April 16, 1861 (Tuesday)

"Let God Arise,
let his enemies be scattered"
                                                                                 picture by Amy Matsen

Narrative for the day:  Civil War Daily Gazette, "Virginia Prepares for Wholesale Murder, Lincoln the False Prophet, Could Virginia Be Neutral?, Quick Action at Gosport Navy Yard, Wise Wants Harpers Ferry.

From A Diary of American Events, "Responses to Lincoln's Proclamation" -- Many responses from all the country are recorded here...the following is one of them:

"The session of the New York East Methodist Conference was opened by the following prayer:

'Grant, O God, that all the efforts now being made to overthrow rebellion in our distracted country, may be met with every success.  Let the forces that have risen against our Government, and Thy law, be scattered to the winds, and may no enemies be allowed to prevail against us.  Grant, O God, that those who have aimed at the very heart of the republic may be overthrown. We ask Thee to bring these men to destruction, and wipe them from the face of the country.'"

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Disunion--New York Times:  April 13, 1861

"'Let God arise and his enemies be scattered, and those who that hate him flee before him.'  ...So Civil War is inaugurated at last.  God defend the Right.  The Northern backbone is much stiffened already.  Many who stood up for 'Southern rights' and complained of wrongs done the South now say that, since the South has fired the first gun, they are ready to go all lengths in supporting the government...."

Diary of George Templeton Strong, The American Civil War, April 16, 1861:

"Strong recorded the reaction to the news from Fort Sumter and how it affected the political affiliations of New York City's various newspapers.  In the face of the rebellion becoming a shooting war many papers that had been sympathetic to the South days before suddenly shifted to a hard pro-Union stance in reaction to public opinion expressed in the form of torch bearing mobs.  (Read his entry at the link above for all the details.)


Four-minute audio:  "Fort Sumter Attacked!" That a Nation Might Live

Diary of Josiah Marshall Favill -- Measured for a Uniform Suit, Daily Observations from the Civil War

"An American Romantic Goes to War," by Ethan J. Kytle, Disunion--New York Times, April 15, 2011.

  "Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a Harvard-educated minister, spent the better part of the past decade preaching war on slavery."  Here is his story... a good read.

And finally, this post from the Post and Courier, Charleston, April 10, 2011 entitled, "Slavery in Charleston: A chronicle of human bondage in the Holy City"  by Brian Hicks. 

"Charleston was 'ground zero' when it came to slavery.  Any history of slavery in American begins with Charleston.  The city was built on slave labor and, for nearly 200 years, thrived under a slave economy. (Read the whole article at the link above, very informative, full of details.)"