Civil War: New York Times 1861

Civil War: New York Times 1861

2,616 pages of the New York Times dating from January to August and October to December 1861, plus a subject index for all the 1861 issues of the New York Times.

The files contain a text transcript of all computer recognizable text embedded into the graphic image of each page of each document, creating a searchable finding aid. Text searches can be done across all files.

1861 experienced the first full-fledged belligerency of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The New York Times was one of only a handful of newspapers in the United States to place correspondents near the lines of battle during the Civil War. None of the battles fought during the Civil War were fought inside the State of New York. New York was the most populous state in the Union during the Civil War. Approximately 400,000 citizens of New York State served in Union forces and 54,000 died.

The state was politically divided. New York City was heavily influenced by the Democratic Party and Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party-political machine in New York City, run by William M. Tweed also known as "Boss" Tweed. Democratic New York City Mayor Fernando Wood in January 1861 called on the New York City Council to secede the city from the Union. Tweed wanted New York City to declare itself a free city in order to continue its profitable cotton trade with the Confederacy.

Events surrounding the Succession Crisis and the American Civil War dominate the 2,616 pages of the New York Times in this collection, as demonstrated by the number of hits you get when searching the collection using the text search feature for the words and names:

Fort Sumter: 688
Confederate, Confederates, or Confederacy: 3,260
Lincoln: 1,069
Slave, slavery, slaveholder, or slaveholding: 8,283

Key Civil War events covered by the New York Times in 1861 include:

The succession declarations of one Southern State after another in January and February.

Jefferson Davis' election as the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Weed Convention in Montgomery, Alabama on February 9.

The U.S. House unanimously passing a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state, February 11.

The swearing in of Abraham Lincoln as the sixteenth President of the United States on March 4th.

The Battle at Fort Sumter commences the combat of the American Civil War, April 12th.

Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland on April 28.

Queen Victoria of Great Britain issues a proclamation of neutrality and recognizes that the Confederacy has belligerent rights on May 13.

Death of Col. Ellsworth, an account of his death appears in the May 26 issue.

Debate takes place on the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, which is passed by Congress on July 25, it states that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery.

France issues a declaration of neutrality in late July.

Debate takes place on the Revenue Act of 1861. It passes Congress on August 5 and establishes a federal income tax of 3% on all incomes over $800 to help pay for the war.

Lincoln issues a proclamation calling for halt in commerce with rebellious states and confiscation of all property, August 17.

Jefferson Davis wins the election for the presidency of the Confederate States of America (CSA) on November 6.

The New York Times covers the Trent Affair. In November the USS San Jacinto stops the Trent, a United Kingdom mail ship, and removes two Confederate agents, James Mason and John Slidell, which results in a strong negative diplomatic reaction by the UK.

From July to December the Union and the Confederate States engage in the first battles of the war. The Times provided comprehensive coverage of the fighting including the battles of Corrick's Ford, First Battle of Bull Run aka First Manassas, Wilson's Creek, Santa Rosa Island, Ball's Bluff, and the Battle of Belmont.

The Times also covered other local, nation and world events it found fit to print including a review of Charles Dicken's newly released "Great Expectations" and reporting on the completion of a San Francisco to New York telegraph line.