Birthdays
William Annan
Turns 56 on this date
Beriah Magoffin
Turns 46 on this date
John Peach
Turns 26 on this date
James McCune Smith
Turns 48 on this date
John Allen Wilcox
Turns 42 on this date
Events
| Carlisle/Dickinson | In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Democratic newspaper denounces "Old Abe's War" | 04/18/1861 |
| Crime/Disasters | In Georgia, fire burns a well-known Macon hotel | 04/18/1861 |
| Crime/Disasters | In Pennsylvania, the world's first oil field fire kills nineteen people and burns for three days |
04/17/1861 to 04/20/1861 |
| Battles/Soldiers | Major Anderson and his command arrive in New York Harbor | 04/18/1861 |
| Crime/Disasters | New York Harbor Police break up illegal boxing match on Staten Island | 04/18/1861 |
| Battles/Soldiers | The Sixth Massachusetts Regiment arrives in Philadelphia on its way to Washington DC, via Baltimore | 04/18/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The Virginia Convention on secession is meeting in Richmond |
02/13/1861 to 05/01/1861 |
| Battles/Soldiers | Union garrison at Harpers Ferry burns the Arsenal and withdraws in an overnight march to Pennsylvania |
04/18/1861 to 04/19/1861 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Chicago (IL) Tribune, “The Old Fire,” April 18, 1861 | 04/18/1861 |
| Executive record | Proclamation of the Governor of Maryland, April 18, 1861 | 04/18/1861 |