The American Civil War - Chronologically

April 12, 1861 Charleston, SC Fort Sumter US:  Anderson vs. CSA:  Beauregard * "1st shots of the war"? No, not exchanged. The rebs fired on a supply run.  [not pictured, but visited]

Feb. 23, 1861 Camden Station  Baltimore, MD Lincoln takes the train to his inauguration - don't believe the propagandizing myths (he wasn't dressed as a woman, but he probably took his hat off) " In 1861, with the Civil War on the horizon, Abraham Lincoln secretly traveled through Baltimore on his way to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration under the threat of assassination. Upon reaching Camden Station in Baltimore, Lincoln was believed to have boarded the B&O No. 25 and was safely transported to Washington.   The Civil War was the first military conflict in which railroads were used for strategic purposes*. The use of railroads revolutionized the transportation of troops and supplies and affected the outcome on the battlefield. The No. 25 was used extensively during the war to transport Union troops and supplies.  B&O President John Garrett understood the financial and political benefits of siding with the Union, despite his personal ties to the South...

Feb. 22, 1861 Lincoln addresses a crowd in Harrisburg Harrisburg, PA * More important than the marker indicates: Lincoln originally refused to alter his plans to enter Washington, in light of assassination rumors, because he really wanted to talk at Harrisburg; after doing so, he agreed to sneak through Baltimore for safety's safe.  "On February 22, 1861, while journeying to Washington for his Inauguration, Lincoln stopped at the Jones House , on this site. From the portico of the hotel, he addressed a large crowd gathered in Market Square." https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=6577 https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=102324 Apparently Lincoln also, "spoke to a joint session of the legislature in the capitol. Having been warned of an assassination plot in Baltimore, Lincoln left the Jones House and traveled secretly by train overnight from Harrisburg to Washington." At least according to this marker on the the Square. It also explains , " The Jones House, on the southeast...

January 13, 1861 Union secures Fort Taylor Key West, FL  * This fort was held by the Union the whole time (the only Southern port with that designation) and never fired upon. A bunch of folks died of tropical diseases though... * Though there are far less photo ops, this is actually the southernmost point in the continental U.S. The buoy where everyone takes pictures is 1.2 miles North of here - and it was closed for construction when we visited in Dec. 2025 anyway. Here's a public domain pic of the fort: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240156 To Guard the Harbor Where It All Began Fort Taylor was designed in 1843 by Colonel Joseph Totten, Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Fort was to be a key installation in the Army's Third Tier System of 42 coastal fortifications. Its purpose was to guard the harbor at Key West, as well as the island itself. Construction began in June of 1845 on a hard rock shoal 1,100 feet off the southwest point of the island. It was built by Iri...