Confederate commissioner John Slidell and representatives of Emile Erlanger, head of France’s most influential bank, negotiate a loan to the Confederacy for $15 million to help finance the war.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Confederate commissioner John Slidell and representatives of Emile Erlanger, head of France’s most influential bank, negotiate a loan to the Confederacy for $15 million to help finance the war.
Abraham Lincoln signs the most controversial bill of his presidency into law, providing for the first national military draft in U.S. history.
President Abraham Lincoln signs several bills into law that are met with intense opposition from the Democrat minority in Congress.
The National Council of Cherokee Indians approves resolutions repealing its ordinance of secession, renouncing its support for the Confederacy, declaring new support for the U.S., and abolishing slavery in the Cherokee Nation.
President Jefferson Davis submits his message on the state of the Confederacy to the Confederate Congress as it assembles for its third session at Richmond.
Outgoing Democratic Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio delivers a speech excoriating President Abraham Lincoln’s war policies and calling for peaceful coexistence with the Confederacy.