Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini

Author:Jennifer Chiaverini
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2021-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

16

December 1860–March 1861

ELIZABETH

A few days before Christmas, at a state convention held at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Charleston, the delegates of South Carolina voted unanimously to secede from the Union.

Although warnings of secession had appeared with increasing frequency in Southern papers after Abe’s election, many people in the North, including Elizabeth and Ninian, were astounded when South Carolina finally made good on the threat. The stock market roiled, politicians debated to no avail, and citizens North and South wondered with trepidation or fervor which state would be next to secede. Any hopes that South Carolina could swiftly be restored to the Union through negotiation were dashed when its newly appointed leaders declared that the three federal forts within its borders fell within their jurisdiction. While President Buchanan dithered over the appropriate response, perhaps wishing that Abe could replace him immediately and relieve him of the responsibility, the federal officer in charge of one of the forts took action. On the night of December 26, Major Robert Anderson moved his troops from their vulnerable position at Fort Moultrie on the mainland to the more defensible Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The next day the South Carolina militia seized Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney and demanded Major Anderson’s surrender. Major Anderson declined and resolutely held his post while the South Carolina military settled in for the siege.

In the midst of unprecedented national turmoil and alarm, Abe remained obliged to continue the work of his fledgling administration, and appointing a cabinet was foremost. He invited his former rivals for the Republican nomination, including Mr. Chase, to meet with him in Springfield, while others, such as Mr. Seward, sent proxies. Much to her chagrin, Mary was not allowed to sit in on their private meetings, but at the dinners and receptions she hosted during their visits she had many opportunities to speak with the potential cabinet secretaries and to weigh their merits. Elizabeth understood why Abe was obliged to consider his former rivals and other prominent party men for these important posts, but she hoped he did not overlook loyal, eminently qualified men closer to home—namely, her own dear Ninian. It would be bad form if Ninian came right out and requested a position, but he could, and did, intimate that he was ready and eager to serve in whatever capacity his brother-in-law deemed fit. Between themselves, Ninian and Elizabeth agreed that attorney general would be a high honor for which his skills and experience well suited him, but postmaster general was also prestigious enough.

Their anticipation was overshadowed by dire reports from the East. On January 5, the New York Herald reported that a steamship called the Star of the West had set out from New York for Charleston with supplies and troops to relieve Major Anderson at Fort Sumter. Other newspapers confirmed the story, noting where and when the merchant vessel had been spotted as it journeyed south along the coast. “I would feel reassured by President Buchanan’s long overdue action,” said Mary

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