President James Buchanan got an alarming request from Major Robert Anderson to send military reinforcements for the Federal garrison in Charleston Harbor.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
President James Buchanan got an alarming request from Major Robert Anderson to send military reinforcements for the Federal garrison in Charleston Harbor.
As the secession frenzy intensified in Georgia, it began rapidly spreading into other southern states as well.
President James Buchanan looked to his cabinet for advice on the secession crisis, but like the country itself, the cabinet was hopelessly divided.
Southern states began taking steps toward leaving the Union, while some northerners began talking of keeping the South in the Union, even by force if necessary.