Confederates grow increasingly suspicious of William H. Seward’s vague pledge that the Federals would abandon Fort Sumter.
Tag: John A. Campbell
Some Thoughts for the President’s Consideration
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Secretary of State William H. Seward meets with an intermediary to Confederate envoys and submits an extraordinary memo to President Abraham Lincoln offering to head the administration behind the scenes.
Provisions Are Very Nearly Exhausted
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: President Abraham Lincoln consults his cabinet regarding the fate of Forts Sumter and Pickens. With his ministers still divided as to what should be done, Lincoln comes to a fateful decision.
Separate Nationality is a Fixed Fact
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: President Lincoln sends special agents to Charleston, South Carolina, to assess the situation at Fort Sumter and to see if any Unionist sentiment can be found in the state. Lincoln receives disappointing news.
Desiring a Peaceful Solution
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Three Confederate commissioners arrive in Washington to negotiate the peaceful transfer of Fort Sumter from U.S. to Confederate hands. Secretary of State William H. Seward takes it upon himself to discuss the situation with the commissioners despite President Abraham Lincoln’s instruction not to do so.
Modifying Virginia Reconstruction
President Abraham Lincoln rescinds his plan to restore Virginia to the Union after facing heated opposition from his cabinet.