This day in Charleston
2 entries · 1861–1862
“You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors.” Lincoln’s first inaugural promised to hold, occupy and possess the property of the government — which, on the day he spoke, meant essentially one place: Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor. The next morning he was handed Anderson’s report that the fort’s provisions would not last six weeks.
Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1
Robert E. Lee, who had spent four months fortifying the South Carolina and Georgia coast after Port Royal, was called to Richmond, and Major General John C. Pemberton succeeded him. Lee left behind the principle that would save Charleston for three years: give up the islands, hold the mainland, and fortify in depth.
Official Records, Series I, Vol. 6
Entries are dated from the War of the Rebellion official records, the naval official records and contemporary Charleston sources. Browse the whole year.