Lincoln spends most of day in private interviews. Offers War Dept. cabinet post to Sen. Cameron (Pa.), who accepts. William E. Baringer, A House Dividing: Lincoln as President Elect (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1945), 320-21.

Receives warning of plot to assassinate him during inauguration parade. Cong.-elect George P. Fisher (Del.) warns Lincoln of possible Negro uprising on March 4, 1861. Fletcher Pratt, History of the Civil War (New York: Pocket Books, 1956), 5.

Lincoln, Lord Richard Lyons (British Minister), Gen. Scott, and others attend dinner given by Rudolph Schleiden, Bremen Minister. Baltimore Sun, 7 March 1861.

Mrs. Lincoln, accompanied by Mrs. Sarah B. McLean, wife of John McLean, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, calls at White House and visits with Miss Harriet Lane, President Buchanan's niece and hostess. Baltimore Sun, 2 March 1861.

Lincoln withholds admittance of uninvited visitors. Goes for drive in carriage presented by New York friends. Receives two delegations from Virginia. William E. Baringer, A House Dividing: Lincoln as President Elect (Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association, 1945), 321; Washington National Republican, 4 March 1861.

Deputation headed by Simeon Draper, New York merchant and friend of Sen. Seward (N.Y.), protests appointment of Senator-elect Chase (Ohio) to cabinet. Lincoln proposes alternate slate without Seward's name. Delegation retires nonplussed. Allan Nevins, The Emergence of Lincoln, 2 vols. (New York: Scribner, 1950), 2:455.

Seward writes Lincoln asking leave to withdraw from cabinet appointment. Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, 3 March 1861, CW, 4:273.

Lincoln promises Vice President-elect Hamlin to appoint two of his friends—Hamlin's first such request. Hamlin to Welles, 30 March 1861, Gideon Welles Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Dines with General Winfield Scott in evening. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 4 March 1861, 3:1.

[Irwin withdraws $4 from Springfield Marine Bank. Pratt, Personal Finances, 176.]

Lincoln remains in quarters all day, presumably working on Inaugural Address and cabinet appointments. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 4 March 1861, 3:1.

Is willing to have convention of all states to adjust differences between North and South. N.Y. Tribune, 4 March 1861.

["Would it not be well to have the New York Legislature apply to Congress to call a National Convention? It would be agreeable to the Administration—in all parts," Seward to Weed, March 11, 1861, Thurlow Weed Papers, Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.] Sen. Seward (N.Y.) confers at length with Lincoln regarding cabinet appointments. Barton, Life of Lincoln, 2:8.

In morning interview President offers navy cabinet post to Gideon Welles, Connecticut newspaperman and politician, who accepts. Welles to wife, 3 March 1861, Gideon Welles Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Horatio N. Taft, chief examiner in Patent Office, and wife call on President-elect and Mrs. Lincoln and find few Washington ladies present. The Lincolns are "not welcome." Julia Taft Bayne, Tad Lincoln's Father (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), 14-15.

Lincoln gives dinner for William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Gideon Welles, Montgomery Blair, Simon Cameron, Caleb B. Smith, and Edward Bates, whose names he forwards to Senate as members of cabinet. Albert G. Riddle, Recollections of War Times: Reminiscences of Men and Events in Washington, 1860-1865 (New York: Putnam, 1895), 12.

Goes to Senate for Sen. Crittenden's (Ky.) farewell speech. Washington National Republican, 4 March 1861.

Morning cloudy and raw; 30,000 gather to hear Inaugural Address; no disturbance occurs during day. Villard, Eve of '61, 102-5.

Lincoln sends letter to Senator Seward (N.Y.) asking him to remain in cabinet and to reply by 9 A.M. next day. Clarence E. Macartney, Lincoln and His Cabinet (New York: Scribner, 1931), 127; Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, 4 March 1861, CW, 4:273.

Henry Waterson, newspaper representative at Willard's to see W. H. Lamon, is personally conducted by Lincoln. Rufus R. Wilson, ed., Lincoln Among His Friends: A Sheaf of Intimate Memories (Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, 1942), 285-87.

President-elect receives Judge Davis, Edward Bates, Gideon Welles, and others. Gives final touches to Inaugural Address. Allan Nevins, The Emergence of Lincoln, 2 vols. (New York: Scribner, 1950), 2:457-58.

Shortly after 12 M. President Buchanan and Lincoln emerge from 14th Street door of hotel and join Senators James A. Pearce (Md.) and Edward D. Baker (Oreg.) of Arrangements Committee. In open carriage they ride in procession to Capitol. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 4 March 1861, 3:1-3.

Files of soldiers line streets; riflemen on rooftops watch windows; artillery is posted near Capitol, which Lincoln enters through boarded tunnel. Benjamin P. Thomas, Abraham Lincoln: A Biography (New York: Knopf, 1952), 245.

Senate is called to order, and oath of office administered to Hannibal Hamlin by Vice President Breckinridge. Buchanan and Lincoln occupy seats in front of secretary's desk. Baltimore Sun, 5 March 1861.

On portico of Capitol about 1 P.M. Baker introduces Lincoln. Weather is bright and clear. Baltimore Sun, 15 March 1861; Nicolay to Bates, 5 March 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

On rising to deliver Inaugural Address Lincoln "could hardly find room for his hat, and Senator Douglas reaching forward, took it with a smile and held it during the delivery of the Address." The Diary of a Public Man: An Intimate View of the National Administration, December 28, 1860, to March 15, 1861, with prefatory notes by F. Lauriston Bullard (Chicago: Abraham Lincoln Bookshop, 1945); George S. Bryan, The Great American Myth (New York: Carrick & Evans, 1940), 54.

[The authenticity of this incident has long been in doubt. See Randall, Lincoln, 1:295.]

Lincoln adjusts glasses, unfolds manuscript, and reads: "Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States, that by the accession of a Republican Administration, their property, and their peace, and personal security, are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. . . . I take the official oath to-day, with no mental reservations, and with no purpose to construe the Constitution or laws, by any hypercritical rules. . . . I hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual. . . . It follows from these views that no State, upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the Union,—that resolves and ordnances to that effect are legally void; . . . I therefore consider that in view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and, to the extent of my ability, I shall take care, . . . that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States. . . . In doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none unless it be forced upon the national authority. . . . One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute. . . . The Chief Magistrate derives all his authority from the people, and they have conferred none upon him to fix terms for the separation of the States. . . . By the frame of the government under which we live, this same people have wisely given their public servants but little power for mischief; . . . While the people retain their virtue, and vigilence [sic], no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government, in the short space of four years. . . . If it were admitted that you who are dissatisfied, hold the right side in the dispute, there still is no single good reason for precipitate action. . . . In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. . . . We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, streching [sic] from every battelefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." He finishes in half an hour. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administers oath of office. Marine band plays "God Save Our President," and procession to White House begins. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 4 March 1861, 3:4-6; National Intelligencer, 5 March 1861; Monaghan, Diplomat, 38; First Inaugural Address—Final Text, 4 March 1861, CW, 4:262-71.

Lincoln and Buchanan exchange farewells at Executive Mansion. Baltimore Sun, 5 March 1861.

President's first official act is to sign John G. Nicolay's appointment as private secretary. Nicolay to Bates, 5 March 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

About 17 persons sit down with President to first dinner in White House. Ruth P. Randall, Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage (Boston: Little, Brown, 1953), 186.

Lincoln interrupts dinner and speaks to delegation of nearly 1,000 New Yorkers. Baltimore Sun, 6 March 1861; Reply to a New York Delegation, 4 March 1861, CW, 4:272.

Presidential party arrives at Inaugural Ball at 11 P.M. Sen. Henry B. Anthony (R.I.) and Vice President Hamlin attend President, who leads Grand March arm in arm with Mayor Berret (Washington). Douglas escorts Mrs. Lincoln and dances quadrille with her. President returns to White House at 1 A.M.; Mrs. Lincoln remains at ball. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 5 March 1861, 3:2; Baltimore Sun, 6 March 1861; Margaret Leech, Reveille in Washington 1860-1865 (New York: Harper, 1941), 46.

Later recalls: "The first thing that was handed to me after I entered this room, when I came from the inauguration was the letter from Major Anderson saying that their provisions would be exhausted before an expedition could be sent to their relief." Memorandum, 3 July 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Senate committee announces to President that Senate is ready to receive communications. Senate Journal, 409.

Lincoln sends nominations for cabinet positions to extra session of Senate by private secretary, John G. Nicolay. Allan Nevins, The Emergence of Lincoln, 2 vols. (New York: Scribner, 1950), 2:455; Harlan H. Horner, Lincoln and Greeley (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1953), 212.

Receives letter from Secretary of State William H. Seward who decides to remain in cabinet. Barton, Life of Lincoln, 2:8.

Several state delegations, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan, call upon Lincoln. President replies to Massachusetts group: "As President, in the administration of the Government, I hope to be man enough not to know one citizen of the United States from another, nor one section from another." Evening Star (Washington, DC), 6 March 1861, 3:1-2, 4; Baltimore Sun, 6 March 1861; Reply to Massachusetts Delegation, 5 March 1861, CW, 4:274-75; CW, 8:467.

President Lincoln receives a letter from former Secretary of War Joseph Holt, who briefs Lincoln on the situation at Ft. Sumter, located near Charleston, South Carolina. Major Robert Anderson commands the fort and reported to Holt about the growing presence of Confederate forces. Holt informs Lincoln that "an expedition has been quietly prepared, and is ready to sail from New York on a few hours notice, for transporting troops and supplies." Lincoln forwards Holt's letter to Commanding General of the U.S. Army Winfield Scott, who quickly responds, "Evacuation seems almost inevitable." Joseph Holt and Winfield Scott to Abraham Lincoln, 5 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Abraham Lincoln to Winfield Scott, 9 March 1861, CW, 4:279.

[See March 4, 1861.] President's son, Robert, returns to Harvard College. Horace Greeley and Sen. James W. Grimes (Iowa) have interview with Lincoln on questions of internal policy. President confers at late hour with Seward. N.Y. Times, 6 March 1861.

Asks Sec. Simon Cameron to appoint "my friend, E. Elmer Ellsworth" to post in War Dept. Abraham Lincoln to Simon Cameron, 5 March 1861, CW, 4:273.

Lincoln welcomes delegations from California, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 6 March 1861, 3:4; 7 March 1861, 3:1; National Intelligencer, 6 March 1861; Reply to Minnesota Delegation, 6 March 1861, CW, 4:276.

Confers with Cong. Martin F. Conway (Kans.) about patronage. Conway to Lincoln, 12 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Interviews Cong. Colfax (Ind.) relative to his appointment. Colfax to Lincoln, 6 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Sec. Gideon Welles accompanied by Edward S. Cleveland, postmaster, Hartford, Conn., calls on President to review conditions in Navy Dept. Cleveland to Welles, 6 March 1861, Gideon Welles Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

President nominates N. B. Judd minister to Berlin. Baltimore Sun, 7 March 1861.

Explains to Sec. Salmon P. Chase, who learns of cabinet nomination through action of Senate, that it would be embarrassing to him if Chase did not accept. Chase resigns seat in Senate and accepts. Jacob W. Schuckers, The Life and Public Services of Salmon Portland Chase (New York: Appleton, 1874), 207.

Lincoln holds first cabinet meeting; "introductory," "uninteresting." Bates, Diary.

Delegations from Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island interview President. N.Y. Times, 7 March 1861.

[Irwin withdraws $2.65 from Springfield Marine Bank. Pratt, Personal Finances, 176.]

Mrs. Lincoln drives out to Soldiers' Home, Upshur St. and Rock Creek Rd., NW. N.Y. Times, 7 March 1861.

Cabinet meets at 11 A.M. and decides to withdraw troops from Fort Sumter, S.C. N.Y. Times, 13 March 1861.

Lincoln sends nominations to Senate: John Z. Goodrich, collector for port of Boston; George W. McLellan, second assistant postmaster general; Archibald Williams, district judge for Kansas; William P. Dole, commissioner of Indian affairs. Baltimore Sun, 12 March 1861.

Invites Col. Ferguson of Memphis, Tenn., for whom he once chopped wood, to White House. Baltimore Sun, 18 March 1861.

Mrs. Lincoln and friends visit Washington Navy Yard, Eastern Branch, Potomac River. Baltimore Sun, 13 March 1861.