As North and South mobilized for war, the Confederacy began courting foreign powers for international recognition and more states seceded from the Union. Missouri became a hotbed of violence and hostilities began in Virginia. Some still hoped for a peaceful reconciliation, while others believed that just one decisive battle would settle the conflict. Few expected the war to last very long.
The Federal Mobilization
With Congress in recess, President Abraham Lincoln had virtually unlimited power to put down the rebellion. Through administration orders, U.S. marshals confiscated telegraph messages sent over the past year in their hunt for pro-secession sympathizers. Many complained that this violated civil liberties. In addition, since Lincoln had little experience in executive matters, many northerners worried that he was not capable of handling the crisis effectively.
Meanwhile Federal troops answered Lincoln’s call for volunteers by hurrying into Washington to fortify the capital now that Maryland’s loyalty had been secured. With no ready space to house the troops, many camped in the Capitol, on the White House lawn or even in the White House itself. Soon Washington was the most heavily fortified city in the world.
Rebellion in Missouri
Riots erupted in St. Louis when the pro-secessionist state militia protested against Federal forces marching through the city. According to legend, Federal General Nathaniel Lyon had gained access to state militia headquarters at Fort Jackson disguised as a woman, made notes on the fortifications and returned with his men to capture the fort. During the march back from the fort, citizens and militia rioted against the "Hessians" (the Federals were mostly German immigrants), and about 29 people were killed when shouting turned into shooting.
Confederate Politics
In Montgomery, Alabama, Confederate President Jefferson Davis signed a congressional resolution declaring a state of war existed between the United and the Confederate States. The Confederacy began processing volunteers to serve for the war’s duration and approving loans to finance the war effort. Knowing that they needed international recognition to secure their independence, Confederate officials began opening diplomatic channels for the European powers of Great Britain and France.
British Neutrality
In London, the British Foreign Minister received Confederate commissioners to consider aiding the southern war effort. In Parliament, Lord John Russell announced that Britain would recognize the Confederates as belligerents but would not recognize the Confederacy as a new nation. On May 13, Queen Victoria officially declared that Britain was neutral.
Confederate emissaries continued working to get the Queen to change her mind. However by placing the Confederates in a belligerent status, Britain retained the right to trade with them. This would cause friction with the U.S. government as time went on.
More States Secede
As the Lincoln administration worked to keep the border slave states (i.e., Maryland, Delaware, Missouri and Kentucky) from joining the Confederacy, three more southern states seceded this month. These included Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina, bringing the total number of Confederate states to 11.
Meanwhile, meetings were held in Wheeling and Kingwood in western Virginia to protest Virginia’s secession. This region of Virginia, along with portions of eastern Tennessee, would remain pro-Union throughout the war.
Action in Virginia
Federal troops occupied Alexandria across the Potomac River from Washington. The troops were led by young Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a personal friend of President Lincoln. Ellsworth’s troops removed a Confederate flag from a hotel roof, and as they left the building, the innkeeper shot Ellsworth dead. The innkeeper was immediately killed by Federal troops, but Ellsworth’s death shocked the North. Funeral services for Ellsworth were held in the East Room of the White House and were attended by the Lincolns and many other U.S. dignitaries.
The Confederate Congress voted in favor moving the national capital from Montgomery to the more accessible Virginia capital of Richmond. Many southerners believed that Richmond, the largest and most industrialized city in the South, would give the Confederacy a military and psychological advantage, even though it was only 80 miles from Washington.
The Confederate government, including President Davis, began arriving in Richmond on May 29, and the northern war cry became, "On to Richmond!" In Alexandria, General Irvin McDowell took command of Federal forces as they prepared to invade the heart of the state and capture the rebel capital.
Conclusion
The military buildup in Virginia continued into June. A large-scale action was inevitable, but nobody knew when it would happen or what its results would be. Few anticipated the horrible carnage that the war would ultimately bring.
Sources
Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara: The Civil War: Day by Day (New York, NY: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1971)
Wallechinsky, David and Wallace, Irving: The People’s Almanac (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1975)
Ward, Geoffrey; Burns, Ric; Burns, Ken: The Civil War (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990)
Walter Coffey - Walter Coffey is a freelance writer who resides in Houston, Texas. Walter has written several works of historical fiction and non-fiction, ...
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