OTD 165 YEARS AGO: The South Carolinians receive word that President Abraham Lincoln will attempt to resupply Fort Sumter, which prompts President Jefferson Davis to make a fateful decision.
Tag: William H. Seward
Faith as to Sumter Fully Kept
Confederates grow increasingly suspicious of William H. Seward’s vague pledge that the Federals would abandon Fort Sumter.
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.
When the King Commands All Things Are Possible
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: President Abraham Lincoln overrides General Winfield Scott’s recommendation by ordering the reinforcement of Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Florida. Lincoln sees this as essential to maintaining a Federal presence in the South.
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.