The election was scarcely over before it was evident that the Southern
States did not intend to abide by the result, and that a conspiracy was
on foot to divide the Union. Before the Presidential election even, the
Secretary of War in President Buchanan’s Cabinet had removed one hundred
and fifty thousand muskets from Government armories in the North and
sent them to Government armories in the South.
Before Mr. Lincoln had prepared his inaugural address, South Carolina,
which took the lead in the secession movement, had declared through her
Legislature her separation from the Union. Before Mr. Lincoln took his
seat, other Southern States had followed the example of South Carolina,
and a convention had been held at Montgomery, Alabama, which had elected
Jefferson Davis President of the new Confederacy, and Alexander H.
Stevens, of Georgia, Vice-President.
Southern men in the Cabinet, Senate and House had resigned their seats
and gone home, and Southern States were demanding that Southern forts
and Government property in their section should be turned over to them.
Between his election and inauguration, Mr. Lincoln remained silent,
reserving his opinions and a declaration of his policy for his inaugural
address.
Before Mr. Lincoln’s departure from Springfield for Washington, threats
had been freely made that he would never reach the capital alive, and,
in fact, a conspiracy was then on foot to take his life in the city of
Baltimore.
Mr. Lincoln left Springfield on February 11th, in company with his wife
and three sons, his brother-in-law, Dr. W. S. Wallace; David Davis,
Norman B. Judd, Elmer E. Elsworth, Ward H. Lamon, Colonel E. V. Sunder
of the United States Army, and the President’s two secretaries.