Georgia’s Baptist governor, Joseph Brown (illustration), continues to systemically take over federal lands and buildings in his state. Today, he orders the state militia to take possession of the United States Mint in Dahlonega. The north Georgia mountain town is the place were gold was first discovered in America.
Also today, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, a former Baptist, notifies South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens that he will attempt to resupply Fort Sumter. In response, the Confederate commander at Charleston, General P.G.T. Beauregard, is ordered by the Confederate government to demand the evacuation of Sumter. Should his demands be refused, Beauregard is ordered to force the evacuation of the Fort.
Meanwhile, the escalating showdown off the coast of South Carolina is feverishly covered by newspapers throughout the country. War is imminent.
