Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
The adversarial relationship between Secretary of War John B. Floyd and the rest of President James Buchanan’s cabinet worsens when news arrives that Major Robert Anderson had moved his Federal garrison to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Floyd leads the southern cabinet members by insisting that Anderson withdraw, while northern members insist that Anderson stay.
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.
Andrew Johnson issues two proclamations designed to continue Abraham Lincoln’s plan to restore the Confederates states to the U.S. This begins what would ultimately become one of the bitterest feuds between the executive and legislative branches of government.
The “Grand Armies of the Republic” stage a triumphant review through Washington to celebrate the Federal victory and end of the war.
President Jefferson Davis and his Confederate government-in-exile reach South Carolina on their way to regroup in Texas. But Federal patrols are closing in on them.
Federal officials bring the body of John Wilkes Booth back to Washington as the alleged accomplices to his scheme are rounded up and jailed. Federal officials debate whether to use a military tribunal or civilian court, amid concerns about constitutional legality.