Letter from 2nd Lt. Thomas Lightfoot, 6th Alabama Volunteer Infantry, to his cousin.
The Rockville Expedition
Federals led by Charles P. Stone seize two key ferries on the Potomac River while Confederates begin stirring at Leesburg, Va.
Confederates Abandon Harpers Ferry
Confederates abandon Harpers Ferry in northwestern Virginia as Federals cautiously prepare to enter that part of the state.
Powerful Energies Called Forth
Texas announces a state of war with the U.S., Federals in New Mexico brace for a Confederate invasion, and Confederates in Arkansas are authorized to aid the Missouri State Guard.
The Battle of Big Bethel
The Confederacy wins the first land battle on Virginia’s Peninsula and stops a Federal drive toward Yorktown and Richmond.
The U.S. Sanitary Commission
The Lincoln administration approves centralizing efforts to aid volunteer soldiers into a unified U.S. Sanitary Commission.
A Set of Aristocrats and Overbearing Tyrants
Tennessee voters approve secession from the Union, but eastern Tennessee remains defiantly Unionist.