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.

Lincoln rides horseback before breakfast to Soldiers' Home. N.Y. Times, 8 March 1861.

Holds conference with several members of cabinet on supplying Fort Sumter, S.C. No decisions. Welles, Diary; Randall, Lincoln, 1:319.

Diplomatic corps, in national dress, pays official visit. Cabinet members and Mrs. Lincoln present. Lincoln replies to speech by Commander J. C. de Figaniere é Moraô minister from Portugal. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 8 March 1861, 3:2; Baltimore Sun, 8 March 1861; Reply to Diplomatic Corps, 7 March 1861, CW, 4:277.

President discusses selection of marshal for District of Columbia with Sec. Simon Cameron. Interviews Lucius H. Chandler, Virginia politician, on Union sentiment in state. N.Y. Times, 8 March 1861.

Writes note of recommendation for William Johnson, "a colored boy" who has been "with me about twelve months." Abraham Lincoln to Whom It May Concern, 7 March 1861, CW, 4:277.

Lincoln writes Cong. Colfax (Ind.) about selection of Indiana representative in cabinet. Abraham Lincoln to Schuyler Colfax, 8 March 1861, CW, 4:278.

President's "first reception a motley crowd and terrible squeeze." Bates, Diary.

"The event was voted by all the oldest inhabitants to have been the most successful ever known there." Nicolay to Bates, 7 March 1861, 10 March 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles presents officers of navy in full uniform to President and Mrs. Lincoln. Welles to wife, 8 March 1861, Gideon Welles Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

For two and a half hours the President shakes hands with all who pass him. William O. Stoddard, Inside the White House in War Times (New York: C. L. Webster, 1890), 52.

Stops a guest of "towering proportions," saying he allows no one taller than himself to pass him unchallenged. Lincoln has to admit himself "beaten in height" by six-foot-seven-inch Mr. Hatcher of Loudon County, Virginia. At 10:30 P.M. Lincoln passes through East Room and withdraws to private apartment. Hundreds "gave it up in despair, and went home without seeing the new President." Evening Star (Washington, DC), 9 March 1861, 2:2.

Ladies connected with foreign legations call upon Mrs. Lincoln. Baltimore Sun, 9 March 1861.

Lincoln submits written questions to Gen. Scott about supplying and reinforcing Fort Sumter, S.C. Abraham Lincoln to Winfield Scott, 9 March 1861, CW, 4:279.

Sec. Welles spends about half hour with Lincoln. Welles to wife, 9 March 1861, Gideon Welles Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Lincoln makes brief remarks to delegation from Oregon. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 12 March 1861, 3:3.

Cabinet meeting "upon the State of the Country," meaning Fort Sumter, held at night. Bates, Diary.

Consensus of opinion is that Federal garrison will be evacuated in five days. John S. Tilley, Lincoln Takes Command (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1941), 165.

Following White House etiquette, Mrs. Lincoln receives friends in morning. N.Y. Times, 8 March 1861.

[George A. P. Healy's portrait of Buchanan is removed from President's House to rotunda of Capitol. DNA—RG 42 Commissioner of Public Buildings, Letters Sent, Blake to Healy, 9 March 1861.]

Family attends New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, their church preference while in Washington. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley is pastor. Barton, Life of Lincoln, 2:42.

[John Hay is working as assistant to John G. Nicolay, detailed to full time White House service from clerkship in Dept. of Interior. Nicolay to Bates, 10 March 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.]

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.

President is criticized by overzealous patriots for not arresting for treason three ambassadors from Confederacy. William O. Stoddard, Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life (New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert, 1884), 217.

Sends to Senate nominations of Cassius M. Clay for minister to Spain and Cong. Thomas Corwin (Ohio) for minister to Mexico. Baltimore Sun, 13 March 1861.

Officers of army in full uniform, accompanied by General Winfield Scott and Secretary of War Simon Cameron, call formally at White House. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 12 March 1861, 2:2; Albert G. Riddle, Recollections of War Times: Reminiscences of Men and Events in Washington, 1860-1865 (New York: Putnam, 1895), 11.

Cong. John Hickman (Pa.) discusses political appointments with Lincoln. Hickman to Lincoln, 13 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Lincoln in cabinet council decides to nominate Colonel Sumner for brigadier general. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 13 March 1861, 2:1.

President and Mrs. Lincoln give party with music and dancing. Nicolay to Bates, 14 March 1861, John G. Nicolay Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

President instructs Sec. Seward to refuse an audience to John Forsyth of Alabama and former Cong. Martin J. Crawford (Ga.). To receive them would be to admit that states they represent are out of Union. Henry J. Raymond, The Life and Public Services of Abraham Lincoln . . . Together with his State Papers, including his Speeches, Addresses, Messages, Letters, and Proclamations and the Closing Scenes Connected with his Life and Death (New York: Derby & Miller, 1865), 170.

Interviews M. W. Delahay, whom he appoints surveyor general for Kansas. Abraham Lincoln to Mark W. Delahay, 13 March 1861, CW, 4:283.

Cabinet holds short session on appointments. N.Y. Times, 14 March 1861.

President consults with Lt. Gustavus V. Fox (USN, resigned), brother-in-law of Mrs. Montgomery Blair, and Postmaster Gen. Montgomery Blair on plan for provisioning Fort Sumter, S.C. Gideon Welles, "Fort Sumter, Facts in Relation to the Expedition Ordered by the Administration of President Lincoln for the Relief of the Garrison in Fort Sumter," Galaxy 10 (November 1870):618.

Receives request from Cong. Corwin (Ohio) to recall his nomination as minister to Mexico if it has not been acted upon. Corwin to Lincoln, 13 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Lincoln sends to Senate nomination of Jacob S. Haldeman, president, Harrisburg (Pa.) National Bank, as minister to Sweden. Cabinet meets in morning and afternoon; busy with appointments and policy regarding Fort Sumter, S.C. Baltimore Sun, 15 March 1861.

Lincoln presents to cabinet G. V. Fox's plan for relieving Fort Sumter, S.C. West, Welles, 98-99.

Requests written opinion of each cabinet member on wisdom of provisioning Fort Sumter. Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, 15 March 1861, CW, 4:284-85.

Gen. Scott consults with cabinet on present military crisis. Lincoln nominates Elisha O. Crosby as minister to Guatemala. Baltimore Sun, 16 March 1861.

Receives written opinions from three cabinet members on wisdom of sending supplies to Fort Sumter: Sec. Seward, no; Sec. Welles, no; Postmaster Gen. Blair, yes. Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, 15 March 1861, CW, 4:284-85.