It's the spring of 1861 here in Washington, D.C., still a developing metropolis.

Though Pierre L'Enfant's grand design of wide avenues and iconic landmarks has been laid out,

much of the national mall remains a messy patchwork of muddy fields, scattered trees, and grazing livestock.

The Capitol building remains unfinished, its dome, still encased in scaffolding,

while the streets linking it to the executive mansion are rough, uneven, and dimly lit at night.

The erection of the magnificent obelisk honoring George Washington, its cornerstone laid 13 years earlier in 1848,

has stalled due to lack of funding. It won't be finished until 1879.

Nonetheless, D.C. is home now to 75,000 people and growing as the nation expands west.

But when news of the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina

reaches Washington, everything comes to a standstill.

For the next 12 days, this fledgling metropolis will be a twitching center of a nervous nation,

now teetering on the brink of civil war.

Music nation, now teetering on the brink of Civil War. Good day, all. I'm Don Wildman, and you've clicked through to American History Hit.

We drop new episodes Monday and Thursday. Unless you're a subscriber, then you'll get us a day early with zero ads. Go to HistoryHit.com. On April 12th, 1861, Confederate artillery let loose on Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, instigating a Confederate takeover of a

federal installation, thus making war with the United States of America inevitable. But 34 hours later,

lacking adequate firepower, munitions, and supplies, Sumter's commander, Major Robert Anderson,

surrendered. Now, we've covered the battle of Fort Sumter in a previous episode,

number 183 for anyone keeping track. So we won't focus on those events now, but rather on the

fateful weeks that followed. The book 12 Days, How the Union Nearly Lost Washington in the

first days of the Civil War addresses this critical and

confusing period and was authored by our guest today, journalist and business executive

Tony Silber. Welcome, Tony. Nice to have you on the show. Thanks, Tom. Glad to be here. I'm excited.

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