Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-10-27
Gov. Wises Speech at Richmond on the sub

Ject Oh the harper ferty heoeAioh'
Captain Cary, Company +, anil fe,'om-
Citizens If you and never had fellow
feeling before, we have it now. Rumors Of
insurrection invasion, robbery and murder,
by rufians on our border, called you to the
field, to exert the authority Of your State to
protect the safety Of her people. You, fell
iow-citizens, and citizcn-soldicrs, addressing
Company T, were ready to start, and did
start on the path of duty, at Il moments
warning; and we found others, like you,
lying in wait on the path, who rendered their
services. thank you'll thank all who
joined you and were ready to join you, with
my whole heart, for this whole people: not
only for being ready, but for the manner in
which your duty was performed. IL Is due
to you and your fcllow-citizens that should
say, and that they should know, that you
were ready to do, and, if necessary, TO die III
their defence. kept my eye upon you, and
proudly attest that you rerc men. As tele'
graph upon telegraph met Us on the way
that the fighting was still going on, inform
ing Us Of the danger Of the prisoners held
as hostages by the maraudcrs, and u death
in the assaults by the troops, your counte-
nances were bright with the cheerfulness
that you would be there in the imminent
breach. No man turned pale no cheek
blanched, no face was blank, until within a
few miles of the scene we learned that all
was over, and that victory was won without
the aid of your right arms. The brightness
of your looks faded not until we found,
when we got there, we came to look only up
on the dead, the dying and the wounded.
On the wav. on board the steamer ut the
Potomac | reminded you that you were al
ready known at home in the character Of
qenHemen, and that then you were called on
to win the character of Sohiiers. That char
acter YOU have won. Although not com
manded 10 charge bayonet or pull trig-
ger, YOU preserved order, composure, digni-
ty, and discipline in the midst Of the highest
excitement and confusion | have ever wit
messed especially thank you and the sol
diers who joined US on the way. and would
pass 4 special encomlum upon Capt. Marye,
of the Alexandria Rifles, who, without wait
ing for ball and cartridge, joined us at
Washington, with % men, and enabled me
to proceed with guard Of 81 Virginia sol
diers to llarper's Ferry Let me also thank
Col. August, and the corps Of the ist Reg-
ment of Virginia Volunteers who left this
city, under his orders, the next morning.
These and all who marched towards the
scene; all, all who were on the way as
prompt rs preparation could be made, and
as speedily as steam could convey them, |
thank with the deepest gratitude. | regret
ted to feel it my duty, at the Relay House.
tp I'd tIa Tor tn TN
mond from Washington. We there heard
that Col. Lee had teleSraphed that no more
United States troops would be needed, and
orders to those from Fortress Monroe were
countermanded But | took on Company
~" if need be, to form guard and scour
the surrounding country. When we arrived
at Harper's Ferry found that there had
been double more than ample force. The
gallant volunteers of Jefferson were the
first on the ground, and soon after them the
noble men of Berkeley were there. Far
mers with single and double barrel shot
guns, and with plantation rifles, were there.
The people, with arms and without arms,
rushed to the scene. For what what had
happened? What summoned them to shout
der musket and snatch weapons as they
could? What had disturbed their peace =
What threatened their safety and to sully
their honor1 Alas. to the disgrace of the
Nation-not OF Virginia, rcpel all ilnputa
tions upon her-but to the disgrace of-some-
body-tourieen ~iite ruffans ana. fce negroes
Ind been permitted to take tile United States
arsenal, uM all its arms and treasure and
to hold 1t for 81 hours. at that Thermopylae
of Americd, Harper's Ferry, on the confines
of too Stare .Stdfes, With the drored oiject ~
enlancipating their slares, at every hazard,
and the very preparation Of the seizure and
imprisonment Of the inhabitants and of rob-
berry and murder and treason.
You will Indignantly ask: How could
such outrage and disgrace be brought upon
a country like this, strong as it is in every
thing? l will briefly inform you. Congress
had by law, displaced the regular army
from the superintendent of its own arms,
as if it was unworthy Of the trust Of its own
affairs, and its officers very naturally turned
away in disgust from giving attention TO this
arsenal A civil superintendent was placed
in charge; and | know the gentleman,
Virginian, is as worthy of it as any civilian
can be- He was absent on official duty at
Springfield, Mass, and | have great conf
dence that had he been at the Arsenal 1t
could not have been captured and held as 1t
was. And do not mean to go into the dis
pute or question, whether civil or military
superintendent is most proper over man
ufactory and Arsenal of arms. But this
do say, emphatically and Indignantly, that
whether the superintendent was civil or
military, there ought TO hare been an oryam-
zed and sufficient military guard there: and
there waS nothingo Of the kind. There tcas no
watch eren ,corM naming, and no quart at all.
Thus, an arsenal, which ought to be depot
Of arms and munition of defence, for the cit
liens at all times to flee to for means OF pro-
lection, became depot for desPeradoes to
assai us and a positive danger to our people
1t would be better for Virginia and Mary
land to have the arsenal removed from their
borders, than to allow it thus to become n
danger by being left unguarded The Civil
Superintendent was not responsible Tor
military guard. The question, who Is re-
sponsible! | leave to the proper executive
authorities of the United States. BY the
grossest negligence somewhcre--whleh 1t Is
not my duty to look after or to correct, except
to proclaim it and complain OF 1t, tor the
sake of the protection due 10 our own peo-
ple-nineteen lawless men have seized this
arsenal, with its arms and spoil:, and have
imprisoned and robbed and murdered our
inhabitants? How? you eagerly inquire.
Ever since the border war in Kansas ceased,
and the abolition ruffans there were as