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BALTIMORE, Sunday, April 12, 1863. I have just reached this point from Charleston Harbor via Fortress Monroe, by the gunboat Flambeau, bringing official dispatches from Admiral DUPONT. The iron-clad fleet, in its attack on Fort Sumter, has met with a repulse, but not a disaster. The attack was made on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 7th inst., and continued for two hours and a half. The fleet had all been got over the bar the day previous, and lay at anchor in the main ship channel along the shore of Morris Island, at a distance of about a mile. The...

On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired the opening shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. This month marks the 160th anniversary of the beginning of the war, the deadliest conflict ever fought on American soil. The Civil War lasted four years and resulted in an estimated 620,000 deaths and 1.5 million casualties. Approximately one in four soldiers that went to war never came back home. This impacted families, communities, and the entire country for generations to come. Historical photograph of Fort Sumter The years leading up to the beginning of the Civil War were filled...

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, March 20. CONCERNING FORT SUMPTER. While the most prominent Republican Senators are unable to say definitely whether the order for the abandonment of Fort Sumpter has been actually issued, they all now concede that this policy has been definitely settled upon. APPOINTMENTS MADE AND TO BE MADE. The following nominations were sent to the Senate to-day: ANSON BURLINGAME, of Massachusetts, Minister to Austria. HENRY S. SANFORD, of Connecticut, Minister to Belgium. RUFUS KING, of Wisconsin, Minister to Rome. BRADFORD R. WOOD, of New-York, Minister to Denmark. JAMES O. PUTNAM, of New-York, Consul at Havre. FREEMAN H. MORSE, of...

Alternative headline: Bill de Blasio enjoys new hobby of losing in court. Earlier this morning, the mayor threatened to sue if Donald Trump used federal law enforcement in New York City. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, de Blasio specifically cited DHS action in Portland in claiming that Trump is “tearing up the Constitution,” and that he’d sue to stop a similar action in the Big Apple: MAYOR DE BLASIO: I still believe in the rule of law in this country, and we would go to court immediately. I believe what the president is doing is unconstitutional. I thought that quote...

Seeking to inject a lofty idea into a new land development plan for Patriots Point, an Atlanta-based group today proposed a male counterpart of the Statue of Liberty to stand guard over Charleston Harbor. Details were scant, but the head of the National Monument Foundation said the Charleston area, with its rich history, is the most appropriate place on the East Coast to "wed" Lady Liberty with an complementary statue in the South. The over-arching theme would be patriotism and freedom, said Rodney M. Cook, founder and of the foundation. A computer rendering showed a statue of Liberty-like proportions, complete...

Secret Message in Lincoln’s Pocketwatch, 1861 ‘In 2009 the Smithsonian found a “secret” message engraved in Abraham Lincoln’s watch by a watchmaker who was repairing it in 1861 when news of the attack on Fort Sumter reached Washington, D.C. ‘In an interview with The New York Times April 30, 1906, 84-year-old Jonathan Dillon recalled he was working for M.W. Galt and Co. on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, where he was repairing Lincoln’s watch. The owner of the shop announced that the first shot of the Civil War had been fired. Dillon reported that he unscrewed the dial of the watch,...

During the winter of 1860-61, the citizens of Charleston (map), South Carolina, were so sure that no war would follow their recent move to secede from the United States of America that the fiery editor of the Charleston Mercury supposedly vowed to eat the bodies of all who might be slain as a result. Not to be outdone, former U.S. Senator James Chesnut, Jr., promised to drink any blood spilled. After all, "a lady's thimble," as a common saying had it, "will hold all the blood that will be shed." Perhaps the most visible reminder to Charlestonians of the U.S....

A key Senate Republican came out swinging today against the idea of passing just an energy bill and ignoring President Obama's call to also cap greenhouse gas emissions. "It's the 'kick the can down the road' approach," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. "It's putting off to another Congress what really needs to be done comprehensively. I don't think you'll ever have energy independence the way I want until you start dealing with carbon pollution and pricing carbon. The two are interconnected."

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that providing some kind of legal citizenship pathway and status to illegal immigrants -- which critics say is amnesty -- is key to U.S. national security. “We will never have fully effective law enforcement or national security as long as so many millions remain in the shadows,” Napolitano said in a speech Friday to the liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress. Napolitano said the Obama administration favors immigration reforms that include pathways for the 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. to gain legal status. That includes paying back...

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that the Obama administration will push for “immigration reform” by giving the estimated 14 million people who are in the United States illegally “fair pathway to earned legal status.” “A tough and fair pathway to earned legal status will mandate that illegal immigrants meet a number of requirements—including registering, paying a fine, passing a criminal background check, fully paying all taxes and learning English,” Napolitano said Friday at a panel discussion at the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. “These are substantial requirements that will make sure this population gets right...

--Snip-- On this date: In 1863, Federal batteries and ships began bombarding South Carolina's Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor during the Civil War, but the Confederates managed to hold on despite several days of pounding.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Sunday Morning Talking Heads Show with Doris Kearnes Goodhead Tomy Slow: Good Morning and welcome to our show. Today we have historian and author Doris Kearnes Goodhead with us to discuss recent events regarding her writings. Ms. Goodhead: Good Morning Tomy Slow: Ms. Goodhead, with regard to these stories about your published work, do you have any corrections you would like to make about history, as you know it to be true? Ms. Goodhead: Well, I think I could correct some fallacies in the historical understanding of the American public. Tomy Slow: Where would you like to start? Mr. Roosevelt,...