Lincoln notified both Maj. Robert Anderson at Fort Sumter and S.C. Gov. Francis Pickens that a naval expedition was en route to resupply the fort, saying “… an attempt will be made to supply ...

FORT SUMTER, Monday, Feb. 25 ... circulated in Charleston and published in some of the papers that Major ANDERSON has been ill. The command generally is quite healthy and in good spirits.

Here’s what happened in April 1861, leading up to the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, which spurred the launch of the American Civil War.