The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-07-10
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGES.
Delivered To she Two Houses Of Congress.
July llh, 1861.
Feiiois> Cih-ens Of The Senate and House Of
RsDrtseaid.ires.

occasion as authorized by the constitution
your attention is not called To any ordinary SUBJ
Jeci OF legislation. At the beginning of the
Presidential term, four months ago. the fuuc-
lions OF the Federal government were found TO
be generally suspended within the several States
of South Carolina, Georgia Alabama. Mississi
ppi, Louisiana aud Florida, excepting those on
y OF the PoStoiiee Department. Within these
states all the forts. arsenalS dock yards, custom
houses &c including all the moscable aud sta
uonary property in aud about them, had been
seized and held in open hostility 10 this govern
ment, excepting Forts Pickcns, TAYLOR and JEFF
eysun on AMI hear the Florida coast, and Fort
cGmpter IN Charleston harbor. The forts thus
se.zed had been put inimproyed condition.; new
ones had been built and armed forces had been
organized aud were organizing, all avowedly
for the same hostile purposes The forts IT
manning Ia the Federal possessions in and near
those States were bosieged or menaced 10y war
hhe Preparations. especially Fort Sumpter, was
Itariy surrounded by well protected hostile bat
terie> with guns equal IN quality 10 the best
OF lis own, and outnumbering the latter, rs per
haps ten io one. \ diSproporlionate share OF
the tedc a. muSkcis aud niles had somehow
iound ;be.r way Into these states, and had been
seized 10 be used against the government Ac-
cumuIations oi the public revenue lying within
them had becu seized for tie same object. The
navy Mas scattered in distant seas .eaying but
very sniIl part Of ii within the immediate reach
Of the government; officers of the Federal al
my had resigned in great Numbers, ami oi those
resigned "A large portion had taken up arnies
a,,ainSt the government simultaneously, anu
in connection with all this, the purpose 10 sew
er the Federal Union was openly aNowed. in
accordance with this purpose ordinance nau
been adopted in each Of those States declaring
the sta Is respectively 10 bc separated from thc
national Union The formula for insiitutlng
combined government for these States had oeen
omulgaied, and this illegal organization ia
the character of the Confederate States was
already invoking recognition. and ana ,nter'eu-
lion from foreign Powers. Finding tins cohdi-
ton of things and believing IT to he an imper-
ative duty upon the incoming Executive 10 pre-
vent if possible, the consumation oil such au ut
tempt to destroy the Federal Cnlon, cnoice
OF meaus o tha, end became Indispensable
This choice was made and was decided IN the
inaugural address The policy chosen looked
10 the exhaustion of all peaceable measures oe
fore "A resort 10 any stronger ones. III sougn.
only to hold the public places aud properly no'
already wrested from the Government, ana 10
collect the revenue, relying Tor the rest on ti1e'
discussion aud the bal!ot-boy. IL pron'iseu uie
continuance OF the mails al the government
expense, TO the very people who were res's,ine
the government, and gave repeated pieages
against anv disturbance 10 any oil the peoP'ec VI
anv of their rights of all that which 1 es'-
dent might cous,liutionaliy aud Jus'ihsoiy 90
in such u case everything was ioreborhe, WIN
| out which it was believed possible to keep the
| government on foot. =.
| On the 9th Of March. the present monuments
first full dav in office, a letter from MAJOR Nd,
dersOn, commanding at fort Sumpiei, "r'teh
on the 2sth of February, anu .eceived at the
! War Department on the 4tb o! March. was by
/ that Department placed in his hands. This let
! ter expressed the professional opinion oil the
| writer that reniorcements could not be thrown
| into the fort in time for his relief rendered nee
essary by the limited supply OF provisions, aud
with a view of holding possession oil the same,
with a force of less than 10000 well disciplined
men This opinion was concured IN by all the
| officers of his command and their memoranda
| on the subject were made Enclosures oil MAJOR
Andersons letter The whole was immediate
ly laid before Lieut.. General Scott, who at once
concurred with Major Anderson in his opinion
On reflection. however he took full time IN con-
shifting with other officers, both of the army and
navy. ard at the end of four DAYS came reluc-
tan,lv. but decidedly to the same CONCLUSION as
before. He also stated at the same time that
no such sufficient force was then at the control
of the government. or could be raised AMI
brought TO the ground within the time when
the provisions Of tie fort would be exhausted.
In purely miitray point Of view, tins reduced
the duty of the admin strait on to tbe mere mat
ter of getting the garrison safely ont of the fort
II was believed. however, that 10 80 abandon
that position under the circumstances, would
be utterly ruinous: that the necessity under
which it was to he done would not bc fully un-
derstood: that by many il would he construed
as par, oi voluntary policy: that at home II
would discourage the friends of the Union. EN-
bolden It's adversares and go far 10 insnre to
the latter a recognition abroad; that. m tact, D,
. would he our national destruction consumina-
led This could not be allowed. Starvation
was no. We. upon the garrison. and ere II could
be reached Fort Pickcns might be reinforced
This last would be IA clear indication oil policy
and would better enable the country 10 accept
the evacuation OF Fort Sumpter a. military
, necessity. An order was at once directed td
r G sent for tine landing of the troops from the
steamship Brooklyn into Fort Pickens. Thi:
order could not 90 by land, but must take thu
4 longer and slower route by sea- The frst re
D turn news from the order was received just ont
week be fore the fall oi Sump'eT The news 1T
: self was that the officer commanding the "a
bine, to which vessel the troops bad been trans
ferred from the III ooklyn, acting upon some
; quash armistice of the late administration, and
Of the existence Of which the present admlnistra
, ton, up 10 the time the order was dispatched
had only too vague and uncertain rumors to fil
$ attention-had refused to land the troops IL
e now reinforce Fort Pickens before cIisis would
5 be reached at Fort Sumpter was Impossible
I rendered so by the mere exhaustion OF proyis
ions in the latter named fort. la precautioI
: against such conjunction, the government haa
J a few days before commenced preparing an ex
! petition as well adopted as might he to relieve
: Fort Sumpter, which expedition was intendet
to be ultimately used or not, according TO cir
cumstances The strongest anticipated cas-
: for using it was now presented, and it was re
= = solved to send it forward as had been intended
a In this contingency it was also resolved to Dotl
o fy the Governor Of South Carolina that he nigh
n expect an attempt would be made to provision
: the fort, and that, if the attempt should not 6'
l. resisted there would be 10 attempt to throw II
: men. armes, or ammunition, without further no
tice or in case of an attack upon the lori I'M
n notice was accordingly given, whereupen TIM