1861

Articles from 1861

The Battle of Bull Run
(Harper’s Weekly, 1861)

Here is an eyewitness report of the Union rout from the first battle of the Civil War, Bull Run (July 21, 1861):


“Leaving my carriage, I went to a high point of ground and saw, by the dense cloud of dust that rose over each of the three roads by which the three columns of the [Federal] Army had advanced, that they were all on the retreat. Sharp discharges of canon in their rear indicated that they were being pursued.”

The War Begins
(NY Times, 1861)

The ball has opened. War is inaugurated. The batteries of Sullivan’s Island, Morris Island and other points were opened on Fort Sumpter at 4 ‘oclock this morning… The answer to General Beauregard’s demand by Major Anderson was that he would surrender when his supplies were exhausted, that is, if he was not reinforced.


Here are the dispatches from Charleston that appeared on the front page of the New York Times on April 13, 1861.

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