"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)"

(Tuesday, July 9, 1861) — Civil War diarist Mary Chestnut expresses hope for “our battle summer. May it be our first and our last, so called. After all we have not had any of the horrors of war.”

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)"

(Saturday, June 29, 1861) — President Lincoln and his cabinet met with key military leaders today to examine the future course to to be taken by Union forces. Generals McDowell and Scott described their plans, recognizing the importance of maintaining public support and enthusiasm.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (habeas corpus suspended @ 1:08:16)

(Monday, May 27, 1861) — Chief Justice William B. Taney ruled today that the military arrest of John Merryman in Maryland violated the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and President Lincoln didn’t have the authority to suspend this privilege.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Butler acts @ 1:09:38)

(Friday, May 24, 1861) — Union General Benjamin Butler declared slaves to be the contraband of war today when he declared them contraband at Fort Monroe, Va.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Feds cross Potomac @ 1:07:29)

(Friday, May 24, 1861) — Union forces cross the Potomac River and occupy Arlington Heights, the home of future Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (habeas corpus suspended @ 1:08:16)

(Saturday, April 27, 1861) — The writ of habeas corpus, a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment, was suspended by President Abraham Lincoln today in Maryland and parts of midwestern states, including southern Indiana, during the American Civil War.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Lee resigns at 1:02:55)

(Saturday, April 20, 1861) — Colonel Robert E. Lee turned down today an April 18 offer by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to become a major general in the U.S. Army and resigned.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Baltimore riots at 1:04:04)

(Friday, April 19, 1861) — The Baltimore riot of 1861, a pro-Secession mob in Baltimore, Maryland, today attacked United States Army troops marching through the city.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Lincoln offers Lee command at 1:01:36)

(Thursday, April 18, 1861) — President Abraham Lincoln today offered Colonel Robert E. Lee the job of commanding the Union army.