Lincoln and the decision for war: the northern response to secession

On the brink of the precipice : the election of 1860

I would not endanger the perpetuity of this Union : November

Proportions of which I had but a faint conception : early December

The issues of the late campaign are obsolete : late December

We know not what a day or two or an hour may bring forth : December-January

One's opinions change fast in revolutionary times : January-February

The storm is weathered : January-February, revisited

A calm pervades the political world : March

Any decision would be preferable to this uncertainty : March-April

Everybody now is for the Union : April-May

Conclusion : Shall it be peace, or a sword?