the Fort the U.S. flag could be seen still flying.  The bombardment continued all day with shot lulls as guns cooled and ammuntion was brought up from magazines.  The hot war had begun...

Jumping almost 4 years to the day ahead, the History Channel has a two hour episode titled "April 1865". I think in was produced 6 or 7 years ago. Anyway, I am sure they will show again this month, probably more than once. It is a worthwhile watch. I have seen it a couple of times. They, the History Channel, actually did a pretty good and factual accounting of the last few days of The War of Northern Agression this time.

13 Apr., 1861

By 9am uncontrolled fires had broken out in parts of Fort Sumter after 28 hrs of near-continual bombardment from the shore and floating batteries.  The Federal fleet had attempted to move closer to the Fort to offer relief but it was simply too hot to try so the ships stayed well away.  One of the larger fires in the Fort threatened the main magazine so all hands available were busy at work throwing water from bucket-lines on the fire and saturating the magazines as best as possible all the while bombs burst over and inside the Fort and the thick masonry walls collapsed or shattered.  The era of the masonry fortification was over and the era of heavy mobile artillery had begun.  Miraculously, nobody on either side had yet to be much harmed.

At 2:30pm, the cheer went up around the shores and throughout Charleston as the U.S. flag that had repeatedly been re-raised was lowered signaling that Maj. Anderson was surrendering the Fort to South Carolina.  The Confederacy had its first battle victory.  The U.S. had its call to arms cause.  Wires were hot with the news within hours and all that had been hoping for peaceful resolution were keenly aware that there was only one choice now, war.

First casualties of the "official" Civil War happened on this date as Major Anderson was begrudgingly allowed by C.S. Gen'l Beauregard to salute the Stars and Stripes one last time before evacuating the Fort with a 100-gun slaute.  Only a few cannons in the Fort remained operational and so the crews, already demoralized and worn out from the previous 2 days would have to load and fire all shots with the few cannons remaining.  As the Stars & Stripes were again floating in their tattered condition above the ruins of Sumter, the long process of heavy naval artillery being loaded then fired began.  On the 50th shot however, one of the big cast iron barrels burst, destroying the body of young Irish immigrant Pvt. Daniel Hough and wounding others on the crew, one, Pvt. Edward Gallway mortally.  The 100-gun salute was halted with this sudden shock to the Fort's men all of whom knew the crew that was harmed.  Maj. Anderson quickly formed the men and marched them to the waiting skiffs to be transported to the waiting relief vessels.  As they sailed from the docks, they heard cheering from the Fort and all along the shores as bells tolled in Charleston.  Looking back, they saw the U.S. flag down and raised in its place was a large Confederate National flag.  Later that same day, Maj. Anderson wired the War Dept. the atached message:

We are closing in on the date of the last causultly of the War....a poor unfortunate Union Private when the Confederates won a resounding victory along the Rio Grande, Pacito?, neither side having heard the War was over.

15 Apr., 1861

U.S. President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteer militia to supplement the tiny U.S. Army to invade and crush the rebellion.  He calls for a special session of Congress set for 4 July as well.  This call is heralded around the Nation on both sides of the issue as the call to war.  In TN where 2/3 of the State had previous voted against secession, this call for volunteers is a dire warning adn it galvanizes the people of Middle TN that had voted against secession and swings them to the view of the West TN populace in favor of secession.  In KY the pro-secession Governor balks and many of that State too denounce Lincoln's call to arms against the seceeded States knowning that any invasion will have to pass through these border upper-South States to attack their cousins of the deep South.  In VA, as in TN, this call galvanizes the people that had previously voted not to seceede against Lincoln.  All across the land, in every State, hastily clad militia swarmed to courthouses, schools, greens and any mustering point they could find to "jine up" and do their part.  All wanted to get in on this next battle wherever it would be so they could win their glory, impress their firends or sweethearts, maybe shoot an enemy, and be done in time to get home for Christmas...

On 16 Apr., 1861, under emphatic recommendations from the most respected U.S. military general, Winfield Scott, U.S. President Lincoln offered command of  the United States Army to Col. Robert E. Lee, a Virginian who descended from the likes of George Washington and General Harry Lee both of Revolutionary War fame.  Scott was said to have told Lincoln that his top 3 candidates would be Lee, Lee and Lee and if asked again to his dying breath he would say 'Let it be Robert E. Lee.'  This was the highest office a West Point and career Army officer could hope for within the Army.  Lee was admired at all levels of the officer corps. as well as among the ranks.  But, Lee was like so many patriots of antebellum America in that he was first a citzen of his State and second to the nation of united States (much as we today are concerning the U.N.) and that caused Lee great anxiety.  If given the command, his 1st job would be to follow orders from the President and he knew that would mean leading the 75,000 volunteers and the few thousand "regulars" in an invasion campaign into the South.  He pondered this offer...

17 Apr., 1861, outraged that the President of the United States had called forth 75,000 volunteers from all States to invade South Carolin and crush the rebellious Southerners, Virginia quickly called back her delegates who days earlier had voted to stay within the Union.  A quick debate and hearing was held and the vote taken.  This time it flopped almost exactly from what it had been days before and by a vote of 88 to 55. Virginia declared herself emanciated from the Union.  Perhaps the most powerful single State had departed the Union and lent her might to the Confederate cause.  This act placed a mighty powerful giant just across the Potomac River from Washington.  In fact, Lee's huge house, Arlington could be seen from Washington.

18 Apr., 1861, Winfield Scott interviews Robert E. Lee at his home in Washington, asking for his service as the only Major General in command of the U.S. Army.  Scott's and Lee's exact conversation is known only to them, but the two must have remembered their service together in Mexico, and West Point tales along with the talk of the pending crisis.  Lee Did not give an emphatic answer to Scott, but agreed to go home to Arlington and consider the promotion Lincoln was offering.  With the ending of the meeting, Lee, dressed in his blue Federal Colonel's uniform, departed Washington to cross the Potomac and within a few hours was at his beloved Arlington house surrounded by his family and visiting friends.

Am I right in remembering 8 more days until Tennessee Secession Day?

Now don't go jumpin' ahead Tom!  Just because you remember these events from your younger days...

Actually, TN does not send its referendum ontil 6 May and the vote is not taken until a month later.  TN was the last to go and first to return.  Although KY has liked to claim itself as a Confederate State since the war ended they never actually left officially.  Lincoln managed to preserve them in the officially neutral column by the hair of his chinny chin chin.

Shi hate to get off topic yet again but would you send me an email with your email addy as the one I have keeps getting kicked back. Need to try and coordinate a meeting at the June events so we can discuss some things I would like you to do for me. Thanks !

PS: Seems the North basically ignored the 150 year anniversary of the war huh ???

libertytree@peoplepc.com
Be glad to do some work for you, but don't be in a hurry about it. My bread-and-butter is the Civil War re-enacting guns and those are kicking my butt right now and there is no end in sight at least until the 150ths close. I am able to do only 2 or maybe 3 per week but am getting 3-4 on average in per week that have to be done "by the next event". I am actually having to take vacation time off from my real job every month or so just to have a day alone at home to work on guns. That is going to reduce potential hunting vacation time off this fall!

19 Apr., 1861 A train arrived in Baltimore, MD loaded with Mass. infantry bound for Washington.  In those days often railroads were not connected with one another as was the case in Baltimore, so to get to Washington these troops were forced to disembark then travel by carriages or foot across town to the Washington rail station.  Baltimore was very pro-secessionist and soon news spread through town that abolitionist troops had arrived.  The ensuing bobs that surrounded the Mass troops as they tried travel by carriage or wagon halted their travel so they were forced to march through the city.  More and more mobs arrived as the troops marched, with jeers, taunts, and the occasional bottle beng hurled until all control had been lost by the infuriated mob.  Soon bricks and rocks were being hurled at the Mass troops who returned projectiles and then finally resorted to firing their guns into the surrounding mob.  This dispersed the mob enough to allow the Mass troops to make a break for the Washington-bound station and quickly mount and depart with the help of the Balitmore police.  However in their haster they had left most of their equipment in the city still loaded on carts and wagons.  Four MA militia had died and a dozen Baltimorian citizens had died along with several other injuries. 

Outraged, Maryland's government demanded that the Federal authority never again send Federal troops into or through Maryland.  Pro-secession citizens in MD burned bridges and cut telegraph wires leading toward Washington.

20 Apr., 1861:
For 2 days, Col. Robert E. Lee had pondered the crisis at hand both with the Nation, his State, his family, his beloved Army, and within his own soul.  His mentor, indeed a friend as well General Winfield Scott had recommended he be commissioned General to command all U.S. Army forces directly to the U.S. President.  No higher honor could be sought nor bestowed to a career Army officer.  And yet, Lee had a conflict in his heart because in his antebellum American mind, his State was not only his personal Country but also his home.  His family hailed from the Virginia-patriots of Lee, Cusis, and Washington.  His life had been driven to bring honor to their and Virginia's names above his own.  To-date he held the only blemishless record at West Point (and still one of the finest) and he was revered by all career officers and soldiers in the Army.  Family lore tells that on the afternoon of 19 Apr., 1862 Lee had withdrawn to his 2nd floor of Arlington House and did not speak much that night to anyone.  Those who saw him saw a man with tears in his eyes or worn weary by stress that night.  His family said they heard him walking the wood floors the entire night, sometimes on the balcony, then back to his halls.  Sometime in the early morning hours, one dreams it was as dawn sent its first orange beams toward the house so Washington could be seen in the northern distance from his windows, Col. Lee sat down to pen his personal letter of resignation to Gen. Scott:

General: 

Since my interview with you on the 18th instant I have felt that I ought not longer to retain my commission in the Army.   I therefore tender my resignation, which I request you will recommend for acceptance.  

It would have been presented at once, but for the struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I have devoted all the best years of my life & all the ability I possessed.  

During the whole of that time, more than 30 years, I have experienced nothing but kindness from my superiors, & the most cordial friendship from my companions.   To no one Genl have I been as much indebted as to yourself for uniform kindness & consideration, & it has always been my ardent desire to merit your approbation.  

I shall carry with me to the grave the most grateful recollections of your kind consideration, & your name & fame will always be dear to me.   Save in the defense of my native State, I never desire again to draw my sword.  

Be pleased to accept my most earnest wishes for the continuance of your happiness & prosperity & believe me most truly yours 

R. E. Lee 

Lee, it must be remembered, was not the old haggard gray-haired man that was remembered from his Civil War photographs at this time.  Attached is a portrait of him which shows him in his United States Col's uniform circa 1860 which is doubtless the way he appeared as he wrote the above letter.  No man of any higher personal honor save perhaps Washington himself has been known to the United States military.  He was a man caught in his times.  He owned slaves, but no evidence shows he was any good at being a slave-owner and seems to have little idea really how to utilize them.  He was not good at farming and was really only excellent where matters of patriotism and honor could shape a man's destiny.  Brilliant as an engineer, able to learn rapidly and more important willing to trust those beneath him to do his bidding he was recognized by Gen. Scott to be the man that could best have lead the United States Army, as well as recognized as Lincoln's most severe defeat when he resigned.

After sending the above letter, he dressed in civilian attire for he no longer belonged to a military and went to Richmond where he would offer his services "however meager they may be" to the State of Virginia and he was of course given the commission to take charge of the Virginia militias...

21 Apr., 1861

Fearing the rising sessionist-sentiment in southern MO, U.S. Army Capt. Nathaniel Lyons had requested more troops or that he be allowed to muster militia troops at St. Louis, MO to help secure the city and especially the arsenal there.  On this date he was issued approval from the War Dept. to raise 4 regiments (3200-4000) at St. Louis.  Lyons began immediately to call in mostly pro-union Germans from the area which was hevily populated by recent Germanic immigrants.

 

The U.S. Government in an unprecedented move takes control of the privately run railroad between Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD to help control troop movements from the North to Washington.

 

MD’s Governor on this same date meets with Lincoln personally to discuss his desire to keep all Federal troops out of his State.

 

The U.S. Navy issues orders that are sent out to all of its officers to treat any passengers under the Confederate flag or orders from C.S. President Davis as “pirates.”  It takes several days if not a few weeks for all Captains around the high seas to receive this order.

Well I just found out yesterday that only TWO states had more civil war battles fought in them than MO, Virginia and Tenn, guess where the Stealth Planes are located in case of another cw were to happen. Or at least the BOMBER'S ARE.

snider, the main port of the Nuclear Sub's, and the home port of several aircraft carrier groups are also in Georgia and Florida!!!!!! Not to mention several Air Force, Marine, and Naval air stations that are in SC, Ga, and Fla.

MD, KY and MO were kept in union by invasion

Hell, we're still being punished, today, for leading the secession in SC.