What Happened in May 1861

Davis and Family Take Residence at the White House of the Confederacy

In conformity with a resolution of the Confederate Congress, Davis immediately appointed a Peace Commission to resolve the Confederacy's... Read more

Editor and Author Thomas Jordan Spies for Confederacy

On May 22, 1861, Jordan resigned from the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a captain in the fledgling Confederate army. Promotion came rapidly,... Read more

The First Wheeling Convention

As quickly as the Southern states seceded, pockets of resistance developed, the largest of which began in western Virginia and followed the... Read more

Battle of Sewell's Point - Union Gunboats Duel with Confederate Batteries

Sewell's Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water... Read more

Ex Parte Merryman

On May 25, 1861, a secessionist named John Merryman was imprisoned by military order at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., for his alleged... Read more

Battle of Aquia Creek - Union Naval Vessels Bombard Confederate Batteries

The Battle of Aquia Creek took place from May 29 - June 1, 1861 in Stafford County, Virginia as part of the blockade of Chesapeake Bay during the... Read more