April 20 Saturday – Orion Clemens received his commission as Secretary of Nevada Territory [MTL 1: 121n3].

April 18 Thursday – The Alonzo Child left for St. Louis. From Sam’s 1905 notebook entry: Alonzo Ch. heard of firing on Fort Sumter, April 18 at Vicksburg on way down (the day after it happened.) We hoisted stars & bars & played Dixie [Bates 36]. Note: Ft. Sumter was bombarded on Apr. 12, 1861.

April 16 Tuesday – The Alonzo Child arrived in New Orleans.

April 9 Tuesday – The Alonzo Child left for New Orleans.

April 5 Friday – The Alonzo Child arrived in St. Louis.

March 28 Thursday – The Alonzo Child left for St. Louis.

March 27 Wednesday – Orion received news of his commission as Secretary of Nevada Territory [ET&S 1: 12].

March 26 Tuesday – The Alonzo Child arrived in New Orleans.

March 20 Wednesday – The Alonzo Child left for New Orleans. According to records accessed at the Department of Commerce, Steamboat Inspection Service in St. Louis in 1925, Sam’s pilot license, initially issued Apr. 9, 1859 was renewed a second time on this day [The Twainian, January 1940].

March 18 Monday – Sam was in St. Louis with his mother, Jane Clemens, and sister, Pamela. He wrote Orion on this date about visiting a museum and seeing Frederic E. Church’s oil painting, Heart of the Andes. He also wrote of his mother’s disapproval of a dance, the Schottische (like the Polka) that he, his sister, and Miss Castle took part of [MTL 1: 116]. Note: The source for this letter in the printed volume was Paine’s text; Here are transcribed parts of the letter that have surfaced since, from MTP’s “drop-in” letter file, as follows: