Documents and Speeches: 1860

The Founding Documents | Ordinances of Secession

The Antebellum Period

January 1 – December 31, 1860

January 1 – December 31, 1861

January 1 – June 30, 1862

July 1 – December 31, 1862

January 1 - June 30, 1863

July 1 - December 31, 1863

January 1 - June 30, 1864

July 1 - December 31, 1864

January 1 - to December 31, 1865

Reconstruction & Post War

• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, January 1860
• Thomas Bayne to William Still, January 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 1, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 1, 1860
• William B. Rogers to Henry D. Rogers, January 2, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 4, 1860
• Pierre-Gustave Toutant Beauregard to William T. Sherman, January 4, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, January 4, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 5, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 6, 1860
• Cadet Emory Upton to Maria E. Upton, January 6, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 7, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 7, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing, January 8, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 9, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 9, 1860
• January 10, 1860, D. Appleton & Company published the first American edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.
• Gov. John Letcher to Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood, January 10, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 10, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 11, 1860
• From the Louisiana Democrat, January 11, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 11, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, January 12, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, Friday Night, Jan. 13, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, Saturday Evening, January 14, 1860
• George Mason Graham to William T. Sherman, January 15, 1860 — 1:50 p.m.
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 17, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, January 19, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 19, 1860
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, January 20, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 20, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 20, 1860
• Maj. Thomas J. Jackston to Mrs. Clementine Neale, January 21, 1860
• George Mason Graham to S. A. Smith, January 21, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Mary E. “Minnie” Sherman, January 22, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 22, 1860
• Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood to Gov. John Letcher, Januery 23, 1860
• Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood to Gov. John Letcher, Januery 24, 1860
• Congressman Israel Wasburn Jr. to James S. Pike, January 24, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, January 24, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 24, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: January 25, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, January 29, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing, January 29, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing, January 29, 1860
• Speech of Sen. James W. Grimes, January 30, 1860
• Congressman Israel Wasburn Jr. to James S. Pike, January 31, 1860
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January & February, 1860
• February-March, 1860, Timothy Meaher, a Mobile, Alabama, shipbuilder and plantation owner, commissions Captain William Foster to outfit and sail the schooner Clotilda to West Africa. The ship is retrofitted to carry enslaved people, including adding hidden compartments.
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 2, 1860
• Zaccheus Beatty to Abraham Lincoln, February 3, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 3, 1860
• Mark W. Delahay to Abraham Lincoln, February 6, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 6, 1860
• Fitz Henry Warren to James S. Pike, February 6, 1860
• Samuel J. Tilden to Noah H. Swayne, February 6, 1860
• John L. Motley to Anna Lothrop Motley, February 9, 1860
• George Mason Graham to Governor Thomas O. Moore, February 9, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 10, 1860
• Benjamin Stanton to James S. Pike, February 11, 1860
• Charles D. Miller to Watts Sherman, February 13, 1860
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, February 14, 1861
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, February 17, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, February 17, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Jr., February 17, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 17, 1860
• Royal Phelps to Charles D. Miller, February 18, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 18, 1860
• Fitz Henry Warren to James S. Pike, February 20, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, February 21, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, February 21, 1860
• Gov. Thomas O. Moore to George Mason Graham, February 21, 1860
• Samuel L. M. Barlow to Charles D. Miller, February 22, 1860
• Pierre G. T. Beauregard to William T. Sherman, February 23, 1860
• Fitz Henry Warren to James S. Pike, February 23, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 25, 1860
• Fitz Henry Warren to James S. Pike, February 25, 1860
• Hawkins Taylor to Abraham Lincoln, February 25, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, February 26, 1860
• Charles D. Miller to Samuel L. M. Barlow, February 26, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address, February 27, 1860
• George L. Stearns to Samuel Gridley Howe, February 27, 1860
• Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood to the Senate of Iowa, February 28, 1860
• Diary of George Templeton Strong: February 29, 1860
• March/April 1860, the Clotilda leaves Mobile, Alabama, under false papers claiming it is on a legal trading mission to Africa. Captain Foster sails toward Ouidah, a key slave port on the coast of present-day Benin.
• William T. Sherman to the Board of Supervisors Seminary of Learning, March 1, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 1, 1860
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George L. Stearns, March 2, 1860
• Charles A. Dana to James S. Pike, March 3, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, March 4, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, March 4, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 5, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, March 5, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 6, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 7, 1860
• Charles A. Dana to James S. Pike, March 8, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, March 8, 1860
• Catharine Maria Sedgwick to Susan Higginson Channing, March 10, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 15, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Mark W. Delahay, March 16, 1860
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George L. Stearns, March 16, 1860
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to James S. Pike, March 19, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 21, 1860
• George L. Stearns to Sen. Charles Sumner, March 22, 1860
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, March 22 1860
• Carson D. Hay to Abraham Lincoln, March 27, 1860
• John Lothrop Motley to Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, March 29, 1860
• Charles A. Dana to James S. Pike, March 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, March 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, March 30, 1860
• Victor Hugo, March 30, 1860
• Resolutions of the Faculty of Louisiana State Seminary, April 1860
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to James S. Pike, April 2, 1860
• Gov. Thomas O. Moore to William T. Sherman, April 4, 1860
• Marcus Spring to Mary Ann Day Brown, April 6, 1860
• Pierre G. T. Beauregard to William T. Sherman, April 7, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, April 12, 1860
• George William Curtis to John J. Pinkerton, April 13, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, April 15, 1860
• Count Adam Gurowski to James S. Pike, April 16, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, April 17, 1860
• William T. Sherman: Circular to Police Juries, April 17, 1860
• Gov. Thomas O. Moore to George Mason Graham, April 19, 1860
• Benjamin Butler to Sarah Hildreth Butler, April 20, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, April 21, 1860
• April 23, 1860, the Democratic National Convention opened at Institute Hall in Charleston, South Carolina. A platform committee was formed to shape the party’s positions, with slavery as the central issue. Southern delegates, led by William L. Yancey of Alabama, pushed for federal protection of slavery in the territories. Northern delegates, backing Senator Stephen A. Douglas, supported popular sovereignty—letting each territory decide. The deep divide between the factions quickly emerged, foreshadowing intense conflicts ahead.
• April 24, 1860, on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, Southern delegates presented a platform demanding federal protection of slavery in all U.S. territories. Northern delegates, backing Stephen A. Douglas, opposed this, favoring popular sovereignty. The sharp divide sparked heated debate, deepening the party’s rift. No agreement was reached on the platform.
• April 25, 1860, April 25, 1860, the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, delegates continued to grapple with the party's platform, particularly the contentious issue of slavery in the territories. The platform committee, dominated by Southern delegates, had presented a majority report advocating for federal protection of slavery in all U.S. territories. Northern delegates, supporting Senator Stephen A. Douglas, opposed this stance, favoring the doctrine of popular sovereignty, which held that the residents of each territory should decide the legality of slavery themselves. Once again no consensus was reached on the platform.
• Sen. William H. Seward, April 25, 1860
• April 26, 1860, the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, delegates remained deadlocked over slavery: federal protection vs. popular sovereignty.
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, April 26, 1860
• Count Adam Gurowski, to James S. Pike, April 26, 1860
• April 27, 1860, the fifth day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, delegates remained deadlocked over the party platform.
• April 28, 1860, the sixth day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, the convention remained deadlocked over the party platform, particularly concerning slavery in the territories.
• April 29, 1860, the seventh day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, delegates remained deadlocked over the party platform
• Abraham Lincoln to Lyman Trumbull, April 29, 1860
• Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. to John L. Motley, April 29, 1860
• April 30, 1860, the eighth day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, marked a breaking point. Delegates adopted the minority (Northern) platform, rejecting federal protection of slavery in the territories. In protest, 51 Southern delegates from several states walked out and met separately at St. Andrew's Hall, claiming legitimacy. The walkout highlighted the deep sectional divide, effectively splitting the party ahead of the 1860 election.
• May/June 1860, the Clotilda arrives at Ouidah. Approximately 110 Africans, mostly Yoruba-speaking people, are purchased from the King of Dahomey or local slave traders. These individuals had been captured in local wars and were sold to the Clotilda's crew.
• May 1, 1860, the ninth day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, ended in deadlock. After 51 Southern delegates walked out over the platform's support for popular sovereignty, the remaining delegates couldn't reach the two-thirds majority needed to nominate a candidate.
• George L. Stearns to Mary Hall Stearns, May 1, 1860
• May 3, 1860, the eleventh and final day of the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, delegates remained deadlocked over the nomination for president. After 57 ballots, Stephen A. Douglas led but fell short of the required two-thirds majority. With no consensus in sight, the convention adjourned without selecting a nominee and planned to reconvene in Baltimore on June 18, 1860.
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, May 8, 1860
• George L. Stearns to Mary Hall Stearns, May 8, 1860
• May 9, 1860, the Constitutional Union Party held its only national convention at the former First Presbyterian Church at Fayette and North Streets in Baltimore, Maryland. Presidential contenders included John Bell, Sam Houston, John J. Crittenden, Edward Everett, William A. Graham, and William C. Rives. On the first ballot, John Bell led with 68.5 votes, followed by Houston with 57.
• May 10, 1860, on the second day of the Constitutional Union Party Convention, John Bell secured the presidential nomination with 139 votes to Sam Houston’s 69. Edward Everett was nominated for vice president. The party adopted a broad platform focused on support for the Constitution, the Union, and enforcement of laws—deliberately avoiding the issue of slavery to attract Unionists from both North and South.
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Jr., May 11, 1860
• Count Adam Gurowski, to James S. Pike, May 12, 1860
• Mark W. Delahay to Abraham Lincoln, May 13, 1860
• May 16, 1860 — The Republican National Convention opened in Chicago, Illinois, inside the “Wigwam,” a large wooden hall built to hold over 10,000 people.
• James G. Blaine to Sen. William P. Fessenden, May 16, 1860
• May 17, 1860, on the second day of the Republican National Convention, delegates adopted the party platform. Key planks included: opposition to the expansion of slavery into western territories; support for a protective tariff to bolster American industry; endorsement of internal improvements like railroads and infrastructure; backing a Homestead Act to grant free land to western settlers; support for immigrants’ rights; and condemnation of the Dred Scott decision.
• Sen. William P. Fessenden to his Family, May 17, 1860
• William B. Rogers to Henry D. Rogers, May 17, 1860
• George L. Stearns to Mary Hall Stearns, May 17, 1860
• May 18, 1860, the final day of the Republican National Convention. Several candidates were nominated for President, including William H. Seward, Abraham Lincoln, Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron, and Edward Bates. Seward led on the first ballot, but fell short of a majority. Lincoln placed second and gained momentum on the second ballot. By the third, he secured 364 of the 466 votes needed. A final shift on the fourth ballot made the vote unanimous—Abraham Lincoln was declared the Republican nominee for President. Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, a former Democrat and U.S. Senator, was chosen as Vice President to balance the ticket geographically and politically.
• May 18, 1860, after Abraham Lincoln’s nomination was confirmed, the Republican Party sent a delegation, led by George Ashmun, to formally notify him. The group arrived at Lincoln’s home at 8th and Jackson Streets in Springfield, Illinois, shortly after 8:00 p.m., and gathered in the large north parlor. Ashmun, speaking for the convention, announced Lincoln had been unanimously chosen as the party’s presidential nominee. He delivered a brief statement conveying the honor and trust of the nomination. Lincoln responded with a short, modest reply, expressing gratitude, acceptance, and recognition of the responsibility it carried. He noted he would provide a formal written response the next day.
• Abraham Lincoln to the Committee Notifying Him of His Nomination to the Presidency, May 18, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, May 21, 1860
• May 22, 1860, the Wedding of George B. McClellan to Mary Ellen Marcy.
• Abraham Lincoln to George Ashmun, May 23, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, May 23, 1860
• Charles Russell Lowell to George Putnam, May 24, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, May 25, 1860
• George Mason Graham to Gov. Thomas O. Moore, May 26, 1860
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, May 29, 1860
• John Tyler to Col. John S. Cunningham, May 30, 1860
• Salmon P. Chase to Joseph H. Bannett, May 30, 1860
• Hannibal Hamlin to George Ashmun, May 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, June 1860
• Lieu.-Col.Robert E. Lee, June 2, 1860
• Charles Eliot Norton to James Russell Lowell, June 3, 1860
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, June 4, 1860
• Andrew Johnson, June 5, 1860
• Victor Hugo, June 8, 1860
• Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 11, 1860
• James Buchanan to Robert Tyler, June 13, 1860
• Braxton Bragg to William T. Sherman, June 14, 1860
• William T. Sherman: Circular of June 15, 1860
• Sherman’s Instructions to State Cadets, June 15, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, June 16, 1860
• Judge Martin F. Conway to George L. Stearns, June 17, 1860
• June 18, 1860, the reconvened Democratic National Convention opened at the Front Street Theater in Baltimore. The day was dominated by disputes over delegate credentials, particularly from Louisiana and Alabama, where rival factions had sent competing delegations. A Credentials Committee was formed to address the issue. No nominations occurred, and contentious procedural debates highlighted the party’s ongoing divisions.
• John M. Forbes to Nassau William Senior, June 18, 1860
• June 19, 1860, the second day of the reconvened Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, proceedings were dominated by disputes over delegate credentials. Seven Southern states that had previously walked out of the Charleston convention sought to have their delegations recognized, leading to heated debates over which delegates should be seated.
• June 20, 1860, the third day of the reconvened Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, delegates continued to grapple with contentious credential disputes. The primary issue centered on whether to seat the original Southern delegates who had walked out of the Charleston convention or to recognize the replacement delegates sent by pro-Douglas factions.
• June 21, 1860, the fourth day of the reconvened Democratic National Convention, the convention remained deadlocked.
• June 22, 1860, the fifth day of the reconvened Democratic Convention, Southern delegates, opposing Stephen A. Douglas and the popular sovereignty platform, withdrew and held a separate convention to nominate their own candidate.
• June 23, 1860, the final day of the reconvened Democratic Convention, ended in a party split. The main convention nominated Stephen A. Douglas for president and Benjamin Fitzpatrick for vice president—though Fitzpatrick later declined and was replaced by Herschel V. Johnson. Meanwhile, the Southern delegates who had walked out met separately and nominated John C. Breckinridge for president and Joseph Lane for vice president.
• Braxton Bragg to George Mason Graham, June 27, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, June 28, 1860
• Vice President John C. Breckinridge to Daniel S. Dickinson, June 29, 1860
• Charles Russell Lowell to Anna Cabot Jackson Lowell, June 30, 1860
• July 1860, the Clotilda returns to Mobile Bay, Alabama. To avoid detection by U.S. authorities, Captain Foster Transports the captives upriver in smaller boats. He burns and sinks the Clotilda near the Mobile River delta to destroy evidence. The Clotilda is the last documented slave ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States.
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, July 4, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, July 6, 1860
• Advertisement In The Red River American, Alexandria, La., July 7, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 10, 1860
• Pierre G. T. Beauregard to William T. Sherman, July 10, 1860
• Alexander Stephens to J. Henly Smith, July 10, 1860
• David Wilmot to Abraham Lincoln, July 11, 1860
• Count Adam Gurowski to James S. Pike, July 13, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, July 16, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, July 22, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Jr., July 22, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, July 23, 1860
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, August 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, August 2, 1860
• David Davis to Abraham Lincoln, August 5, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, August 5, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, August 12, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, August 13, 1860
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, August 13, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, August 14, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, August 19, 1860
• Salmon P. Chase to John Denison Baldwin, August 20, 1860
• Salmon P. Chase to George G. Fogg, August 20, 1860
• John Tyler to Henry S. Foote, August 26, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, August 27, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, August 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, August 30, 1860
• Memorandum By G. Mason Graham, [Summer of 1860]
• David F. Boyd to William T. Sherman, August 30, 1860
• Count Adam Gurowski to James S. Pike, August 31, 1860
• George Mason Graham: State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, September 1, 1860
• Sen. William P. Fessenden to James S. Pike, September 2, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, September 7, 1860
• Francis W. Smith to David F. Boyd, September 9, 1860
• Sen. William P. Fessenden to James S. Pike, September 12, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, September 14, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, September 16, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, September 20, 1860
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, September 24, 1860
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, September 25, 1860
• Major Thomas J. Jackson To Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, September 25, 1860
• David F. Boyd to William T. Sherman, September 27, 1860
• Major Thomas J. Jackson To Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, September 28, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, September 30, 1860
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, October 1860
• Advertisement Of The Seminary In The Louisiana Democrat, October, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, October 3, 1860
• Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler to Blanche Butler, October 8, 1860
• George William Curtis to Charles Eliot Norton, October 14, 1860
• Grace Bedell to Abraham Lincoln, October 15, 1860
• William T. Sherman to David F. Boyd, October 15, 1860
• Ham & Eggs to William Still, October 17, 1860
• From a Slave secreted in Richmond, Va. to William Still, October 18, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Grace Bedell, October 19, 1860
• Major David Hunter to Abraham Lincoln, October 20, 1860
• Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler to Blanche Butler, October 22, 1860
• Braxton Bragg to William T. Sherman, October 25, 1860
• John Albert Broadus to Miss Cornelia Taliaferro, October 25, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Major David Hunter, October 26, 1860
• John Tyler to Col. David L. Gardiner, October 27, 1860
• Pierre G. T. Beauregard to William T. Sherman, October 27, 1860
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, October 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 3, 1860
• William T. Sherman to E. Berté St. Ange, November 4, 1860
• George N. Eckert to Abraham Lincoln, November 5, 1860
• James E. Harvey to Abraham Lincoln, November 5, 1860
• James L. Petigru to Jane Petigru North, November 5, 1860
• Richard Hackley to John A. Broadus, November 5, 1860
• George Mason Graham to William T. Sherman, November 5, 1860
• November 6, 1860, Election Day: Abraham Lincoln, Republican nominee, won with 180 electoral votes and 1,866,452 popular votes (39.8%). Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, then Vice President, earned 72 electoral votes and 847,953 votes (18.2%). John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party secured 39 electoral votes and 590,901 votes (12.6%). Stephen A. Douglas, nominee of the Northern Democrats, received only 12 electoral votes but 1,380,202 popular votes (29.5%), finishing second in the popular vote but fourth in the electoral count.
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, November 7, 1860
• Dairy of Mary Boykin Chesnut, November 8, 1860
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, November 10, 1860
• Sen. Jefferson Davis to Robert Barnwell Rhett, Jr., November 10, 1860
• William Cullen Bryant to Abraham Lincoln, November 10, 1860
• James L. Petigru to Susan Petigru King, November 10, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 10, 1860
• Diary of Lucy Larcom, November 10, 1860
• Dr. Restore C. Carter to Abraham Lincoln, November 12, 1860
• Frederick C. Humphreys to Col. Henry K. Craig, November 12, 1860
• James L. Petigru to Jane Petigru North, November 13, 1860
• Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood to Abraham Lincoln, November 15, 1860
• Major John Sedgwick to his Sister, November 17, 1860
• James Pollock to Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1860
• John Lothrop Motley to Anna Lothrop Motley, November 19, 1860
• Diary of Henry Greville: November 19, 1860
• James Louis Petigru to Mrs. Jane Petigru North, November 20, 1860
• Salmon P. Chase to John Greenleaf Whittier, November 23, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 23, 1860
• Gov. Joseph E. Brown to John B. Floyd, November 24, 1860
• Charles Russell Lowell to John N. Dennison, November 25, 1860
• Pete Muggins to Abraham Lincoln, November 25, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 26, 1860
• William Henry Trescot to Gov. William H. Gist, November 26, 1860
• Joseph Casey to Leonard Swett, November 27, 1860
• Diary of Lucy Larcom, November 27, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 29, 1860
• Gov. William H. Gist to William Henry Trescot, November 29, 1860
• Gov. William H. Gist to William Henry Trescot, November 29, 1860
• Jonathan Worth to Joseph John Jackson, November 29, 1860
• Leonard Swett to Abraham Lincoln, November 30, 1860
• Maj. John Sedgwick to his Sister, November 30, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Sen. John Sherman, December 1, 1860
• James Buchanan's Fourth Annual Message, December 3, 1860
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, December 3, 1860
• Sen. James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, December 5, 1860
• Catharine Maria Sedgwick to Catherine Sedgwick Minot, December 5, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, December 8, 1860
• Howell Cobb to James Buchanan, December 8, 1860
• Horace Bushnell, December 8, 1860
• John McQueen et al to James Buchanan, December 9, 1860
• Sen. John Sherman to William T. Sherman, December 9, 1860
• Commissioners of the State of South Carolina to James Buchanan, December 9, 1860
• Diary of Lucy Larcom, December 9, 1860
• Maj. John Sedgwick to his Sister, December 10, 1860
• James Buchanan to Howell Cobb, December 10, 1860
• Diary of Mary Boykin Chesnut, December 10, 1860
• The Botetourt Resolutions, December 10, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Robert N. Gourdin, December 11, 1860
• Memorandum of Verbal Instructions to Maj. Anderson, First Artillery, Commanding Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, December 11, 1860
• Charles Eliot Norton to Arthur H. Clough, December 11, 1860
• Lewis Cass to James Buchanan, December 12, 1860
• John Tyler to Caleb Cushing, December 14, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson, December 14, 1860
• James Buchanan to Lewis Cass, December 15, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Minnie Sherman, December 15, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 15, 1860
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, December 16, 1860
• Fitz Henry Warren to James S. Pike, December 16, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Col. Samuel Cooper, December 16, 1860 - 8 p.m.
• Memorandum of James Buchanan, December 17, 1860
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens to James Buchanan, December 17, 1860
• Charles Eliot Norton to Georg W. Curtis, December 17, 1860
• The Crittenden Compromise, December 18, 1860
• James Buchanan to Gov. Francis W. Pickens, December 18, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 18, 1860
• John B. Floyd to Gov. Joseph E. Brown, December 18, 1860
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, December 19, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson, December 19, 1860
• George William Curtis to Charles Eliot Norton, December 19, 1860
• Rev. Dr. J. Leighton Wislon to Rev. Dr. Charles Hodge, December 19, 1860
• Capt. James Montogmery to George L. Stearns, December 20, 1860
• South Carolina Secession Ordinance, December 20, 1860
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens to William H. Trescot, December 20, 1860
• John B. Floyd to Maj. Robert Anderson, December 21
• William H. Trescot to Gov. Francis W. Pickens, December 21, 1860
• Diary of Mary Boykin Chesnut, December 21, 1860
• Horace Greeley to Abraham Lincoln, December 22, 1860
• Sen. William P. Fessenden to William Willis, December 22, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Col. Samuel Cooper, December 22, 1860
• Capt. John G. Foster to Col. Rene De Russy, December 22, 1860
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens to William H. Trescot, December 22, 1860
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, December 23, 1860
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 23, 1860
• George Luther Stearns to Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, December 23, 1860
• Declaration Of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession Of South Carolina From the Federal Union, December 24, 1860
• The Address of the People Of South Carolina, Assembled in Convention, To the People of the Slaveholder States of The United States, December 24, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Hannibal Hamlin, December 24, 1860
• George L. Stearns to William L. Robinson, December 24, 1860
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, December 25, 1860
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, December 25, 1860
• William Cullen Bryant to Abraham Lincoln, December 25, 1860
• Diary of Lucy Larcom, December 25, 1860
• Edwin M. Stanton to W. B. Copeland, December 26, 1860
• Braxton Bragg to William T. Sherman, December 26, 1860
• December 27, 1860, the Garrison at Fort Moultrie Evacuates to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens to Col. James J. Pettigrew, December 27, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Robert N. Gourdin, December 27, 1860
• Francis Lieber to G. S. Hillard, December 27, 1860
• John B. Floyd to James Buchanan, December 27, 1860
• John B. Floyd to Maj. Robert Anderson, December 27, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to John B. Floyd, December 27, 1860
• Diary of Lucy Larcom, December 27, 1860
• Diary of Mary Boykin Chesnut, December 27, 1860
• Charles Russell Lowell to Henry Lee Higginson, December28, 1860
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens to David F. Jamison, December 28, 1860
• Robert Lewis Dabney to Elizabeth Price Dabney, December 28, 1860
• Important from Washington, published December 28, 1860
• The News at Baltimore, published December 28, 1860
• The News at Philadelphia, published December 28, 1860
• The News at Columbus, published December 28, 1860
• The News at Augusta, published December 28, 1860
• Major Anderson, published December 28, 1860
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, December 29, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to William Cullen Bryant, December 29, 1860
• John B. Floyd to James Buchanan, December 29, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Robert N. Gourdin, December 29 1860
• Senator William P. Fessenden, December 29, 1860
• James Buchanan to the Commissioners of the State of South Carolina, December 30, 1860
• Edwin M. Stanton to Gen. William Robinson, December 30, 1860
• John B. Floyd to James Buchanan, December 30, 1860
• Maj. Robert Anderson to Rev. Richard B. Duane, December 30, 1860
• Gov. Francis W. Pickens, December 30, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Simon Cameron, December 31, 1860
• Abraham Lincoln to Simon Cameron, December 31, 1860
• James Buchanan to John B. Floyd, December 31, 1860
• James Russell Lowell to Charles Nordhoff, December 31, 1860
• James Henley Thornwell to the Rev. Mr. Douglas, December 31, 1860