Tuesday April 15, 1861

Lincoln's Proclamation

In Charleston Harbor this morning, Anderson and his garrison boarded the Baltic. They would arrive in New York three days later, on April 18, to a hero's welcome.

In Washington, Lincoln issued a proclamation announcing the existence of an "insurrection," and calling forth 75,000 of the "the militia of the several States of the Union." The proclamation also summoned Congress to a special session to convene on July 4, 1861.

Commentary

Bibliography: Swanberg, First Blood, pp. 330-32; Current, Lincoln and the First Shot, p. 157.