United States History On This Date: April 30th, 1861

Lincoln Orders Additional Troops Toward Washington
With the capital still vulnerable after Maryland’s unrest, Lincoln authorizes more volunteer regiments to move immediately toward Washington. Rail lines through Pennsylvania and the newly‑secured corridor at Annapolis become the lifeline feeding troops into the city.

Virginia Forces Tighten Control Around Norfolk and the Peninsula
Though Virginia has only recently voted to secede (pending ratification), state troops continue occupying strategic points. Batteries along the Elizabeth River expand, and Confederate officers begin assessing the abandoned Gosport Navy Yard’s salvageable assets.

Missouri’s Political Crisis Deepens
Unionist and secessionist factions maneuver for control of the state. Governor Claiborne Jackson quietly coordinates with Confederate agents while Unionist leaders in St. Louis strengthen their ties to Captain Nathaniel Lyon. Both sides prepare for a confrontation neither yet admits is inevitable.

Northern States Accelerate Volunteer Mobilization
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois report overflowing enlistment offices. Governors warn that the federal quota system cannot keep pace with the number of men arriving to join the Union cause. Camps of instruction expand rapidly, often without adequate uniforms or arms.

President Abraham Lincoln

American History By The Day: May 20th

The Civil War - The Confederacy:  On this day in 1861 the state of North Carolina votes to secede from the Union.

Post Civil War America - Law:  On this day in 1895 Pollock v. Farmers' Loan and Trust Company the Supreme Court finds that the income tax clause of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of August 27th, 1894 is unconstitutional on the grounds that it is a direct tax on only a section of the counrty.  The clause had stipulated an income tax on incomes over $4,000.  Fifteen years earlier the Court had upheld the income tax as constitutional.

Twentieth Century America - International:  On this day in 1902 the United States withdraws its troops from the island of Cuba as its first President is installed.

Twentieth Century America - Aviation:  On this day in 1927 Charles A Lindbergh's gasoline-stuffed Spirit of St. Louis limps off the runway of Roosevelt Field in New York barely clearing the telephone lines.  Inside a sleepy Lindbergh had with him only a few sandwiches, a quart of water, and some letters of introduction that were unnecessary to say the least.  His arrival in Paris 33 1/2 hours later was met by a wave of shouting French citizens who greeted the astonished flier with a delirious enthusiasm that would mark his appearances everywhere for some time.

Source:  The Almanac of American History, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Charles A. Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis at Le Bourget Field moments after landing on May 21st, 1927