Treasury Secretary Howell Cobb becomes the first member of President James Buchanan’s cabinet to resign over the sectional crisis. He would not be the last.
Category: Secession
A House Divided: Lincoln’s Prophecy
Illinois electors certify Abraham Lincoln’s election as president. Lincoln continues receiving callers, answering mail, looking for cabinet appointees, and downplaying the southern threat of secession. He also considers nominating a political rival to the highest job within his administration.
Compromise Efforts: The Argument Is Exhausted
The U.S. House of Representatives forms a committee to hammer out a compromise between North and South, but both sides show signs of inflexibility.
President Buchanan’s 1860 Message to Congress
The last annual message of James Buchanan’s presidency acknowledges that North and South are “now arrayed against each other.” He offers suggestions on how to resolve the crisis, but he leaves both sections dissatisfied.
Fort Sumter is a Tempting Prize
Maj. Robert Anderson begins looking for a more defensible position for his Federal garrison in Charleston Harbor, and South Carolina officials go to Washington to negotiate Anderson’s withdrawal from their state.
The Clouds Are Threatening and the Storm May Break
President James Buchanan got an alarming request from Major Robert Anderson to send military reinforcements for the Federal garrison in Charleston Harbor.