150 years ago today - Apr 12, 1861

[Civil War] Officially, Cumming was on a leave of absence, but the citizens of Utah knew that his hasty departure meant that he did not intend to return. General Albert Sidney Johnston, another leading figure in the territory, also left the area during the same period. Both men's actions were a result of events in South Carolina on 12 April 1861, when the Confederate Army attacked the federal garrison at Fort Sumter.

[Source: Utah History Encyclopedia: Civil War, http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/c/CIVILWAR.html]