The Outbreak of Rebellion: Campaigns of the Civil War

by John G. Nicolay

John G. Nicolay (1832–1901) was an undeniably apt and brilliant choice to inaugurate the landmark Campaigns of the Civil War series. Private secretary to President Lincoln and coauthor (with John Hay) of the monumental, ten-volume Lincoln biography, Nicolay experienced the Civil War from a unique vantage point: living in the White House, witnessing the many momentous events and minor wranglings, sharing the nation's trauma with Lincoln, and winning his open confidence. It is Nicolay's firsthand knowledge and personal observations of the key figures that imbue The Outbreak of Rebellion (1881) with immediacy and thrust. Here is the secession fever that swept the South; Lincoln's shrewd and desperate maneuverings to hold the border states; the behind-the-scenes debates about how to respond to the crisis; the attack on Fort Sumter and the call to arms; and the hard-fought battle along Bull Run creek that resulted in a chaotic Federal defeat and the first appalling casualties of the war. Nicolay's insider view of the opening act of the Civil War has produced a succinct, compelling account of considerable value and fascinating insights.

Genres: History, Civil War

248 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 1881

About the author

John George Nicolay was born in Essingen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on February 26, 1832. He moved to the United States with his family at age 5, and worked at a local Illinois newspaper growing up. Nicolay went on to serve as secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. Nearly 30 years after Lincoln’s death, Nicolay co-wrote a 10-volume biography on the president, Abraham Lincoln: A History, with friend and fellow Lincoln White House employee John Hay.

He was a member of the German branch of the Nicolay family.

Nicolay died on September 26, 1901, in Washington, D.C. He was buried in the nation's capital, at the Oak Hill Cemetery.

Reviews

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Outbreak of Rebellion” is John Nicolay’s story of the early days of the Civil War. Written just twenty years after the events it records, it begins with the rumblings of secession in South Carolina and continues through the first Battle of Bull Run/Manassas. It gives, while not a contemporary account, one based on living memory. On these pages the reader gets an up close view of Abraham Lincoln and is taken back to the days of secession, Fort Sumter, the mob attack on the Sixth Massachusetts in Baltimore, the death of Elmer Ellsworth, issues that made their way from Missouri and Kentucky to the White House and the demonstration of pro-Union sentiment in West Virginia only to name a few. Written by President Lincoln’s private secretary, it has a strong Union flavor.

Although short, this is a good history. It has sufficient facts to qualify as history, but it is also a period piece, bringing the spirit of the times to the reader. One example of the partisan prose with which this book is filled is Nicolay’s assessment of President Buchanan: “his condition of mind predisposed him in a remarkable degree to fall under the controlling influence of his disloyal counselors. He possessed the opposing qualities of feeble will and stubborn prejudice; advancing years and decreasing vigor added to his irresolution embarrassed his always limited capabilities.” It is better written than many Civil War memoirs. Read it for its spirit, the spirit of a Union triumphant and take the history is a bonus.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A political insider's account of the months leading up to the outbreak of war is the most interesting part of Nicolay's account. Especially interesting is Nicolay's story of how Southern leaders like Davis and Buchanan administration Secretary of State John Floyd had joined a conspiracy to secede before Lincoln's election but continued to serve in federal offices through 1860 and into 1861, treasonously delaying federal action against secessionist states like South Carolina and even, in Floyd's case, moving US guns from Northern to Southern locations. A real conspiracy.

[Mark Zadrozny · Rating 4 out of 5]

With renewed national discussion on Confederate monuments and the Civil War, a colleague (E.C.) suggested this title, written 20 years after the war ended and by Lincoln's secretary. Clear that the Rebels were traitors and fought for slavery. The style is personal and of its time but also lucid and invigorating.

[Mark Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol. I - Outbreak of the Rebellion
The Scribners History of the Civil War (1883)

This history of the outbreak of the Civil War is unique in presenting it from the perspective of Lincoln's personal secretary. The man was a participant, and on the legal aspects gives some very clear headed arguments.

Nicolay argues that state governors and legislatures had no authority to issue articles of secession. It is not among the defined powers, and on taking office they swore an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States. Nor did any state save Texas put secession to a popular vote.

"Drills, parades, meetings, bonfires, secession harangues, secession cockades, palmetto flags, purchase of fire-arms and powder, singing of the Marseillaise -- there is not room to enumerate the follies to which the general populace, especially of Charleston, devoted their days and nights. There was universal satisfaction: to the conspirators, because their schemes were progressing; to the rabble, because it had a continuous holiday."

This volume covers the causes of the rebellion and the opening struggle to keep Missouri, Tennessee, the western portion of Virginia, and Maryland in the Union. If Maryland had seceded, Washington would have been trapped 60 miles inside the Confederacy. If western Virginia had seceded with the rest of the state, the Baltimore & Ohio railroad from Baltimore to Cincinnati and St Louis would have been severed. The book closes with the battle of First Bull Run.

* * *

This book is part of the Scribners's series of 16 volumes on the Civil War on land and at sea, published in 1882-3. It took congress twenty years to finally allocate funds to have all official documents and battlefield communications assembled and sorted through. Americans could at last have an inside look at who actually said or did what, and when.

While that massive project was still underway, Scribners persuaded highly qualified people - most of them participants -- to write the individual volumes of this history in light of the new information. There is an immediacy to these brisk and readable accounts, making them a very good starting point for someone who wishes to study the conflict. After reading these, you can pick up any modern volume on any aspect of the war with good contextual grasp of how it fits into the overall picture.

Where these volumes fall short is maps, which are essential but inadequate because the publisher wanted to keep the price of each volume to one dollar – within reach of the ordinary person. The publisher advised readers to keep an atlas handy. Fortunately, today you can google “images” for good maps of almost anything under discussion. For the three naval volumes, you can also google images of the specific ships, or types of ships, under discussion.

[Ian Burrell]

A first-hand narrative of the road to war and the first battles. The author is understandably pro-Union given his position in the Lincoln administration.

Clear and engaging a worthy if partisan history.