The Civil War : The first year told by those who lived it Cover Image

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The Civil War : The first year told by those who lived it / Edited by Brooks D. Simpson, Stephen W. Sears, Aaron Sheehan-Dean.

Simpson, Brooks D., (editor of compilation.). Sears, Stephen W., (editor of compilation.). Sheehan-Dean, Aaron Charles, (editor of compilation.).

Summary:

Drawn from letters, diaries, speeches, articles, poems, songs, military reports, legal opinions, and memoirs, this collection brings together over 120 pieces by more than 60 men and women to create a firsthand narrative of the first year of the Civil War. Beginning on the eve of Lincoln's election in 1860 and ending in January 1862 with the appointment of Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War, the selections provide a sense of the immediacy, uncertainty, and urgency of events as the nation was torn asunder. Includes headnotes, a chronology of events, and biographical and explanatory endnotes.--Adapted from publisher description.

Record details

ISBN: 9781598530889 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 1598530887 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: xxv, 814 pages ; 21 cm
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : The Library of America, [2011]

Content descriptions

General Note:	Includes index.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 729-792) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Calling a Secession Convention, November 1860. What Shall the South Carolina Legislature Do? November 3, 1860 / Charleston Mercury -- "Alarms from the South" : Illinois, November 1860. Memoranda Regarding Abraham Lincoln, November 5-6, 1860 / John G. Nicolay -- The Threat of Secession, November 1860. Going to Go, November 9, 1860 / New-York Daily Tribune -- The Need for Southern Cooperation, November 1860 / Jefferson Davis to Robert Barnwell Rhett Jr., November 10, 1860 -- Debating Secession, Georgia, November 1860. Speech at Milledgeville, November 15, 1860 / Benjamin Hill -- "States cannot exist disunited," November 1860. The Right of States to Secede, November 16, 1860 / New York Daily News -- "I am for the Union as it is," Texas, November 1860 / Sam Houston to H.M. Watkins and Others, November 20, 1860 -- "Our sore national sickness : New York, November 1860. Diary, November 20, November 26-December 1, 1860 / George Templeton Strong -- "This dangerous game" : Missouri, November 1860. Diary, November 22, 1860 / Edward Bates -- The "Wicked Spirit" of Secession : Tennessee, November 1860 / William G. Brownlow to R.H. Appleton, November 29, 1860 -- Lincoln, and Slavery : December 1860. The Late Election, December 1860 / Frederick Douglass -- Secessionism in Louisiana, December 1860. William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Sr. and to John Sherman, December 1, 1860 -- Washington, D.C., December 1860. From the Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1860 / James Buchanan -- The Benefits of Slavery : December 1860. The Non-Slaveholders of the South, December 5, 1860 / J.D.B. DeBow -- Advocating Secession : Georgia, December 1860 / Joseph E. Brown to Alfred H. Colquitt and Others, December 7, 1860 -- Restating Positions on Slavery : December 1860 / Abraham Lincoln to John A. Gilmer, December 15, 1860 -- Rejecting Coercion : December 1860. The Right of Secession, December 17, 1860 / New-York Daily Tribune -- "I stand by the Union" : December 1860. Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 17, 1860 / Benjamin F. Wade -- A Compromise over Slavery, December 1860. Remarks in the U.S. Senate, December 18, 1860 / John J. Crittenden -- "Meanness and rascality" : Washington, D.C., December 1860 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., December 18-20, 1860 -- A Confidential Message : Illinois, December 1860. Memorandum Regarding Abraham Lincoln, December 22, 1860 / John G. Nicolay -- Charleston, December 1860. South Carolina Declaration of the Causes of Secession, December 24, 1860 -- Occupying Fort Sumter : South Carolina, December 1860. From Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61 / Abner Doubleday -- "A terrible revulsion of feeling" : South Carolina, December 1860. Diary, December 26-27, 1860 / Catherine Edmondston -- Urging Kentucky to Secede: December 1860 / Stephen F. Hale to Beriah Magoffin, December 27, 1860 -- "The tempest bursting" : 1860. Misgivings / Herman Melville -- "Sad foreboding": Georgia, January 1861 / Mary Jones to Charles C. Jones Jr., January 3, 1861 -- "All depends on Virginia" : Washington, D.C., January 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., January 8, 1861 -- Jackson, January 1861. Mississippi Declaration of the Causes of Secession, January 9, 1861 -- "A warlike aspect." Washington, D.C., January 1861 / Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee -- The "Star of the West" : South Carolina, January 1861. Diary, January 9-13, 1861 / Catherine Edmondston -- Washington, D.C., January 1861. Farewell Address in the U.S. Senate, January 21, 1861 / Jefferson Davis -- The Evils of Anarchy and Civil War: January 1861 / Robert E. Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, January 23, 1861 -- Montgomery, Alabama, February 1861. Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861 / Jefferson Davis -- Hopes for Lincoln's Administration: March 1861. The New President, March 1861 / Frederick Douglass -- Washington, D.C., March 1861. First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln -- "That wretch Abraham Lincoln" : North Carolina, March 1861. Diary, March 4, 1861 / Catherine Edmondston -- Vindicating Slavery: Georgia, March 1861. "Corner-Stone" Speech, March 21, 1861 / Alexander H. Stephens -- Relieving Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C., March-April 1861. Diary, March 9-April 8, 1861 / Edward Bates -- Seward and Fort Sumter: Washington, D.C. March 1861. Memoir of Events, March 1861 / Gideon Welles -- Challenging Lincoln: Washington, D.C., April 1861. Memorandum for the President, April 1, 1861 / William H. Seward -- "I must do it": Washington, D.C., April 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, April 1, 1861 -- The War Begins: South Carolina, April 1861. Diary, April 7-15, 1861 / Mary Chesnut -- Bombardment and Surrender: South Carolina, April 1861. From Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61 / Abner Doubleday -- New Yorkers Respond : April 1861. Diary, April 13-16, 1861 / George Templeton Strong -- Vindicating National Honor: April 1861. The People and the Issue, April 15, 1861 / The New York Times -- Fighting "the mad rebellion": April 1861. The War Begun-The Duty of American Citizens, April 15, 1861 / Pittsburgh Post -- Celebration in Charleston: South Carolina, April 1861. From My Diary North and South, April 17, 1861 / William Howard Russell -- "Infidel" Enemies : Georgia, April 1861 / Charles C. Jones Sr. to Charles C. Jones Jr., April 20, 1861 -- Secessionism in Richmond: Virginia, April 1861. Diary, April 15-22, 1861 / John B. Jones -- The Baltimore Riot: April 1861. From Historical Sketch of the Old Sixth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers / John W. Hanson -- "I have but one sentiment now": Illinois, April 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Frederick Dent, April 19, 1861, and to Jesse Root Grant, April 21, 1861 -- Montgomery, Alabama, April 1861. Message to the Confederate Congress, April 29, 1861 / Jefferson Davis -- "Strike down slavery itself": May 1861. How to End the War, May 1861 / Frederick Douglass -- New York, Spring 1861. First O Songs for a Prelude / Walt Whitman -- A Strategic Plan : May 1861 / Winfield Scott to George B. McClellan, May 3, 1861 -- Life in Army Camp : Michigan, May 1861. Diary, May 3-12, 1861 / Charles B. Haydon -- Predicting a Short War: May 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, May 6, 1861 -- Life in the Executive Mansion : Washington, D.C., May 1861 / John Hay : Diary, May 7-10, 1861 -- Fearing Attack in Alexandria : Virginia, May 1861. Diary, May 10, 1861 / Judith W. McGuire -- Rioting in St. Louis : Missouri, May 1861 / William T. Sherman to John Sherman, May 11, 1861 -- Slaves Seeking Freedom: Virginia, May 1861 / Benjamin F. Butler to Winfield Scott, May 24, 1861 -- Defining Runaway Slaves : Virginia, May 1861. General Butler and the Contraband of War, June 2, 1861 / The New York Times -- "Our Cause is just" : Louisiana, May 1861. Journal, May 15-27, 1861 / Kate Stone -- A Visit to Washington : May-June 1861. Diary, May 29-June 2, 1861 / George Templeton Strong -- Massachusetts, May 1861 : John Brown's Body, May 1861 -- The Writ of Habeas Corpus : Maryland, May 1861. Opinion in Ex parte Merryman, June 1, 1861 / Roger B. Taney -- "I rejoice in this war" : Virginia, June 1861. Speech at Richmond, June 1, 1861 / Henry A. Wise -- The "blinded, fanatical" North: Georgia, June 1861 / Charles C. Jones Jr. to Charles C. Jones Sr. and Mary Jones, June 10, 1861 -- Anglo-American Relations : London, June 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., June 10-11, 1861 -- Cherokee Neutrality : Indian Territory, June 1861 / John Ross to Benjamin McCulloch, June 17, 1861 -- Emancipating Northern Opinion : June 1861. The Pickens-and-Stealin's Rebellion, June 1861 / James Russell Lowell -- Washington, D.C., July 1861. Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln -- An Unobserved Holiday: Louisiana, July 1861. Journal, July 4, 1861 / Kate Stone -- Facing the Enemy: Missouri, July 1861. From Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant / Ulysses S. Grant -- Defeats in Western Virginia: July 1861. From Richmond During the War / Sallie Brock -- A Farewell Letter : July 1861 / Sullivan Ballou to Sarah Ballou, July 14, 1861 -- Battle of Manassas : Virginia, July 1861. From Letters from Lee's Army / Charles Minor Blackford -- The Union Army Retreats : Virginia, July 1861. From My Diary North and South / William Howard Russell -- "Death and confusion everywhere" : Virginia, July 1861 / Samuel J. English to his Mother, July 24, 1861 -- News of Manassas : South Carolina, July 1861. Diary, July 22-23, 1861 / Emma Holmes -- Straggling Soldiers: Washington, D.C., July 1861 / Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, July 23, 1861 -- "A terrible shock": Washington, D.C., July 1861. From Specimen Days / Walt Whitman -- Washington, D.C., July 1861. Memoranda on Military Policy, July 23, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln -- Celebrating Victory : Virginia, July 1861. Diary, July 24, 1861 / Mary Chesnut -- Noninterference with Slavery: July 1861. Crittenden-Johnson Resolutions, July 22-25, 1861 -- Assuming Command: Washington, D.C., July 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, July 27, 1861 -- "Our men are not good Soldiers" : July 1861 / William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 28, 1861 -- "Our late awful disaster": July 1861 / Horace Greeley to Abraham Lincoln, July 29, 1861 -- Washington, D.C., August 1861. Memorandum for the President, August 2, 1861 / George B. McClellan -- A Measure Against Slavery: August 1861. Confiscation Act, August 6, 1861 -- "The Presdt is an idiot": August 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, August 8, 9, and 16, 1861 -- Battle of Wilson's Creek : Missouri, August 1861. From The Lyon Campaign in Missouri / E. F. Ware -- Confederate Artillery at Wilson's Creek : Missouri, August 1861. From With the Light Guns in '61-'65 / W. E. Woodruff -- Freeing the Slaves of Rebels: Missouri, August 1861. Proclamation, August 30, 1861 / John C. Frm̌ont -- Modifying a Proclamation : September 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to John C. Frm̌ont, September 2, 1861 -- The Need for Black Soldiers: September 1861. Fighting Rebels with Only One Hand, September 1861 / Frederick Douglass -- Revoking Frm̌ont's Proclamation: September 1861 / Abraham Lincoln to Orville H. Browning, September 22, 1861 -- A Cherokee-Confederate Alliance: Indian Territory, October 1861. Message to the National Council, October 9, 1861 / John Ross -- Battle of Ball's Bluff: Virginia, October 1861 / Henry Livermore Abbott to Josiah Gardner Abbott, October 22, 1861 -- Replacing Winfield Scott: October 1861 / George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen McClellan, October 25, 26, 30, and 31, 1861 -- "I am tired of incompetents": November 1861 / Charles Francis Adams Jr. to Henry Adams, November 5, 1861 -- Preparing for the Next Battle : November 1861 / George B. McClellan to Samuel L. M. Barlow, November 8, 1861 -- Battle of Belmont: Missouri, November 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, November 8, 1861 -- A Doctor at Belmont : Missouri, November 1861 / Lunsford P. Yandell Jr. to Lunsford Yandell Sr., November 10, 1861 -- The Capture of Port Royal : South Carolina, November 1861 / Samuel Francis Du Pont to Sophie Du Pont, November 13-15, 1861 -- A Former Slave Remembers : South Carolina, November 1861. Narrative of the capture of the Sea Islands, November 1861 / Sam Mitchell -- A Confederate Sermon : Georgia, November 1861. God in the War, November 15, 1861 / Henry Tucker -- Richmond, Virginia, November 1861. Message to the Confederate Congress, November 18, 1861 / Jefferson Davis -- The Army of the Potomac : Virginia, November 1861. The Great Review / Harper's Weekly -- Slavery and the Press: November 1861 / Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, November 27, 1861 -- Shortages and Inflation : Virginia, Autumn 1861. From Richmond During the War / Sallie Brock -- The "Trent" Affair : London, November-December 1861. Journal, November 27-December 3, 1861 / Benjamin Moran -- War with England : London, November 1861 / Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., November 30, 1861 -- Washington, D.C., December 1861. Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861 / Abraham Lincoln -- Preparing to Enlist : Boston, December 1861 / Charles Francis Adams Jr. to Henry Adams, December 10, 1861 -- A Song of the Contrabands : Virginia, 1861. Let My People Go -- Not Relying on Foreign Aid : December 1861 / Robert E. Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, December 29, 1861 -- The President's Duty to Act : Washington, D.C., December 1861. Diary, December 31, 1861 / Edward Bates -- Lincoln and McClellan : Washington, D.C., January 1862. Memorandum, January 10-13, 1862 / Irwin McDowell -- "The bottom is out of the tub" : Washington, D.C., January 1862. Memoir of Meetings with President Lincoln, January 10-13, 1862 / Montgomery C. Meigs -- "This army has got to fight" : January 1862 / Edwin M. Stanton to Charles A. Dana, January 24, 1862.