January 3
January 3
Delaware rejects secession
On January 3, 1861, just two weeks after South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, the state of Delaware rejects a similar proposal. There had been…
A Year In History: 1861
This Year in History:
1861
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 9
January 9
“Star of the West” is fired upon
On January 9, 1861, a Union merchant ship, the Star of the West, is fired upon as it tries to deliver supplies to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.…
January 16
January 16
Crittenden Compromise is killed in Senate
The Crittenden Compromise, the last chance to keep North and South united, dies in the U.S. Senate. Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky, the compromise was a series of…
January 29
January 29
Kansas enters the Union
On January 29, 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union. The struggle between pro‑ and anti‑slave forces in…
February 1
February 1
Texas secedes
On February 1, 1861, Texas becomes the seventh state to secede from the Union when a state convention votes 166 to 8 in favor of the measure. The Texans who…
February 4
February 4
States meet to form Confederacy
In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana convene to establish the Confederate States of America. As early as 1858, the ongoing conflict between the North…
February 13
February 13
First Medal of Honor action
The earliest military action to be awarded a Medal of Honor is performed by Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin, an assistant army surgeon serving in the first major U.S.‑Apache conflict. Near…
February 23
February 23
Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C.
On February 23, 1861, President‑elect Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C., amid secrecy and tight security. With seven states having already seceded from the Union since Lincoln’s election, the threat…
February 28
February 28
Congress creates Colorado Territory
With the region’s white population booming because of the Pike’s Peak gold rush, Congress creates the new Territory of Colorado. When the United States acquired it after the Mexican War…
March 4
March 4
Abraham Lincoln inaugurated
Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th president of the United States on March 4, 1861. In his inauguration speech, Lincoln extended an olive branch to the South, but also made it…
March 11
March 11
Confederate states adopt new constitution
In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. The constitution resembled the Constitution of…
March 20
March 20
Willie and Tad Lincoln get the measles
On March 20, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln’s sons, Willie and Tad, are diagnosed with the measles, adding to the president’s many troubles. Few U.S. presidents worked as hard in office…
April 12
April 12
Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
Four of the bloodiest years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union‑held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor on April…
April 13
April 13
Union forces surrender at Fort Sumter
After a 33‑hour bombardment by Confederate cannons, Union forces surrender Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. The first engagement of the war ended in Rebel victory. The surrender concluded…
April 19
April 19
First blood in the Civil War
On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed when a secessionist mob in Baltimore attacks Massachusetts troops bound for Washington, D.C. Four soldiers and…
April 20
April 20
Robert E. Lee resigns from U.S. Army after Virginia secedes from Union
Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States army two days after he was offered command of the Union army and three days after his native state, Virginia, seceded…
May 18
May 18
Newspaper prints scathing report about First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln
An obscure California newspaper casts first lady Mary Todd Lincoln in an unflattering light on May 18, 1861. Quoting a report in the Sacramento Union, the Humboldt Times recounted a…
May 25
May 25
President Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War
John Merryman, a state legislator from Maryland, is arrested for attempting to hinder Union troops from moving from Baltimore to Washington during the Civil War and is held at Fort…
May 27
May 27
President Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus is challenged
On May 27, 1861, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of Maryland issues Ex parte Merryman, challenging the authority of President Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. military to suspend the writ…
July 11
July 11
Union notches a victory at the Battle of Rich Mountain
On July 11, 1861, Union troops under General George B. McClellan score another major victory in the struggle for western Virginia at the Battle of Rich Mountain. The Yankee success…
