Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-07-12
PRESIDENTS fIESStGE.

\
FELLOW CrrrzEss OF THE SENATE AND HeUsE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, s- Having been convened on an
extraordinary occasion authorized by the Con-
stitution your attention is not called to any ordi-
nary subject Of legislation Atthe beginning Of the
present { eru, four mon tbs agn the functions
of the Fedora; Government We're found to be gen.
orally suspended within the severzl States of South
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
and Florida, excepting only those ef the Fost O'-
fee Department Within these States all the ioftS,
arsenals dock yards, custom houses and the hRe'
had been seized and were held in open heslIiity 10
this Government, excepting only forts fleSehs,
Taylor, and jefferson, and near the fIorlda
coast and Fort Sumter in Charleston haFbor, ooutn
Carolina. The FrTts thus seized bad been put IN
improved condition. New ones had been buiit, ana
armed forces had been organized and were orssnlz-
ing. all ayowedly with the same hostile purpose -
The forts remaining in the possession Of the FED
eral Government in and near those states Wete
either beseged or men aced by warlke preparations
and especially Fort Sumter, which was nearly sur
rounded by well protected hostile batteries with
guns equal in quality TO the best OF its OVID, ana
outnumbering tie latter as perhaps ten to one
disproportionate share OF the Federal muskets and
rifles had somehow found their way into these
States, and had been seized to be used against the
Government. Accommodations Of the public reve-
nue, lying within them, had been seized for the
same object. The navy was scattered in distant
seas, leaving but very small part OF il within tne
immediate reach of the Government. Oflicers OIL
the Federal army and navy had resigned in great
Numbers, and of those resignBg large proportion
had taken up arms against the Governm ent- 81
multsneously, and in connexions with all this, fhe
purpose to sever the Federal Union WAS openly
avowed. In accordance with this purpose an ordi-
nance had been adopted in each of those States
declaring the States respectively to be separated
from the National Union. A formula for the in
stituting combined s9fnyerRment Of these States
had been promulgated, and this Illegal organiza-
tion in the character of Confederate States was
already invoking recognition aid and Intervention
from foreign Poweis.
Finding this condition of things, and believing if
| to be imperative duty upon the incoming Exc
! cutve to prevent If possible, the consummatIon
of such attempt 10 destroy the Federal Union,
choice of means to that end became Indispensable
This choice was made. and declared in the In
augursl Address. The policy chosen looked to the
exhaustion of all peaceful measures before resort
| to any stronger ones. II sought only to hod.the
| public places AVID property not already wrested
from the Government, and to collect the revenue,
relying for the rest on time, discussion, and the
/ oallot-box. 1t promised continuance OF the
! mails. st the Governments expense, to the very
| people who were resisting the Government, and it
gave repeated pledges against any disturbance to
any Of the people, Of any OF their rights. OF all
that which President might constitutioaally and
/ iustif1ably do in such everything was for
borne, without which it believed possible to
/ keep the Government on foot.
On the 5th of March, The present incumbant's
first full day in office, letter of Major Anderson,
comm ndng at Fort Sumter, written the 2Sth
| of February, and received at the War Department
on the 4th of March, was, by that Department,
| placed in his bands This letter expressed the
professional opinion Of the writer that reinforce
| ments could not be thrown into that fort within
the time for his relief rendered necessary By the
| limited supply of provisions, and with view Of
holding possession of the same with force of less
| than 20 600 good and weli-dscplined men. This
opinion concurred in by all the officers of his
/ command and their memoranda the subject
were made enclosures Of Major Anderson'S letter.
| The whole was Immediately laid before Lieut.
/ General Scott who at once concurred with Major
| Anderson in that opinion. On reflection, however
he took full time, consulting with other officers.
both Of the army and navy, and at the end of four
days reluctantly, but decidedly, to the same
/ conclusion before. He also stated ST the same
4 time that such sufficient force then within
the control of tine Government or could be raised
| and brought to the ground within the time when
| the provisions in the fort would be exhausted. In
| a purely military point Of view, this reduced the
duty of the Administration IN the to the
matter of getting the garrison safely out of the
/ fort. 1t was believed, however, that to abandon
| that position, under the circumstances, would be
utterly ruinous; that the necessity under which it
was to be done would not be fully understood; that
4 by many it would be construed part of vol
untary policy; thai at home It would discourage
the friends of the Union, embeden its adversaries
and 20 far to insure latter recognition abroad;
that, in fact, il would be our nstonal destruction
Y
Starvation not yet upon the garrison, and ere
J it would be reached Fort Pieke1s might be REIN
forced This last would be a clear indication of
policy, and would better enable the country to ac-
cept the evacuation of Fort Sumter a military
| necessity. An order was at once directed to be
sent for the landing of the troops from the steam
| ship Brooklyn into Fort Pickens. This order could
not go by land but must take the longer aud slower
route by The first return news from the order
was received just one week before the fall of Fort
/ hau that fba
mandhg the Sabine, TO which vessel the troops had
been transferred from the Brooklyn, acting upon
some quasi arnistice of the late Administration
and OF the existence of which the present Admin
stFation, up to the time the order despatched
had only too rague and uncertain rumors to fix at
tention, had refused to land the troops To now
reinforce Fort Pickens before a crisis would be
reached at Fort Sumter impossible, rendered
so by the near exhaustion Of provisions in tho lat
ter named toIt,
In Irecaution against such copjanctQre the Gov
ernment had & few days before commenced prepair.
ing an expedition. as well adapted as might be, to
relieve Fort Sumter, which expedition was iutende ed
10 be ultimately used or not, according to circum-
stances. The strongest anticipated case for using
presented, and it resolved 10 send il for.
ward, as had been intended in this contingency Ii
was also resolved TO notify the Government of South
Carolina that if the attempt shoa6 be resisted
there would be no effort to throw in men, arms or
ammunition without further notice, or in case oil
an attack upon the fort. This notice was accord
ingy given, whereupon the fort was attacked and
bombarded to its fall, without even awaiting the
arrival OF the provisioning expedition. 1t is thus
seen that the assault. upon and the reduction OF
Fort Sumter in no sense a matter of self de-
fence gu the PaTt of the assailants They vel
knew that the garrison 10 the fort could by no pos
ibiiity commit aggression upon them. They knew
! they were expressly notihed-that the giving OF
bread to tme few brave and hungry men Of the
garrison was all which could, on that occasion, be
nj
shou.d provoke more. They knew that this Gov
ernnent desired to keep the garrison in the fort
not to assail them, but merely to maintain visible
possession, trusting, heretofore stated to time
discussion, and the ballot box, for final adjustment
Aud they assaed and reduced the fort for precisely