In Charleston, South Carolina militia seize the federal arsenal and begin issuing arms and ammunition
South Carolina militia, under the command of Colonel John Cunningham, seized control of the Charleston Arsenal from the federal military storekeeper, Captain F.C. Humphreys, under his protest. A militia guard had surrounded the installation since November 9, 1860, after the election of Abraham Lincoln. South Carolina troops then began issuing arms and ammunition. Material worth an estimated $400,000 was seized. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Samuel Wylie Crawford, The Genesis of the Civil War: The Story of Sumter, 1860-1861 (New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1887), 122-123.