James Longstreet born, 1821
January Ninth
Consider the lark! How he rises on wing,
And mounts to the sky through ethereal air!
He sings as he soars; ’tis his nature to sing,
To warble his notes though no listener be near.
I seek not for fortune, I sigh not for fame,
I follow my Muse into forest or street;
In sorrow, in gladness, I sing all the same,
I sing because singing itself is so sweet.
[These lines, typifying so much of the poetical expression of the old South, were written by former Surgeon H. M. Clarkson, C. S. A., who, on January 9, 1861, as a corporal of artillery, fired a single shot from Fort Moultrie to challenge the Star of the West in its attempt to reinforce Fort Sumter. On the same occasion two other shots were fired by the State cadets stationed on Morris Island, driving the transport from the harbor. It is not improbable, therefore, that, as the challenger of the hostile steamer, the writer of these verses fired the first shot of the war between the States. Corporal Clarkson was in charge of gun No. 13.—Editor]
The United States transport “Star of the West” attempts to reinforce Fort Sumter, 1861
General John B. Gordon dies, 1904
Mississippi secedes, 1861
January Tenth