4pp., folio, 17 1/4 x 24 3/4 in. Disbound (adhesive repair to separation at central fold, red residue to front cover, light chipping, occasional spotting, some toning or light staining to margins and at horizontal folds). Provenance: Library of Stephen Foreman (blindstamp on newspaper, lower right). 

The newspaper contains prominent, inside page headlines and a detailed account of the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War. The issue also includes a Proclamation dated 15 April 1861 signed in type by President Abraham Lincoln, proclaiming the Southern Confederacy to be in a state of rebellion against the Federal Government and, in essence, declaring war on the Confederacy.