1861 April 16th

April 16 1861 Tuesday

Go to April 17 1861

USA. US President Abraham Lincoln forbade trade between loyal states and the seceded states.

CSA. The Confederate government issued a call for 32,000 volunteers to defend the country.

Indian Territory. Fort Washita in the Chickasaw Nation was abandoned by Union forces.

North Carolina. North Carolina state forces occupied Fort Caswell at the mouth of the Cape Fear River and Fort Johnston near Smithville.

Virginia. Captain Garrett J Pendergrast USN, commanding USS Cumberland at Norfolk, was ordered to defer his departure to Vera Cruz and to assist in the preparations for moving the US Navy vessels from the Gosport Navy Yard to safer locations.

Union Organisation

Commander in Chief: President Abraham Lincoln
Vice-President: Hannibal Hamlin
Secretary of War: Simon Cameron
Secretary of the Navy: Gideon Welles

Pacific Squadron: John Berrien Montgomery

General–in-Chief: Winfield Scott

Department of the East: John Ellis Wool

Department of Florida: Harvey Brown awaited

Department of New Mexico: William Wing Loring

Department of the Pacific: Albert Sidney Johnston interim Edwin Vose Sumner awaited

• District of Oregon: George Wright

Department of Texas: Carlos Adolphus Waite

Department of Utah: Philip St George Cooke

Department of Washington: Charles Ferguson Smith

Department of the West: William Selby Harney

Confederate Organisation

CSA: Brigadier-General of Louisiana Militia Paul Octave Hébert assumed command of the unofficial “Department of Louisiana”, succeeding Major-General David Emanuel Twiggs who was awaiting assignment to a formal Confederate command.

Commander in Chief: President Jefferson Finis Davis
Vice-President: Alexander Hamilton Stephens
Secretary of War: Leroy Pope Walker
Secretary of the Navy: Stephen Russell Mallory

Department of Louisiana: Paul Octave Hébert assumed

• “Forces in New Orleans” “Army of Louisiana”: Braxton Bragg

Department of South Carolina: Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard

• “Forces in Charleston”: Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard

Department of Texas: Earl Van Dorn awaited

Department of West Florida: Braxton Bragg

• “Forces in Pensacola”: Braxton Bragg

Defences of Savannah: Alexander Robert Lawton awaited

“Forces in Harper’s Ferry”: Kenton Harper

Union Generals

Major-General USA

Winfield Scott

Brigadier-General USA

John Ellis Wool
William Selby Harney
Edwin Vose Sumner

Brigadier-General USA (Staff)

Joseph Eggleston Johnston

Confederate Generals

Note: Italics, awaiting confirmation of the commission

Major-General PACS

David Emanuel Twiggs

Brigadier-General ACSA

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard
Braxton Bragg

Brigadier-General PACS

Alexander Robert Lawton