January 3
January 3
Delaware rejects secession
On January 3, 1861, just two weeks after South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, the state of Delaware rejects a similar proposal. There had been…
A Year In History: 1861
Also Within This Year in History:
1861
In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as America’s 16th president. Just weeks later, the newly formed Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, igniting the American Civil War. To fund the conflict, Congress enacted the country’s first income tax. Elsewhere in the world, multiple states on the Italian Peninsula united to form the Kingdom of Italy, while multiple European powers invaded Mexico to collect unpaid debts. Back in Britain, The Times gave readers the first-ever published weather forecast.
January 5
January 5
“Star of the West” leaves for Fort Sumter
On this day in 1861, the Star of the West, a Union merchant vessel, leaves New York with supplies and 250 troops to relieve the beleaguered Fort Sumter at Charleston,…
January 9
January 9
“Star of the West” is fired upon
On January 9, 1861, a Union merchant ship, the Star of the West, is fired upon as it tries to deliver supplies to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.…
January 10
January 10
William Seward named Secretary of State
On this day in 1861, William Seward accepts President‑elect Abraham Lincoln’s invitation to become secretary of state. Seward became one of the most important members ofLincoln’s cabinet and engineered the…
January 14
January 14
House Committee of Thirty Three submits proposed amendment
On this day in 1861, unable to agree on anything else, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee of Thirty‑Three submits a proposed constitutional amendment protecting slavery in all areas where…
January 16
January 16
Crittenden Compromise is killed in Senate
The Crittenden Compromise, the last chance to keep North and South united, dies in the U.S. Senate. Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky, the compromise was a series of…
January 29
January 29
Divided Kansas enters the Union
The territory of Kansas is admitted into the Union as the 34th state, or the 28th state if the secession of eight Southern states over the previous six weeks is…
January 29
January 29
Kansas enters the Union
On January 29, 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union. The struggle between pro‑ and anti‑slave forces in…
February 4
February 4
States meet to form Confederacy
In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana convene in Montgomery, Alabama to establish the Confederate States of America. As early as 1858, the ongoing conflict…
February 4
February 4
Provisional Confederate Congress convenes
On this day in 1861, the Confederacy is open for business when the Provisional Confederate Congress convenes in Montgomery, Alabama. The official record read: “Be it remembered that on the…
February 10
February 10
Davis learns he is president
On this day in 1861, Jefferson Davis, a former U.S. senator from Mississippi who served as U.S. secretary of war in the 1850s, receives word he has been selected president…
February 11
February 11
Lincoln leaves Springfield
On this day in 1861, President‑elect Abraham Lincoln leaves home in Springfield, Illinois, and embarks on his journey to Washington, D.C. On a cold, rainy morning, Lincoln boarded a two‑car…
February 13
February 13
First Medal of Honor action
The earliest military action to be awarded a Medal of Honor is performed by Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin, an assistant army surgeon serving in the first major U.S.‑Apache conflict. Near…
February 18
February 18
Davis becomes provisional president of the Confederacy
On this day in 1861, Jefferson Davis, a veteran of the Black Hawk and Mexican‑American Wars, begins his term as provisional president of the Confederate States of America. As it…
February 23
February 23
Lincoln avoids assassination attempt
On this day in 1861, Abraham Lincoln and his entourage show up unexpectedly at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., foiling a Baltimore plot against his life. The president‑elect left…
February 23
February 23
Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C.
On February 23, 1861, President‑elect Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C., amid secrecy and tight security. With seven states having already seceded from the Union since Lincoln’s election, the threat…
February 28
February 28
Congress creates Colorado Territory
With the region’s white population booming because of the Pike’s Peak gold rush, Congress creates the new Territory of Colorado. When the United States acquired it after the Mexican‑American War…
March 2
March 2
Texas secedes
On March 2, 1861, Texas becomes the seventh state to secede from the Union. The first official move for secession actually came a month earlier, on February 1, when a…
March 4
March 4
Abraham Lincoln inaugurated
Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th president of the United States on March 4, 1861. In his inauguration speech, Lincoln extended an olive branch to the South, but also made it…
March 11
March 11
Confederate states adopt new constitution
In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. The constitution resembled the Constitution of…
